Growing up with a close friend who had signs of being a lesbian or a tomboy in an all-girls school didn't really bother me. I thought it was natural for girls to be fond of each other, holding hands, hugging and kissing. We would pick on a girlie classmate and have our discreetly coded description of how "nice" she is. My friend started to get cozy with another friend. Okey, I admit that at a certain point I start to question if there were any unusual feelings that came up during the course of our friendship. We were really subtle then, joking around and not really saying how we feel about each other. With a lot of nice girls around, this is probably why I wasn't really interested in boys.
The moment of truth came recently when she was in town again. We got together with old friends and reminisced. Soon the topic on being gay came up. That's when she finally came out of the closet.
They were asking me if I had known about her gender issues since our adolescent years. I smiled and said yes but we don't really talk about it. Deep inside I knew she has this tendency of becoming a lesbian long before she decided on her choice. I still respect her privacy and it doesn't change the way I see her as a person.
The point is to stop blaming other people for one's misery and learn from what happened. One cannot change the past but one can always create something better now. Do something about the situation.
Mayor Oden has not only shattered political barriers, his leadership and vision has inspired millions of LGBT Americans. His achievement allows LGBT people to dream about their future without limits.
"When I came back to Palm Springs, I told the Council I wanted to make sure that we had a city that is safe and accepting of all people," stated Oden, who is also an ordained minister in his church.
So who says that we cannot mix religion, politics and be gay about it?
Among the line-up are two Filipino films: Mga Pusang Gala (Stray Cats) in its US premiere is directed by Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil and Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros), a youth focus film directed by Auraeus Solito. It is really ironic what is considered trash in our society is art to others. One can only appreciate inner beauty by coming out of one's self.
Celebrate Gay Pride this month of June in the following cities: Manila, New York, Rome and Paris.
TGIF! TTFN and TCGB.