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Why this couple gave out free hugs to queer kids at PH Pride March

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA – Oneal and Regina Rosero were among the many attendees in last weekend’s Metro Manila Pride March at the Marikina Sports Center.</p><p>But what made them stand out among the thousands who celebrated was their way of showing support to the LGBTQ+ community. Going beyond dancing and cheering, they offered free hugs to queer kids.</p><p>Oneal held a cardboard sign that read “Free Dad Hugs,” while Regina had one that said “Free Mom Hugs.”</p><p>For Oneal, a simple hug can mean so much to a queer child. </p><p>“There were so many who just needed someone to hold them and tell them they were loved, a small semblance of holding a family member, someone who cares. Many of them were still so young and in need of support,” he said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onealtr/posts/10157112740509220?__tn__=-R">Facebook post</a> on Sunday.</p><p>“We didn’t count how many, it didn’t matter, we wanted to help them all. We did what we could with a smile, a wave, and a hug,” he added.</p><p>Regina, a journalist, also took to Facebook to share her experience in a post that has since gone viral.</p><p>“As the music played and I held my own child, I wept for the ones who couldn’t talk to their families, who had to hide for so long, who desperately wanted to be held. It isn’t fair, it isn’t right, to be spurned for being a little (or a lot) different. It doesn’t make sense to turn away your own child because they’re not how you expect or want them to be,” she said.</p><p>“I don’t understand, and my heart breaks for anyone who’s been abandoned, rejected, disowned by their parents,” she went on. “I feel so overwhelmed, and I’m just giving out hugs. I can’t imagine what it’s like for them. I wish I could hug you all.”</p><p>Read her post below:</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157557814689973&amp;set=p.10157557814689973&amp;type=3&amp;theater" data-width="auto"> </div><p>In an interview with <a href="https://metro.style/people/society-personalities/8098/meet-regina-layug-rosero-mom-hugs">Metro.Style</a>, Regina said it all started when her husband found a Free Mom Hugs page on Facebook, and this inspired them to do something similar during the Metro Manila Pride March. </p><p>After consulting with their friends from the LGBTQ+ community, Regina and Oneal asked the latter’s gay cousin to design shirts and banners for them.</p>

<p>Oneal and Regina Rosero were among the many attendees in last weekend’s Metro Manila Pride March at the Marikina Sports Center. </p>

Oneal and Regina Rosero were among the many attendees in last weekend’s Metro Manila Pride March at the Marikina Sports Center.