Three days have passed since the 2012 Pride March in Makati Philippines. On first sight I can say it was a new success, but on the other side it was just another step towards success. Having observed the plaza in front of the Makati City Hall, there was more space not filled up with peoples than there was space filled up with participants. Why is this, one may ask? The Philippines is still very much dominated by the doctrines of the catholic church and some stiff family mind sets towards LGBT's. Although the law protects the LGBT's sexuality, it does not protect them from families and religion not accepting LGBT's as first class citizens. Fear is the tool of religion, and the LGBT still often has to face regulations by the family. Often being the bread winner of the family gives the LGBT member a position of tolerated, so not necessarily accepted. The ones privileged not to be a part of family or religious discrimination, are the ones who are strong enough to come out and even fight for their Human Rights. Many organisations have been established in The Philippines to protect and support fellow LGBT's, give them a space to talk, a place to feel safe and the human exchange needed. Most activity though can be observed online, thus leaving peoples voicing out of their computers, instead of within a group. Evidence for such structures can not only be seen through the internet, but the Pride March 2012 in Makati spoke out the obvious sights. 1500 participants were well organised, lined up to go for the little more than an hour tour. That hour is in fact so much shorter than what one can observe in other countries. I had been joining Pride March in Germany and The Netherlands several times, and three hours were short, when mentioning time. Positively I have to say that the Filipino participants were widely creative and proudly active during the march. Yet coming back to the reality of the LGBT life in The Philippines, I had observed that many, and I would dare to say, too many obvious LGBT members were standing as observants, decorating the side of the road, waving friendly and throwing over their smiles. But exactly those were the ones missing in the march. The question is why those LGBT peoples didn't join in. They may have not known about the event, they may have personal problems due to my former mentioning’s, or they just don't see the relevance. In my eyes, this would be something to investigate in the near future.
Of course every Pride March has some few groups opposing this event. Narrow minded, and living in antiquated mind sets, set by their religions doctrines, make them come out and speak out against something, that is not even a disturbance to them and their lives. Yet although they are fundamentalists, they are quit harmless; looking like a handful of peoples, trying to voice out something, that only the Pride March gives them a platform for.
Finally I must positively mention that the Makati Pride March was well protected by the police, whom based on my observation, did a well organised, and often with a friendly smile on their face, professional job.
All in all, I must say that the Pride March has always a meaning in The Philippines, and the pleas to push through protective laws are voiced out. The Pride March lives from the organisations participating. If more advertisements would reach the public, maybe more individuals would know about it and organise for them to come and join in, to show that society is moving towards a free minded, out of the closet life.
By Thomas Fleckner
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