MANILA – Queer Safe Spaces Philippines co-founder Roanne Carreon and content creators Joshua Cruz, Yani Villarosa, and Jan Angelo Ong on Tuesday talked about navigating their lives as members of the LGBTQIA+ community in a heteronormative society during this year's Google Philippines Pride Conversations.

In a panel discussion, they shared their experiences and beliefs in terms of “coming out,” a process in which a member of the LGBTQIA+ community chooses to share their sexual orientation and/or gender identity with others.

Baus Rufo, Roanne Carreon, Joshua Cruz, Jan Angelo Ong, and Yani Villarosa (L-R) on a panel discussion. Photo by Ched Gatchalian, ABS-CBN News

Carreon narrated that hiding her gender in the closet was gravely affecting her mental health, so she decided to come out and introduce her girlfriend Tina Boado to her family. From then on, she felt like she found her direction in life.

“Ang pinakasinabi ko sa kanila ay ‘bisexual ako, 2 years ko nang girlfriend si Tina.' And knowing na sinabi ko na ito sa inyo, and finally nagka-courage na ako mag-out, nagkakaroon na ng direction ang buhay ko. Kasi mas out na ako ilabas sa buong mundo kung sino ako, ‘yung love ko kay Tina. And true enough, mas na-reach ko ‘yung potential ko,” she shared.

On the other hand, Villarosa’s family and peers did not immediately accept her gender and girlfriend. She said it took her relatives a few years before they could finally embrace her identity.

For Cruz and Ong, both their families already knew and recognized that they were members of the LGBTQIA+ community, so they felt like coming out was unnecessary.

Ong also emphasized that “coming out” is not mandatory, as one can express themselves freely or decide whether or not they will have to share their Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sexual Characteristics (SOGIESC) explicitly.

“Kasi I never really came out to my family, parang ako, ang belief ko kasi it’s not really about coming out but letting people in,” Ong said.

Accompanying the digital creators were their “allies” or friends who support their deeds and expressions.

These allies highlighted that supporting the LGBTQIA+ movement is easy: it’s all about doing whatever is possible to educate others about the essence of SOGIESC, as well as continuously showing up to make the community members feel that they belong to this world. 

Content creators posed with their allies and Google's Mervin Wenke.

Hosted by Baus Rufo, who is also a content creator, this is Google's fifth panel discussion of Pride Conversations, an annual event that eyes to promote inclusivity and talk about building a safe community for LGBTQIA+ people with the help of influential personalities.

More than just a celebration

Since discrimination is still rampant, Carreon said Pride month remains substantially a protest aside from being celebratory.

“Isang reminder sa ating lahat na amidst all the fun and celebration, ang Pride ay isang protesta. Gusto nating ipakita na kahit puma-party tayo, mayroon tayong pinaglalaban. Pinaglalaban pa rin natin ‘yung karapatan natin para ikasal, karapatan natin na hindi i-discriminate based on our SOGIESC,” she stressed.

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Additionally, Ong pointed out that expressing solidarity extends beyond Pride month.

For Google Philippines, the company's Communications and Public Affairs head Mervin Wenke also underscored the importance of genuine support for employees who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Aside from joining in the Pride celebrations, Google put their employees’ preferred pronouns on their company profiles, and life and health insurance benefits were also granted to LGBTQIA+ couples despite the absence of same-sex marriage in the country.

Fostering safe spaces

The content creators have different ways of creating safe spaces within their communities or supporters.

Cruz goes out with supporters, listens to their stories, and pushes them to express themselves freely. Meanwhile, Ong advocates to his audience that every dream is possible and no one is alone in their struggles.

For Villarosa, authenticity and vulnerability work best for her community.

“[Pinapakita kong] pwede kang maging confused, pwede kang maging messy, kasi ‘yun ang experience ko [as a queer]. Sila… parang nakaka-resonate sila with whatever I share, parang they feel na 'it’s normal, it’s okay pala for me to go through that',” she added.

Carreon said she and her partner started a small community to serve as a support system for each other as they navigate their sexuality. This gave birth to Queer Safe Spaces Philippines which is now an official non-profit organization.

Her inspiration was the lack of support when she was still young, thus she wants the current generation to receive adequate education and help.

“Yun ang reality, walang representation, walang enough resources para ma-educate ang mga tao about it, kaya we do what we do,” she said.