LIST: 2019 Pride activities

MANILA, Philippines – As Pride Month draws to a close, the Filipino Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community, and its allies will not just celebrate with rainbow flags but resist together against the injustices they still face.

Groups such as Metro Manila Pride, Bahaghari, One La Salle for Human Rights and Democracy, Kabataan Partylist Vito Cruz, Panday Sining, and Youth Act Now Against Tyranny will lead various events in parts of Metro Manila to conclude Pride Month.

With the local theme #ResistTogether, these celebrations highlight Pride as a protest.

Pride traces back its roots from the 1969 Stonewall riots – a series of demonstrations against the police crackdown on a well-known gay bar in New York City.

“Now is the time to use our voices in the fight for human rights – not just for our LGBTQIA+ community, but for all minorities that face injustice and oppression,” Metro Manila Pride said. (READ: ‘Tolerated, but not accepted’: Filipino LGBTQ+ speak up vs discrimination)

Here is a list of events to be held on the last few days of Pride month:

Metro Manila Pride

Metro Manila Pride has a series of activities to commemorate their fight for LGBTQ+ human rights on the last week of June.

Those who want to get a head start on their Pride celebration can go to Nectar Nightclub within Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City for the MMPride Popup Shop on Thursday, June 27, from 11 pm to 2 am. Admission is free.

 

By Saturday, June 29, the Marikina Sports Center will burst with colors as various LGBTQ+ groups, individuals, and allies will converge for Metro Manila Pride March and Festival.

Dubbed the most colorful festival of the year, the celebration is a space for the LGBTQ+ to celebrate and empower their community. Participants wave their rainbow banners, and raise – or even wear – the flags symbolizing their truths. In 2018, the Metro Manila Pride drew 25,000 participants, making it the biggest Pride demonstration in Southeast Asia.

Gates will open at 12 pm, while the march is set to happen at 3 or 4 pm. The festival will run until 10 pm, according to Metro Manila Pride’s official Facebook event page.

 

After a colorful week, Metro Manila Pride will be holding a Born This Way: Dance Fitness Marathon at the Bahay ng Alumni inside UP Diliman, at 4pm, on Sunday, June 30. 

People can also head to Cinema ’76 Anonas afterwards for Metro Manila Pride’s Cinema ’76 Pride Sesh at 6:30 pm. 

50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, Bahaghari, a national-democratic organization of LGBTQ+, will gather in España for a protest on Friday, June 28, at 5 pm. They will later march to Mendiola at 5:30 pm.

 

Taft Pride and Youth’s National Day of Action Against Tryranny

The One La Salle for Human Rights and Democracy, Kabataan Partylist Vito Cruz, Panday Sining-College of Saint Benilde, Youth Act Now Against Tyranny, and Metro Manila Pride will also celebrate Taft Pride on Friday, June 28, at 2pm.

The Taft Pride march will start from Vito Cruz to the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila, where a progam will be conducted to mark Youth’s National Day of Action against Tyranny.

Bahaghari Conversations

Iglesia Filipina Independiente’s (IFI) Bahaghari Conversations will be making a comeback after 3 years.

It will hold the Bahaghari Conversations at the IFI Parish of Santo Nino de Marikina on June 29 from 1-3 pm, with the help of Ramento Projects for Rights defenders and the Youth of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.

The event will gather LGBTQ+ individuals and allies to talk about their personal experiences and the salient realities tied to gender in a conservative Philippines. – Rappler.com

Arlan Jay Jondonero is a Rappler intern and a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication student at the University of the Philippines Diliman.