They have served as muses to gay designers, but the 2019 Binibining Pilipinas queens are willing to offer more to the LGBTQ+ community.
“The simplest thing we can do is to support them and not just tolerate them. I am personally heterosexual and cisgender, so what do I know about these struggles? But I see what they’re going through,” says Binibining Pilipinas International Bea Patricia Magtanong to Super in an intimate media gathering at Gateway Mall at Araneta Center in Quezon City on June 26.
For Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Ganados, being with her fellow Binibining Pilipinas sisters is a form of celebration in itself, because they are “passionate about our advocacies.”
Binibining Pilipinas Supranational Resham Saeed, a Muslim woman who sported the pride colors in her national costume during the competition, invites the people to “get to know someone from that community, hear their stories.”
She adds: “I think that’s when you understand and better sympathize with those fighting so hard for equal rights.”
Binibining Pilipinas Globe Leren Mae Bautista echoes Saeed’s call. “I think the simplest way that I can support the LGBT community is to just celebrate them, acknowledging their talents, their capabilities and what they can do to society,” she says.
For Binibining Pilipinas Grand International Samantha Ashley Lo, gay people are some of the most nurturing individuals she has encountered.
“If I could be a quarter as nurturing as they are, my life would be fulfilled,” she shares.
Lo also decries the negativity toward “Pride Month” celebrations.
“Why would we never do that? I mean, it’s so silly. We celebrate a lot of other things that aren’t even productive. And this is a time to celebrate something that is inspiring, relatable. The bottomline is, why not celebrate it?” she asks.
Magtanong interjects: “Having your own rights does not entail you to curtail other people’s rights. So if I believe in something, I can believe it in myself. But I cannot impose it on other people.”
The lawyer adds: “This is rooted in respect. If we understand that we need to respect every single person, then we won’t have this kind of negativity.”
Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental Emma Mary Tiglao agrees, saying, “different opinions, different stands, we should also respect them.”
First runner-up Aya Abesamis believes that, as a visual artist, she may help with the cause by “showing the people art that makes them understand what it is all about.”
For second runner-up Samantha Bernardo, using her voice to inspire others to join the Pride March means she has “served my purpose, not just as a queen, but as a human being.”
The Binibining Pilipinas pageant aligns its Pride Month celebration with the Araneta Center’s various initiatives in fostering greater inclusivity in the commercial district, such as the rainbow-colored pedestrian lanes dubbed “PRIDEstrian,” and the “Rainbow Skywalk” connecting Gateway Mall and the new Frontier Theater.
This is also the first time for the Binibining Pilipinas queens to officially participate as a batch in the annual Pride March at the Marikina Sports Complex on June 29.