Transgender actress Iyah Mina initially feared that her family would not accept her as she is. Her fear of rejection was replaced by joy after her family fully embraced her instead.

“Kung sa buhay ko po, ‘yung pagiging ako, ‘yung maging okay ako sa family ko, ‘yung tanggapin nila ako kung sino ako. ‘Yun ang unang kinatatakutan ko,” Mina said during the online press conference for “Horrorscope,” last Wednesday, Jan. 6. Mina stars in the said iWant TFC horror-drama anthology, alongside Charlie Dizon, Paolo Gumabao and Elisse Joson, among others.

(In my life, being what I am, for me to be OK with my family, for them to accept who I am, that was my foremost fear.)

“Eventually, nalagpasan naman at sila mismo ang yumakap sa akin at tinanggap ako kaya mas okay na ‘yung sabihin mo ang katotohanan kaysa itago mo sa mga mahal mo sa buhay,” she said.

(Eventually, I overcame that. They themselves embraced me and accepted me. So it’s better to tell the truth than keep it from your loved ones.)

Mina came out to her family when she was about 20 years old, while she was in college. She recalled how hard it was to step out of home in a man’s uniform and change outfits when she was already in school. This makes her believe that it really is better to be honest than make up stories to hide your true self.

“Mas gugustuhin kong harapin ‘yung katotohanan kasi naniniwala ako na kapag gumawa ka ng kuwento dapat alam mong tapusin ito kasi hindi ka gagawa ng isang problema kung hindi mo kayang lagpasan. Mas okay na maging totoo ka sa lahat para hindi sumikip ang mundo mo, ‘yung nasa paligid mo. Mas okay ‘yung totoo ka lang,” she explained.

(I would rather face the truth because I believe that when you make up a story, you should know how to end it, because you should not create a problem if you can’t solve it. It is better to be true to everyone so your world [would not close in on you]. It is better to just be true.)

Mina plays a transgender fashion designer who fell in love with Paolo Gumabao, a gardener, in “Horrorscope,” which starts streaming this Wednesday, Jan. 13. For her, it is a dream come true to do a horror series.

“Unang-una, pangarap ko talaga ang horror. Sinabi ko kay direk Ato na pangarap ko ‘yung ganoong eksena tapos may comedy pa tapos may halo-halong drama kaya naaliw ako,” she said.

(First of all, it is really my dream to do horror. I told direk Ato [Bautista] that I dreamed of those kinds of scenes, where there’s a mix of both comedy and drama. I find it entertaining.)

As for shooting under pandemic conditions, Mina does not mind the lock-in set-up during taping, although she admits to feeling homesick sometimes.

iyah mina ig — Image: Instagram/@iyah_mina

“Sa lock-in naman, magulo ang isip ko. May takot ako minsan. Naho-homesick din ako pero kung para sa future naman talaga ay push na push naman talaga,” she said. “Lalabanan ‘yung anxiety para sa future din ng aming katrabaho.”

(During lock-in, my mind is messy. I had fears, sometimes. I feel homesick too, but if it is for the future, just push and push. [I] will fight the anxiety also for the future of our co-workers.) JB

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