Proud of Pride Month

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June is Pride Month for the LGBTQIA+ community.* We thank its unceasing struggle for equal rights for helping expand the meaning of democratic rights and social justice, even as the narrow-minded among us are trying to impose their morality on everyone else, culturally, politically and legally.  

It is truly appalling that some right-wing politicians and their supporters have made gender identity-sexual orientation a wedge issue to gain political power. Their hateful rhetoric has triggered unprovoked violence and verbal abuse against fellow human beings, and their dark vision only bodes ill for society's future. We stand with the LGBTQIA+ community in its fight against bigotry and moral extremism and for equal rights and social justice. 

[*LGBTQIA+ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, with the + indicating the continual expansion of the term's meaning.]

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If you're in or will be in the Los Angeles area the next few days, hie over to the David Hwang Theater for the hit musicale, On This Side of the World, created and composed by Fil-Am writer/composer Paulo K Tiról. The show is about to end its run. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela tells us why you shouldn't miss it.

From the Philippines, a performing arts ensemble called Kontra-GaPi has become a mainstay in theater productions both in the country and abroad, its high-energy dances and unique musical arrangements steered by its leader, the ultimate performer/cultural activist/professor Pedro Abraham. His academic colleague Elena Rivera Mirano writes about the man everyone knows as Edru, who is often described as "legendary."

From our call for submissions for travel tales comes this story about a group of colegialas' trip to Russia which almost ended in tragedy. Lucila Dypiangco writes about fun and friendship in "In Russia With Love. 

Going back to this week's main theme, we are reposting U.S. Commissioner on Civil Rights and pioneer Fil-Am LGBTQ activist Glenn D. Magpantay's story about his coming out to his parents, a common enough dilemma of Fil-Ams from conservative families.

Likewise, Read Again an eye-opening account of how it is to be young, trans and Fil-Am: Robin Cid Calleja's "Gender: The Paradox of Passing," which we posted in 2020. 

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Staff