Thursday, February 05, 2009
I realized, I realized I was wrong.
After watching 'Milk', nag-research ako about Anita Bryant, the "villain" in the story who campaigned against gay rights in 1970's America. Ito ang isa sa mga unang lumabas when i googled her. And it's a very, very powerful image because it captures the tension of those times.
Tensyunadung-tensyado ako while watching the whole video na parang naandu'n ako mismo. As a gay man, nanggagalaiti pa rin ako just by hearing her rhetoric, and there was a carnal glee when that pie hit her right in the face (mas masarap sabihin sa tagalog: sapul sa mukha!)...then nabanas ulit ako sa kanyang banat na "at least it was a FRUIT pie"...at mas lalong nabanas nu'ng nagdasal sila: ‘yung pagtawag sa Father, 'yung nahirapang pagbanggit na "love" nila ang mga taong tulad ko, hanggang sa nag-break down sa pagsumamo sa deliverance namin mula sa isang “deviant lifestyle.”
Good thing she eventually did not prevail in the polls but her advocacy lives on today - during these open-minded times, in our free and democratic societies, among the more educated and successful.
I am not sure how straight people would react to this video, but a question that I myself asked speculates an answer: Isn’t it ironic that gay people hate Anita Bryant, whom they accuse of being hateful? This, I now realize, is the underlying question behind Faith’s reply when I castigated her for saying “Gay people should not exist.” She said, “Are you saying, sir, that I should change what I believe in?” This is also Isagani Cruz upholding his freedom of speech when rebuking the hatemails and hateblogs about his anti-gay column in 2006. Like so many, Faith and Isagani still harbor in their hearts prejudices against gays and think it is ok as long as they do not lash it out hatefully, or because they have gay friends. Para sa kanila hindi sila homophobic; tingin nila hindi sila bigot o sexist. Hindi nga naman kasi sila mananakit ng bakla just because bakla sila, kaya busilak pa rin ang puso nila.
Maraming mukhang malusog ang may sakit sa puso.
‘Wag na muna nating i-apply ang gay movement dito, I’m talking a general/theoretical situation: Kapag may nananakit, hindi ba’t dapat lang na dumating ang panahon na ang nasasaktan kailangan na ring saktan ang nananakit kung ‘yun ang magpapahinto sa pananakit? Thus, I applaud the pie on Anita Bryant’s face.
Rekomendado ko sa mga straight friends ko ang “Milk.” Galing ni Sean Penn du’n! Kung bakla ka, feeling mo biopic mo ang palabas, but it is in the straight people that I hope the film will truly work some magic. Kung straight ka, mari-realize n’yo na as recent as the 70’s pinagtatalunan pa sa sinasabing pinakamalayang bansa sa buong mundo kung may karapatan nga ba ang mga bakla. Hayun, sa awa ng Diyos, black na ang presidente ng Amerika ngayon pero bawal pa rin sa kanila ang gay marriage…at malayung-malayung-malayo pang mangyari ‘yun dito (ang magkaroon ng egoy na pangulo at magpakasal kami ni Mike). ‘Di kaya ang puso mo ay isa sa humahadlang?
I love gay people but they just shouldn’t get married because that’s gonna disrupt society and family as we know it.
It isn’t right to raise children in a same-gender parenthood.
(Guy speaking): Kahit kaibigan ko siya mag-iingat pa rin ako kasi bading ‘yan.
I have no problem living/working/playing/partying with gay people pero siyempre sa Diyos iba pa rin.
Eh, ano ngayon kung hindi ako komportable/galit/iwas ako sa bading. Hindi ako naman sila dini-discriminate. Saka everyone’s entitled to his opinion. Ito ang opinyon ko, eh.
Kaya ang hamon ko, darating ang panahon na maaring ang mahalaga ay hindi na lang ang civility natin sa isa’t isa o kung maayos mo akong pakisamahan pang-araw-araw…Kaya mahalagang iwasto mo na kung ano talaga ang pinaniniwalaan mo. Kumbaga, hindi na lang tinitignan kung mabuti at tapat kang mister. Mahal mo ba ang misis mo?
Umaapila ako – habang payapa pa tayo – i-educate ninyo ang mga sarili ninyo, imulat ang mga mata, at maging tunay na bukas sa pakikipag-kaibigan at pakikipag-kapwa-tao sa mga bakla at lesbian – sa lahat ng klase - at nang maliwanagan ang pinakasuluk-sulok ng puso ninyo kung saan nagtatago pa rin si Anita, si Isagani, at marami pang iba.
Baka kasi dumating ang panahon na we might have to take sides again at gusto kong matiyak na ang huhugutin mong pinakapinanindigan, que aware ka man dito noon o hindi, ay hindi iyong may bahid ng faith ni Faith: “It says so in the Bible…God created Adam and Eve.”
I SWEAR, HINDI LANG FRUIT PIE ANG PATATAMAIN KO SA MUKHA MO!
***
In fairness to Faith, the last time I talked to her, she suggested the title of this entry. It's a start.
Tensyunadung-tensyado ako while watching the whole video na parang naandu'n ako mismo. As a gay man, nanggagalaiti pa rin ako just by hearing her rhetoric, and there was a carnal glee when that pie hit her right in the face (mas masarap sabihin sa tagalog: sapul sa mukha!)...then nabanas ulit ako sa kanyang banat na "at least it was a FRUIT pie"...at mas lalong nabanas nu'ng nagdasal sila: ‘yung pagtawag sa Father, 'yung nahirapang pagbanggit na "love" nila ang mga taong tulad ko, hanggang sa nag-break down sa pagsumamo sa deliverance namin mula sa isang “deviant lifestyle.”
Good thing she eventually did not prevail in the polls but her advocacy lives on today - during these open-minded times, in our free and democratic societies, among the more educated and successful.
I am not sure how straight people would react to this video, but a question that I myself asked speculates an answer: Isn’t it ironic that gay people hate Anita Bryant, whom they accuse of being hateful? This, I now realize, is the underlying question behind Faith’s reply when I castigated her for saying “Gay people should not exist.” She said, “Are you saying, sir, that I should change what I believe in?” This is also Isagani Cruz upholding his freedom of speech when rebuking the hatemails and hateblogs about his anti-gay column in 2006. Like so many, Faith and Isagani still harbor in their hearts prejudices against gays and think it is ok as long as they do not lash it out hatefully, or because they have gay friends. Para sa kanila hindi sila homophobic; tingin nila hindi sila bigot o sexist. Hindi nga naman kasi sila mananakit ng bakla just because bakla sila, kaya busilak pa rin ang puso nila.
Maraming mukhang malusog ang may sakit sa puso.
‘Wag na muna nating i-apply ang gay movement dito, I’m talking a general/theoretical situation: Kapag may nananakit, hindi ba’t dapat lang na dumating ang panahon na ang nasasaktan kailangan na ring saktan ang nananakit kung ‘yun ang magpapahinto sa pananakit? Thus, I applaud the pie on Anita Bryant’s face.
Rekomendado ko sa mga straight friends ko ang “Milk.” Galing ni Sean Penn du’n! Kung bakla ka, feeling mo biopic mo ang palabas, but it is in the straight people that I hope the film will truly work some magic. Kung straight ka, mari-realize n’yo na as recent as the 70’s pinagtatalunan pa sa sinasabing pinakamalayang bansa sa buong mundo kung may karapatan nga ba ang mga bakla. Hayun, sa awa ng Diyos, black na ang presidente ng Amerika ngayon pero bawal pa rin sa kanila ang gay marriage…at malayung-malayung-malayo pang mangyari ‘yun dito (ang magkaroon ng egoy na pangulo at magpakasal kami ni Mike). ‘Di kaya ang puso mo ay isa sa humahadlang?
I love gay people but they just shouldn’t get married because that’s gonna disrupt society and family as we know it.
It isn’t right to raise children in a same-gender parenthood.
(Guy speaking): Kahit kaibigan ko siya mag-iingat pa rin ako kasi bading ‘yan.
I have no problem living/working/playing/partying with gay people pero siyempre sa Diyos iba pa rin.
Eh, ano ngayon kung hindi ako komportable/galit/iwas ako sa bading. Hindi ako naman sila dini-discriminate. Saka everyone’s entitled to his opinion. Ito ang opinyon ko, eh.
Kaya ang hamon ko, darating ang panahon na maaring ang mahalaga ay hindi na lang ang civility natin sa isa’t isa o kung maayos mo akong pakisamahan pang-araw-araw…Kaya mahalagang iwasto mo na kung ano talaga ang pinaniniwalaan mo. Kumbaga, hindi na lang tinitignan kung mabuti at tapat kang mister. Mahal mo ba ang misis mo?
Umaapila ako – habang payapa pa tayo – i-educate ninyo ang mga sarili ninyo, imulat ang mga mata, at maging tunay na bukas sa pakikipag-kaibigan at pakikipag-kapwa-tao sa mga bakla at lesbian – sa lahat ng klase - at nang maliwanagan ang pinakasuluk-sulok ng puso ninyo kung saan nagtatago pa rin si Anita, si Isagani, at marami pang iba.
Baka kasi dumating ang panahon na we might have to take sides again at gusto kong matiyak na ang huhugutin mong pinakapinanindigan, que aware ka man dito noon o hindi, ay hindi iyong may bahid ng faith ni Faith: “It says so in the Bible…God created Adam and Eve.”
I SWEAR, HINDI LANG FRUIT PIE ANG PATATAMAIN KO SA MUKHA MO!
***
In fairness to Faith, the last time I talked to her, she suggested the title of this entry. It's a start.
# posted by rey agapay @ 8:53 AM 
