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MANILA, Philippines – Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Marquez Dee has come out as bisexual, saying she’s “identified with that for as long as I can remember.”
On social media, she wrote, “I promised to share my whole story in time – here’s a big part of that. #MMDLoudAndProud #MichelleDee 🏳️🌈”
In an exclusive interview with MEGA published on Monday, May 29, the actress-beauty queen talked about her sexual orientation, stating that she has identified herself as bisexual for as long as she can remember.
“I definitely identify myself as bisexual. I’ve identified with that for as long as I can remember. I’m attracted to all forms of beauty, all shapes and sizes,” Dee said.
The exclusive comes out after speculations regarding Dee’s sexuality arose following her MUPH win. According to MEGA, archived photos of Dee had resurfaced on social media, which showed the beauty queen as “a regular high schooler who’s heavily into sports, with short, barely combed hair, carefree poses, and rugged appearance.”
Dee explained, “I want to come out with this story because I know that those photos were spread with malicious intent – to kind of distract me, make me feel I’m not worthy of the crown.”
Dee went on to say that the reason she archived those photos was because she felt like “the short hair, the sense of style, nene look, all of that” no longer represent who she is now. “When I decided to rebrand myself entering college, I had already archived all of that,” she said.
She also shared that her sexuality was an “open secret” to friends and family. “I never had to quote-unquote come out. I was never really confronted about it by my parents or people who matter,” she said.
Dee added that she felt she “had to conform with societal standards” because of her high-profile parents. “I understood the responsibility of being the child of that and this. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t hurting anyone else’s or my parent’s reputation, despite the fact that my parents never told me it was wrong.”
Though she was asked to talk about her identity before winning the crown, she declined, stating that she wanted the focus of the pageant to be on her advocacy, autism awareness. “I’m so much more than how I identify myself. I have so much more to offer the world and the universe than how I identify myself,” she said.
Dee also emphasized, “I joined the pageant because this is much greater than myself. This is not about me. This is about the cause I’m fighting, advocating for: autism awareness. That’s my main goal.”
Dee will be representing the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant in El Salvador in December 2023. She will compete in the hopes of winning the country’s fifth Miss Universe crown. – with additional reports from Pie Gonazaga/Rappler.com
Pie Gonzaga is a Rappler intern.
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