Good guy, bad guy
June 6, 2005 | 12:00am
I think it must be because the Philippine STAR has a wide readership. That, coupled with the sweet things I’ve been writing, but my e-mail and my fax machine have been flooded with letters, queries, and complaints. Most of them paint me as the good guy; some would love to see the day I roast in hell.
Henry Lim of Kokun Productions and Government said: "I am so glad to have people like you fighting for gay rights in the Philippines. I am the owner of the club Government in Makati, the first openly gay dance club in that city. Check out the gay flag outside.
"Like you, I am passionate about gay rights. I just moved here from New York one year ago, after being away for 20 years. I find that there is so much stigma and so many stereotypes associated with being gay here. This is why we opened a gay club in Makati so we can put a face on what is ‘gay.’ Gay people are your doctors, politicians, and businessmen. We are not just the parloristas. Why should we just limit ourselves to one secluded area in Manila? Gay people should have a place to go to anywhere in the metro.
"I just went to the first-ever Asian gay cruise with the Icon magazine people… We all had a good conversation about gay rights. Do you know that there are many establishments that discriminate against gay people openly? One restaurant, for example, has said they will not hire anyone gay, especially if they look gay! Another multinational corporation said that they do not want to be associated with anything gay. I can go on and on, but these things just disgust me.
"It is great that we are moving in the right direction (with the Anti-Discrimination Bill) by having something legislated for us. But we desperately need this legislation to be enforced. Establishments that openly discriminate against gays should be fined or punished. We should all speak loudly and openly that we want rights – simple human rights."
I thanked Henry and told him that it’s quite funny, because the owner of that restaurant has a lesbian daughter, and that multinational corporation in Makati is crawling with gays. I bleeped these establishments’ names out of this column because unless – and until – the aggrieved parties go to court, then we have no case.
Time and again, I have talked to gay men who have been victims of such discrimination that we have lawyers for them. Even Senator Raul Roco promised to help file a test case regarding the adoption of a kid by same-sex couples. But the discrimination must be so intense and the victims so afraid that they just shake their heads and say, "No lawsuit for us." But it will make Henry happy to know that if the bill becomes a law, establishments that discriminate against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals would be fined P100,000 and their licenses revoked for repeated offenses.
Now that I wrote the word "adoption" somewhere up there, let me reprint a letter that just tarred me as the wicked witch of Philippine journalism. Several housewives – point something-something percent of the STAR’s hundreds of thousands of readers – fired off this letter to our editor. For the sake of balanced journalism, let us hear their side.
"We are writing in reference to your paper’s Lifestyle section issue of May 2. To start with, the Arts and Culture section of your daily is a welcome treat, especially on Monday mornings over breakfast and coffee. It serves as a breather from all the negative news printed continually in the headlines. You have very good writers, with interesting topics and informative articles as well.
"However, we found the piece written by Mr. Danton Remoto of Lodestar with the heading ‘Gay stories for summer’ very distressing, taking into account that it was placed right below the article about WWF-Philippines and its Kiddie Club, and also right beside the picture of the Suzuki Children in Friendship Concert. Mr. Remoto’s article is not en-sync (sic); it just doesn’t belong and is definitely way out of line. His choice of theme is akin to the stories printed in cheap tabloids characterized by mere sensationalism. He should put his literary genius to good use.
"As parents, we are very much concerned with the proper formation of our children and teaching them the value of art appreciation is one of them. That is why their interest in reading your Arts and Culture segment is greatly encouraged. We therefore call for a more circumspect, thorough and careful screening of your articles."
This reminds me of the letters that I used to get when I was still an editor of another newspaper. To a man – or woman – the letters pointed at the trees and not the forest. In this letter, for example, WWF means World Wildlife Fund. Does this mean that wildlife is more important than the lives of gays and lesbians? As for the Kiddie Club and the Suzuki Children in Friendship Concert, let me inform the ladies that I, too, am a parent. I am raising two kids in the suburbs, but I do not let them read the Philippine STAR on a Monday morning because they are nine years old and three years old, respectively. Pray tell, can your young children really understand the verbal legerdemain of Alfred Yuson or the ironic cheekiness of Butch Dalisay? Come on.
As for children above 18, I believe that they already have minds of their own. After teaching for almost 20 years in a Jesuit university, I’ve read many essays by college students complaining about mothers who did not prepare them for the real world outside, who did not teach them to be brave, to have an interior shield that nobody can touch.
They said that their mothers just fixed breakfast and coffee, raised orchids and told them not to wear sleeveless shirts and low-slung jeans. In a tough world filled with many choices, is this the only way we are going to raise our kids?
Comments can be sent to danton_ph@yahoo.com.
Henry Lim of Kokun Productions and Government said: "I am so glad to have people like you fighting for gay rights in the Philippines. I am the owner of the club Government in Makati, the first openly gay dance club in that city. Check out the gay flag outside.
"Like you, I am passionate about gay rights. I just moved here from New York one year ago, after being away for 20 years. I find that there is so much stigma and so many stereotypes associated with being gay here. This is why we opened a gay club in Makati so we can put a face on what is ‘gay.’ Gay people are your doctors, politicians, and businessmen. We are not just the parloristas. Why should we just limit ourselves to one secluded area in Manila? Gay people should have a place to go to anywhere in the metro.
"I just went to the first-ever Asian gay cruise with the Icon magazine people… We all had a good conversation about gay rights. Do you know that there are many establishments that discriminate against gay people openly? One restaurant, for example, has said they will not hire anyone gay, especially if they look gay! Another multinational corporation said that they do not want to be associated with anything gay. I can go on and on, but these things just disgust me.
"It is great that we are moving in the right direction (with the Anti-Discrimination Bill) by having something legislated for us. But we desperately need this legislation to be enforced. Establishments that openly discriminate against gays should be fined or punished. We should all speak loudly and openly that we want rights – simple human rights."
I thanked Henry and told him that it’s quite funny, because the owner of that restaurant has a lesbian daughter, and that multinational corporation in Makati is crawling with gays. I bleeped these establishments’ names out of this column because unless – and until – the aggrieved parties go to court, then we have no case.
Time and again, I have talked to gay men who have been victims of such discrimination that we have lawyers for them. Even Senator Raul Roco promised to help file a test case regarding the adoption of a kid by same-sex couples. But the discrimination must be so intense and the victims so afraid that they just shake their heads and say, "No lawsuit for us." But it will make Henry happy to know that if the bill becomes a law, establishments that discriminate against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals would be fined P100,000 and their licenses revoked for repeated offenses.
Now that I wrote the word "adoption" somewhere up there, let me reprint a letter that just tarred me as the wicked witch of Philippine journalism. Several housewives – point something-something percent of the STAR’s hundreds of thousands of readers – fired off this letter to our editor. For the sake of balanced journalism, let us hear their side.
"We are writing in reference to your paper’s Lifestyle section issue of May 2. To start with, the Arts and Culture section of your daily is a welcome treat, especially on Monday mornings over breakfast and coffee. It serves as a breather from all the negative news printed continually in the headlines. You have very good writers, with interesting topics and informative articles as well.
"However, we found the piece written by Mr. Danton Remoto of Lodestar with the heading ‘Gay stories for summer’ very distressing, taking into account that it was placed right below the article about WWF-Philippines and its Kiddie Club, and also right beside the picture of the Suzuki Children in Friendship Concert. Mr. Remoto’s article is not en-sync (sic); it just doesn’t belong and is definitely way out of line. His choice of theme is akin to the stories printed in cheap tabloids characterized by mere sensationalism. He should put his literary genius to good use.
"As parents, we are very much concerned with the proper formation of our children and teaching them the value of art appreciation is one of them. That is why their interest in reading your Arts and Culture segment is greatly encouraged. We therefore call for a more circumspect, thorough and careful screening of your articles."
This reminds me of the letters that I used to get when I was still an editor of another newspaper. To a man – or woman – the letters pointed at the trees and not the forest. In this letter, for example, WWF means World Wildlife Fund. Does this mean that wildlife is more important than the lives of gays and lesbians? As for the Kiddie Club and the Suzuki Children in Friendship Concert, let me inform the ladies that I, too, am a parent. I am raising two kids in the suburbs, but I do not let them read the Philippine STAR on a Monday morning because they are nine years old and three years old, respectively. Pray tell, can your young children really understand the verbal legerdemain of Alfred Yuson or the ironic cheekiness of Butch Dalisay? Come on.
As for children above 18, I believe that they already have minds of their own. After teaching for almost 20 years in a Jesuit university, I’ve read many essays by college students complaining about mothers who did not prepare them for the real world outside, who did not teach them to be brave, to have an interior shield that nobody can touch.
They said that their mothers just fixed breakfast and coffee, raised orchids and told them not to wear sleeveless shirts and low-slung jeans. In a tough world filled with many choices, is this the only way we are going to raise our kids?
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