MANILA, Philippines – Aiza Seguerra said that he and wife Liza Diño are planning to have a baby this year.

In an interview with reporters after a press conference on Monday, January 4, Aiza said that he and Liza are hoping to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) by the end of the year. (READ: After wedding, baby plans for Aiza Seguerra and Liza Diño)

The press conference was for the new show Born to Be A Star, where he will sit as one of the judges in the talent search. 

“Ang mangyayari is we have to be in the States for about two months dahil ang mangyayari is sa akin manggagaling yung egg,” Aiza said of the IVF process.

(What will happen is we have to be in the States for about two months because what will happen is the egg will come from me.)

Once they complete the process, which includes finding a sperm donor, Aiza said that the embryo will be injected into Liza. They will have the opportunity to choose the sperm donor, and Aiza said that all information regarding that is confidential.

He also said that he and Liza had themselves checked for the procedure.

“I had myself checked last year. Okay naman, my eggs are fine – unused, but fine,” Aiza said in jest. “And Liza is okay also. Kailangan lang ng (All we need is) time.”

Aiza came out as a transgender man in August 2014. He and Liza got married in December 2014 in California, and had another wedding in January 2015 in Manila. 

Losing work after marriage

During the press conference, Aiza was asked about the possibility of a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community making it into the singing search, scheduled to air this February.

Aiza believes that sexual preference has nothing to do with the contest.

“What I can say personally about it is I will look at how good and how he or she will connect with us. And the audience should, too. We should stop looking at gender, what type of sexual preference, but focus on what is important and essential, which is talent, heart. That’s what we should look at. And we should start doing that, not just the judges, but all of us,” Aiza said in a mix of English and Filipino.

He added that while society is tolerant of the LGBT community, it still has a long way to go. In fact, he shared that he and Liza lost work after they got married, and the jobs have been limited for them to this day. (READ: Aiza Seguerra asked to take leave of absence from ‘ASAP 20’)

“The truth is that up to now [jobs] are limited for me. And I guess it’s part of coming out. In a way, we are in a society that’s not really that accepting. I mean, we’re tolerant, but acceptance, the full acceptance is not there  Yes, I lost work because I got married. Yes, my wife and I lost work because we got married. Yes, I can say that we are only tolerant when it comes to LGBTs,” Aiza said.

“Hopefully, siguro ang isa sa mga hopes ko, is sana may manalo dito, kahit hindi mag-top, pero may maka-place na nasa LGBT. Sana mag-shine siya. Because mas maraming LGBT na lumalabas, at pinakikita nila kung sino sila, regardless of who they are. Mas makikita ng mga tao na hindi kami iba sa iyo.”

(Hopefully, I guess one of my hopes, is someone from the LGBT community would win or place in the contest. I hope he or she will shine. Because there are so many people from the LGBT community who come out and show their talent, regardless of who they are. People will see that LGBTs are not different from other people.)

Born to Be A Star will be hosted by Ogie Alcasid, Yassi Pressman, and Mark Bautista, while Pops Fernandez, Andrew E, and Rico Blanco will join Aiza as judges on the show. – Rappler.com