Coming Out

I was checking out details about the controversial Ang Ladlad - this party list for Bisexual, Gays, Lesbians and Transgenders (BGLT) has been on the news several weeks ago for their disqualification as a party list (due to their failure to define their presence on a national level) and then later, their Chairman was classified by the COMELEC as a nuisance Senatorial bet in the upcoming national and local election in May, and then much later, he declared his candidacy as congressman in QC's 3rd District.

Honestly, I had mixed emotions on this one. First, I was in some way glad that members of the third sex will finally have their representation over legislation. I heard PROGAY got to run for 2007 election as a party list and not Ang Ladlad. I had seen interviews of Remoto, Chairman of Ang Ladlad, on www.youtube.com - two things:

1) He seemed to have projected a 'pangmasang bading' (so much like the one who does your 'mani' and 'pedi' in the salon). GOOD: BGLT in this stratum in the Continuum of Third Sex are among the least represented in legislation. BAD: Other BGLTs might find it a bit repulsive, typecasting them as mere 'PARLORISTAs' (i.e. walang class?) - an image that they have been breaking out of. "Rosa", the gay who does my nails, 21 years old, even thinks so. He said Ang Ladlad makes 'them' look 'cheap' - that's his exact word when I asked him what he thinks about the whole issue.

2) Although Remoto said that they had a nationwide membership through affiliates, and that the COMELEC can check their members to verify; he also cautioned that some of their members cannot go public because they are 'closet gays'. Quite ironic, if you ask me. Ladlad in Tagalog means 'coming out' (of something). If they are to represent the BGLT community in congress as party list, their membership should 'come out' or kailangan magladlad to lobby for their cause. (It takes one's acceptance of who he is before he can make others accept him, di ba?)

I asked several BGLT friends about their say on Ang Ladlad, and they all expressed their disappointment on its failure to give them the representation that they want, away from the typical "tomboys and badings".

Ang Ladlad, maybe not on this election.

***

A friend told me about this story. It seems funny, but I guess the person involved in this story - if it even happened at all - wouldn't think so.

A Lesbian was applying for a job on a company in Makati. The HR interviewing said, "It says here (on the resume) that you are a member of the third sex." (Also, the Lesbian was dressing up as such.) The Lesbian said yes.

Probably to establish further the interviewee's personality during (or mere curiousity), HR asked, "So, are you a "practicing" lesbian?" The Lesbian answered, "No. I don't practice it. I have mastered it."

The latter wasn't hired.

Moral of the story: Wrong answer for a wrong interview question.