Milk, a film about Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist in the 1970's, has inspired thousands of gay men and women in the United States of America, and the entire world. He has shown that being gay is, in fact, not an illness, but a choice.
I have, in many ways, struggled with my choice of being an all out homosexual. A lot of people still do not understand that my choice of lifestyle does not, in anyway, hinder my way of living. I still breathe the same air that everyone breathes in. I still eat when hungry and drink when I am thirsty. I love with the same passion a straight man feels with a straight woman. The only difference is, I decided - a long time ago- to love other men.
After watching the film about the life of Supervisor Milk, I was inspired to make a difference in the world, starting with myself. When I started making friends, I made sure that they knew exactly who I was. No ifs, no buts. No pretensions. But now I realize that is not enough to make friends. What needs to be done is to make sure that they understand why I act this way, why I am who I am right now. 39 years ago, gay men aroun the world were struggling to get accepted in the society that they are living in. Today, here, in the Patriarchal Society of the Philippines, more and more people start to accept the fact that the gay community is not just a bunch of hairdressers making people pretty. We are doctors, nurses, teachers, writers, editors and engineers.
We are an entirely different race - still human but possessing extraordinary talents and skills to match those who have, in many ways, discriminated our existence.
I never had any regrets about who I was, and with that self acceptance, I managed to preserve who I really am, and my sense of dignity.
This is for Harvey Milk, and the people who have strived so hard to let us live that way that we are right now.
This is for the people who have accepted the fact they we, just like them, have lives that we continue to live.
This is for the gay men, and women, who still believes that someday, we can have the freedom to be who we want to be.
All we need is to be united, and to remember that we are who we are.
No ifs, no buts, no pretensions.
2 comments:
that's actually is a pretty good film, saw it the other day...
have a great week!
ViN
I loved it -- a very moving film about a very important historical figure.
You hit the nail on the head: we are not just hairdressers. We as LGBT folks need to do one important thing to assert our existence: put a face to our humanity to show everyone that we are everywhere whether they like it or not.
Take care! :)
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