Marie Joy B.

Luna September 18, 2015

F-1R Agribusiness Management

Exploring the LGBT Community

Last week, I attended the pride march where we celebrate the rights of the LGBT
community. It was a one of a kind experience for it gave me additional information about their
organization. Joining the pride march, I had the opportunity to interview a Babaylan, (what they
call to a member of their organization) where I asked their advocacies as a member and personal
experiences.

“I had experienced being bullied. This was way back on my high school and elementary
years.” Sherlyn Aclan said. They see her as a weird girl because her physical appearance is
different from the way she acts. She loves sports, specifically ball games which for other people,
typical male sports which girls do not usually play. She knew that she was different, neither
female nor male but something between those two barriers.

“I am not out in our house but in the university, yes.” Sherlyn said, meaning she does not
express her true gender identity in front of her parents but she feels they knew, they are just not
attempting to talk about it. When she decided to cut her hair short, some people asked her if she
is slowly becoming a “tomboy”. That was okay for her because she knows it in herself. But the
thing that she is annoyed is how about girls who just want their hair short? Then they’ll be
labeled as lesbian or tomboy, Isn’t it unfair to them? Later on her college years, she decided to
join the LGBT community organization where she introduced herself not as a lesbian but
bisexual because she does not want to limit herself to only one gender and she also thought of
“what ifs”, the possibility of her being attracted to a male. But after having a girlfriend last year,
she knew she was a lesbian so she changed her sexual orientation from bisexual to lesbian.

The LGBT community’s advocacies are gender equality, stop LGBT discrimination;
promote human rights that should be received by each and every member. For example is what
happened to Jennifer Laude who had been harassed and violated. But their goal does not only
evolve around LGBT but also on women gender equality. They want to educate each of us
because as they say, the person who does not have knowledge about these aspects is the one who
have the guts to say bad things or discriminate them.

This interview is an eye-opener to everyone for it gives knowledge about what LGBT
members experience because of what they are. It also gives us the clear vision of their
advocacies. Some people might be romantically attracted to a male or female but not sexually
attracted to them and vice versa. They use this as one of their bases in determining their true
identity in the field of their gender.

Knowing this world, it is full of judgmental people; I am not surprised by Sherlyn’s

statement that she experienced being bullied. People are good at stereotyping things whereas
they should not be. The deafening criticisms of people are alarming. LGBT members are strong
and fearless fighters facing vulgar and uneducated people criticizing them. They fight for their
rights and they fight for their freedom. We shall also help them by promoting equality and
respecting each other’s personalities and beliefs. Be open-minded and look at the complexity of
aspects of gender that doesn’t only evolve between male and female but at least in the deeper
side of these dividers.

Later, when you fully understand yourself, realizations will happen and you will know
who you really are and what you really want. Don’t be afraid to express yourself because the
more you keep it inside, the more you become a prison of your own self or identity. Take all the
negative things positively and just be you.

Your gender does not define what kind of person you are. You are a person as long as
you are humane and do not violate others.