Pride March Continues

Church for LGBT - Open Table MCC - Philippines

Nang malapit na siya sa Betfage at Betania, sa lugar na tinatawag na Bundok ng mga Olibo, pinauna niya ang dalawa sa mga alagad. Sinabi niya sa kanila, “Pumunta kayo sa susunod na nayon. Sa pagpasok ninyo roo’y makikita ninyo ang isang batang asno na nakatali na hindi pa nasasakyan ng kahit sino. Kalagan ninyo iyon at dalhin dito. Kung may magtanong sa inyo, ‘Bakit ninyo kinakalagan iyan?’ ganito ang sabihin ninyo, ‘Kailangan ito ng Panginoon.’ ” Sumunod ang mga inutusan, at natagpuan nga nila ang asno ayon sa sinabi sa kanila. Habang kinakalagan nila ang batang asno ay tinanong sila ng may-ari nito, “Bakit ninyo kinakalagan ang batang asno?” Kaya’t sinabi nila, “Kailangan ito ng Panginoon.” Dinala nila ang batang asno kay Jesus at matapos ilagay sa likod nito ang kanilang mga balabal, siya ay pinasakay nila dito.

Samantalang siya’y nakasakay sa batang asno, inilalatag naman ng mga tao ang kanilang damit sa daan. Nang malapit na siya sa daan pababa sa Bundok ng mga Olibo, ang lahat ng napakaraming mga alagad ay nagsimulang magsaya at magpuri sa Diyos nang pasigaw tungkol sa nasaksihan nilang mga kababalaghan. Sinabi nila,

“Pinagpala ang Haring dumarating sa pangalan ng Panginoon! Kapayapaan sa langit at luwalhati sa kataas-taasan.”

Ilan sa mga Fariseo na nasa karamihan ay nagsabi sa kanya, “Guro! Sawayin mo ang iyong mga alagad.” Ngunit sumagot si Jesus, “Sinasabi ko sa inyo, kung tatahimik ang mga ito, magsisigawan ang mga bato.”

Pagbasa
Lucas 19:29-40 (FSV)

A week from now, ang sang-kabaklaan ay magcoconverge sa Quezon City, specifically sa QC-Circle for what is considered as the main and biggest Pride event of this year in Metro Manila, and perhaps in the Philippines. Ang estimate and ineexept ng organizers ay about 200,000 individuals lalo na pagdating ng gabi, with the entertainment program.

And it all started in 1992 and 1994. Na iilang pirasong mga Lesbiana ay nag-martsa sa Women’s march of 1992 insisting their space, voice, and presence in the women’s movement. And then for the first time iilang piraso, around about 40 to 50 individuals – mostly members of Pro Gay Philippines and MCC Manila, for the first time 30 years ago, nag-martsa to commemorate Stonewall Uprising, to be visible bilang bakla at lesbiana, and to voice out our rights and our intersectional oppression. Nagsimula sa iilang pirasong mga gagang lesbiana at bakla na hindi natakot lumantad at mag-martsa para sa sabihing, andito kami. Kami ay tao. May karapatan. May dignidad. At merong kaapihan. Walang performers. Walang gobyernong sumusuporta. Walang nga negosyanteng nagsposponsor. It was individuals and groups organizing and mobilizing a protest. And from those iilang pirasong mga bakla at Lesbian, nagpatuloy ang mga Pride Marches na mostly nuon ay sa Remedios Circle at sa area ng City of Manila. Every year. Dinadaos kahit iilang piraso lang of 50s to a hundred. To a fee hundreds. Not enough to be noticed at kung manotice man sa media, mabilis na nakakalimutan. And MCC has always been there from the very start to every other Pride March that has ever took place and Father Richard Mickley, ang magulang ng MCC sa Pilipinas at isa sa mga magulang nung unang Pride March nung 1994 marched every single year and attended until year 2022. Nung 2022, he went to both QC and Pasay. Did he have to be there? No. Can he be exucused because of his age? Yes. But for someone who lived at a time where there was so much animosity and violence against LGBT people when the term LGBT did not exist yet – for someone who lived at a time na yang violence against LGBT was not only real but also the norm – He had to continue marching in a foreign country he called home. Abraham lang ang peg noh? Called from different country and told to go to another country. Kaya wala tayong dahilan para hindi patuloy na magmartsa at magprotesta para sa intersectional na karapatan at dignidad ng bawat LGBTQIA+ na Pilipino na nabibilang sa lahat ng mga sector at nabibilang rin sa simbahan.

In our gospel reading today, we listen to the famous palm Sunday reading of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. New Testament Scholars speculate that when Jesus entered Jerusalem from the Eastern Gate, he had with him approximately at least 5,000 men with him and not yet counting the women and children who also went with him. Pero bago nagmartsa si Hesus sa Jerusalem, nagsimula rin ang kanyang Martsa sa palibot ng Galilee with just a few men and women. Iilang pirasong mga pesanteng mangingisda, magsasaka, at mga kababaihan. And the culmination of his travelling ministry was to march towards the center of religious and political power, Jerusalem. With him marching the so called “sinners” and the unclean with him he ate with and became friends with. Jesus marched into Jeruslame through the Eastern gate – a revolutionary and subversive action – rebellious and treasonous action because of a prophesy that the messiah will enter Jersusalem through the Eastern gate. And while Jesus enters the Eastern Gate, New testament scholars also speculate that a roman legion was entering through the opposite gate, the Western Gate and a legion is about 6000 Roman legionnaires. It was a very delicate situation kung saan takot na takot yung mga temple leaders na baka magkagulo at magkaroon ng Roman reprisal. And so, the temple leaders – who were both religious and political leaders – “Guro! Sawayin mo ang iyong mga alagad.”

Pero most likely they told Jesus – Patahimikin mo yang mga tagasunod mo. Manahimik kayo. Ang ingay nyo. Nakakaperwisyo kayo. Nakakapagcause kayo ng traffic. Gumagawa kayo ng eksena. Tumigil at manahimik kayo kasi baka magalit yung mga Romano. Sounds familiar?

Sumagot si Hesus, “Maski patahimikin ko sila, mismong mga bato ay magsisipagsalita. Magsisigawan. Magpapahayag. Magproprotesta.”

Bilang progressibong mga Kristianong Bakla, Lesbiana, Transgender, Bisexual, Intersex, Queer, Non-binary, Asexual, Pansexual, Poly, and mga alyadong Cisgender-Heterosexual – Let us never forget that our spiritual bloodline goes all the way back to 1994, to 1992, to 1991 when MCC was established here in the Philippines. Goes all the way back to the 80s AIDS protests, goes all the way back to 1970, the first Pride Marches and Parades, and then goes all the way back to Stonewall of 1969. Goes all the way back to 1968, the founding of UFMCC. Then all the way back to the early picket lines when we were still called faggots and dykes, and homophiles. Our ancestry goes all the way back to Marcova and the comfort gays of the 2^nd world war, all the gay. Lesibans, and trans that were raped by the Japaenese along with other women. We go all the way back to Babaylan Tablot who rebelled against the Friars and Spaniards. It goes all the way back to the other Babaylans and Asogs that were martyred by feeding them to the crocodiles. We go all the way back to the early pilgrimages of gender minorities in Europe, making their way to the our Mother of Montevirgine. Our spiritual ancestry of protest goes all the way back to Jesus of Nazareth and the early Christians, goes all the way back to his ancestors, David and Jonathan, Naomi, Ruth and Boaz, all the way back to the slaves of way back to the Hapiru, the slaves of Egypt who cried out to God for deliverance and we go all the way back to Joseph who wore a princess dress, and to his father Jacob who wrestled an Angel or God all night long up to Abraham and Sarah whom God called from a different land into another to be a blessing to all nations. Our spiritual bloodline and spirit of protest goes all the way back to a God whose nature if Love and who has always desired justice, equality, and common good for all.

Pride as love. Pride as Faith. Pride as Protest goes all the way back to every person, queer or not, who has ever marched, protested, and resisted injustice and oppression and we are their living legacy. We are their continuing memory. We are the continuation of the struggle for genuine justice and liberation for ALL people. Ikaw at ako ang nagpapatuloy ng kanilang pakikibaka at pananampalataya.

While it is good to have performers and entertainers. Pride is not about them and Pride will not stop without them because Pride started without them. While it is good and we appreciate celebrities becoming allies, Pride is not about them. They should not be the center and focus of Pride. While it is good that we have businesses sponsoring Pride, Pride is never about profit and capitalism. While it is good that we have foreign embassies cheering Filipino Pride, Pride should not be influenced and dictated upon by them and by their funding. While it is good that a local government supports Pride and indeed Quezon City government under Mayor Joy Belmonte is the most LGBTQIA+ responsive and progressive LGU, Pride is not about Mayor Joy or the city government of QC. We appreciate and celebrate Mayor Joy for his allyship and for collaborating with LGBT organizations for local ordinances and programs, it is also equally true that Pride is not about her even as it includes her and with all her efforts and work for the community, it does not give her ownership of Pride. We love Major Joy. But Mayor Joy is not Pride and does not own pride. Pride is you and me, all of us, and every other soul who will attend the event. Every other soul who have attended Pride events in other places and will attend pride events next week. Pride is about every organization and community making genuine effort for the movement and for new generations of queer Filipinos. Pride is about our weekly worship service and a safe space for Queer Christians. You are Pride. We are Pride. We are the ones who own it and says what it is and how it should be. Pride is collective. Pride is community. Pride is global solidarity with Palestine and every other people threatened by Western Empires. Pride is the wider movement and it is a continuing protest. Nagpapatuloy na protesta at pakikibaka na hindi mapapatahimik kahit walang LGU o business sponsor or performers. Mga bato ang magpeperform. Mga Puno ang magsasalita. Ang mismong lupa ang sisigaw para sa pantay na karapatan at tunay na katarungan. So let us march carrying our placards. Ating salubungin ang mga emperyo at mga romanong dadalo sa Pride. Tayo ay magmartsa sa espirito ng ating mga ninuong accla at sa pangalan ni Hesus na nagmartsa rin at nagprotesta sa Herusalem at sa templo. Let us march with renewed faith and inspiration knowing we are never alone, and we will never silenced. The resistance continues. Pride continues until every queer child is loved, has enough, wars ceased and all creation lives in Harmony. In Jesus name. May it be so. Amen.

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