Letter to the Editor — A gay partylist now!

"No cause is useless so long as it is just."

I welcome with enthusiasm the emergence of a gay partylist. The time is ripe for it, I believe. To be particular, the time is ripe for the creation of a genuine group that truly and fearlessly represents the aspirations of the gay community. For this, I wish to study in depth any gay partylist's composition and it ideology.

I believe that the gay community needs a leader in the mold of Dr. Martin Luther King who turned his marchers into crusaders. He should have the charisma to win the gays among the masses and the intellectual power to win the respect of the middle and upper classes and the balls to charge each and every gay to the battle. A snob, a simpleton, or a coward has no right to lead a historic battle. If the leader only succeeds in dividing the gays, the dream of having representatives in Congress may never turn into reality.

I believe that a gay political party should not look like a noon-time trashy television show. It should choose the higher plane. It should choose to work in solidarity with the downtrodden and the oppressed. Freedom is indivisible.

I believe that a genuine gay partylist can stand and look straight in the eye - without ever blinking - those who do not understand and those who refuse to understand, in any place and in any forum.

I believe that victory is not as elusive as the stars - more so these days. There is good news. The people have become more tolerant. But there's no reason to be lulled into complacency. There will come a time lines should be drawn. Many profess they understand gays, but as to how far they could stand with and for them is a question which can be answered through the ballots.

I believe that with the strength of gays put together, with the support of heterosexuals who believe that the gay liberation is inextricably linked to their own, all the structures of discrimination will inevitably crumble, the chain will inevitably break.

I believe that perhaps some may not anymore see the dawning of a new day to see the fruits of their labor. But they must take comfort in the though that they have lived life in the way it should be lived: To take up a cause or two.

I believe that uniting the gays is the greatest challenge of all. It will not be a walk in the park. The first reason is, many have not seen anything to fight for. Not a few have succumbed to the label that society has given them. They have heard and felt this label deep down their hearts all their lives. Their minds have been conditioned that their existence is something to be ashamed of. This situation is no different from the situation of women who think they are weak - and so they act accordingly.

Except for a few who at some point of their lives have overcome the repeated blows of homophobia, a great many have chosen the closet - and I respect their choice - and some chose death. That lives are destroyed because the majority are intolerant is a sight that is intolerable in a society that calls itself civilized.

But I believe that there's no reason to "wallow in the valley of despair," to borrow the words of Dr. Martin Luther King.

I believe that the thread that holds gays together is so strong as it touches on the very core of their existence - to love and be loved. This thread is their very weapon against the onslaught of bigotry.

I believe that gays are capable of asserting. Yet in no way shall this assertiveness be equated to begging. Far from it. Gays only have to reclaim what has been unfairly deprived of them. In no way shall this mean a seeking for "special rights" - no, never - it simply means a seeking for equal rights.

Seize the moment.

Alvin A. Truya
ESL Instructor
Cebu Pacific International Language Services
[email protected]