Reacting to viral photos, Miss Universe PH 2023 Michelle Dee comes out as bisexual

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Michelle Dee wears the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 crown for the first time. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/05/13/20230513-michelle-dee-via-abs-cbn-news-3.jpg"/><figcaption>Michelle Dee wears the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 crown for the first time. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- Beauty queen and actress Michelle Dee is taking control of her narrative after photos from her teenage years resurfaced on social media, leading the public to question her sexuality.</p><p>The newly crowned Miss Universe Philippines appears on the cover of <a href="https://mega-onemega.com/mega-exclusive-michelle-dee-comes-out-as-bisexual/?ref=main_slider">Mega Magazine</a>, where she revealed to the public for the first time that she is bisexual.</p><p>&quot;I definitely identify myself as bisexual. I&#x27;ve identified with that for as long as I can remember. I’m attracted to all forms of beauty, all shapes and sizes,&quot; she said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/05/13/23/michelle-dee-of-makati-is-new-miss-universe-philippines">Michelle Dee of Makati is new Miss Universe Philippines</a></li></ul><p>Dee said she was advised to come out during her time as a Miss Universe Philippines 2023 candidate but she declined, saying she would rather shift the focus to her advocacy for autism awareness.</p><p>&quot;My identity is not what I want to be remembered for. I felt like coming out during the competition would shock everyone, and cloud everyone&#x27;s judgment,&quot; she said, stressing that she has &quot;so much more to offer to the world and the universe than how I identify myself.&quot;</p><p>And while she initially wanted to do things &quot;within my own timeline,&quot; Dee felt the need to set the record straight as a public figure to empower others. </p><p>She acknowledged that her teenage photos, which circulated after she won the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 crown, were meant to bring her down. </p><p>&quot;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&#x27;m not worthy of the crown,&quot; she explained. </p><p>Dee continued: &quot;I acknowledge that it was so malicious that I felt -- and this applies to everyone -- when somebody takes away your story, then you should take control of that narrative. Turn it around and make it an empowering story.&quot;</p><p>&quot;So that&#x27;s what I’m doing. I feel that it&#x27;s so important when somebody tries to knock you down and use your past against you. We all have to realize that we’ve come such a long way to just let our past define us. Again, how old was I? That was 2014, and it’s 2023.&quot;</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CszzvA8Ped5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"> </div><div 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style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"> </div></div><div style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CszzvA8Ped5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by MEGA (@mega_magazine)</a></div></div></blockquote><div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>According to Dee, growing up with &quot;empowered and strong&quot; individuals like her mother, Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez, made an impact on her. </p><p>She said she was never confronted by her parents and close friends about her sexuality, and that she was &quot;getting positive feedback just by being myself.&quot; </p><p>&quot;My mom would say, &#x27;O, anak, when I was young, I had five girlfriends.&#x27; She&#x27;d teased me sometimes because I had a very boyish demeanor. I liked doing sports; my sister did ballet. So I grew up in an environment where we&#x27;d appreciate pogi, maganda,&quot; she recalled. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/05/28/23/unstoppable-queen-michelle-dee-joins-spartan-race">&#x27;Unstoppable queen&#x27;: Michelle Dee joins Spartan race</a></li></ul><p>Dee went on to share that even before revealing to the public that she is bisexual, she has always been an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.</p><p>&quot;For as long as I can remember,&quot; she said. &quot;Even before coming out, I&#x27;ve been attending pride marches. I have too many friends and best friends in the community. I&#x27;ve been a loud and proud ally. It&#x27;s just that I never gave a confirmation.&quot; </p><div><strong>Related video:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I6vTONjWtAA?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

'When somebody takes away your story, then you should take control of that narrative.'

Reacting to viral photos, Miss Universe PH 2023 Michelle Dee comes out as bisexual | ABS-CBN

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Reacting to viral photos, Miss Universe PH 2023 Michelle Dee comes out as bisexual

ABS-CBN News

Published May 29, 2023 02:16 PM PHT

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Updated Jun 01, 2023 02:21 AM PHT

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Michelle Dee

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