[OPINION] When pride marches back to Manila

The streets of Manila have witnessed a number of uprisings and revolutions through the centuries. From the pre-colonial period when Rajah Soliman fought for its wooden palisade from the Spaniards, to the present-day rallies on Mendiola, protests for truth, justice, and equality is a familiar scene in the city’s political and social landscape. The fight for equal rights and against discrimination is at the core of these assemblies, including the first pride march in Malate during the early to mid-1990s.

The 90s pride march composed of small advocacy groups has now grown into the Metro Manila Pride March. Last year, the march had 70,000 attendees, the highest number of participants so far.

With the recent change of leaders in the local government units and city government, the City of Manila expressed its interest in hosting this year’s pride march, and this was initially welcomed by both past and current advocacy groups. After all, the bars and cafés of Malate from the 1980s up to the early 2000s was where the LGBTQIA+ community felt most safe then. 

The city government of Manila then took the lead and announced that it will be holding its “Summer Pride March” this year to express their full support for the LGBTQIA+ community. It assigned the Department of Tourism, Culture, and Arts – Manila (DTCAM) to organize the event, which will be held at the Burnham Greens, Quirino Grandstand, on April 19.

It was inevitable for the city government to receive criticisms from conservatives as well as the LGBTQIA+ community that they were just banking on the popularity of the pride march to boost its own tourism. There have been a number of comments online claiming that the DTCAM lacked understanding of the true essence of the pride. The critics emphasized that the event was not a mere celebration, but a protest march.

Perhaps we should understand that the city has hosted a number of pride marches in the past, and that the DTCAM is not just a tourism office but a department with a cultural component, and one that has proper training and knowledge on gender issues. 

In the months leading up to the pride march in April, a number of LGBTQIA+ groups have approached not only the city government but also national cultural agencies. The intent is not only to organize the pride march, but also tap the LGBTQIA+ community to make the most out of their march and introduce the city to them. Manila still has its built heritage, art, parks, and museums. Integrating the pride march with a visit to cultural sites will enrich both the city and the knowledge of the participants about their history and heritage.

Another partnership worth exploring is the involvement of the private sector groups and businesses in Manila who can provide support for the pride march. Their establishments could serve as “safe spaces” and their presence during the event could promote a sense of awareness for the Manila residents. With these potential partnerships brewing, we could eventually encourage the City of Manila to enact the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance and, to some extent, reorient the stance of the city mayor, particularly his views on transgenders.

The city holds a lot of promise in terms of making the pride march a fulfilling experience for the attendees and its residents. And this will be possible with the participation of not only the pride march organizers, but the Manila residents and stakeholders.

Perhaps what the City of Manila can also contribute to the cause is to provide an avenue or a means to centralize the private sector, NGOs, and grassroots organizations that will give full and sincere support to the pride march. These groups should also have a thorough understanding that the core of the pride march is about equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community, which has been marginalized for so long that they need an assurance that the city has its full support. (READ: WATCH: ‘What is love?’ at Pride March 2017)

It is really about providing an avenue where the LGBTQIA+ community would feel secure and be themselves even for just a number of hours while marching the streets. For a city that has become a witness to numerous protests calling for social change and other causes, it is high time that the capital city bring together forward-thinking, logical, gender- and culturally sensitive affiliate groups and individuals to make this pride march a success. And that’s not difficult to do – the city government only needs to be empathic and sensitive enough to know the needs of its people regardless of what gender they may be. – Rappler.com

Jeffrey P. Yap is the senior tourism operations officer of the Intramuros Administration.