Kloseta in the Closet (from PEYUPS.COM)

Kloseta in the Closet
Contributed by rapi_74 (Edited by arwen)  
Monday, October 01, 2007 @ 06:53:28 PM
http://www.peyups.com/article.khtml?sid=4364

The Parlorista. The Ms. Gay Barangay X, Y, Z, ... The Japayuki with the what-planet-did-your-boobs-come-from. The Pedophile. The Thief. The Incestuous. The Molestor. The Mamasang. The Devil Personified. The AIDS Victim. The Mataray, Malibog, Gossip, Malicious, Nagbabayad-ng-boyfriend, Rapist, Transvestite, Transsexual, Male-to-Female!

The notoriety of faggots has astonished the Philippine society to the point that through the years it has successfully secluded the gays - boxed them into harsh stereotypes. No wonder most gays would rather hide with the facade of straightness. And who could blame them? Look at that Babaylan flaunting his/her false womanhood. Look at that butch rug-muncher sitting at AS Steps grossly kissing her femme partner. Look at you. Look at me. Of course they're disgusting! They're deviants for God's sake! And we don't want to be deviant; we want to be straight like the rest of them.

Thankfully nowadays, gay guys have a lot of facades to choose from.

He can be like Alejandro, a BS Development Communications senior at UPLB, who flaunts to the world his machismo while getting it on with my roommate. A supposed true-blue-bisexual, he claims that he doesn't care who he sleeps with, as long as he loves her or him. But my roommate says that he'd only hold the hand of Girlfriend but then be physical with Boyfriend.

Does it matter that he likes men? No! As long as there is that supposed possibility that he will, some day, marry and procure a Junior, a 'the Third,' and so forth, the society will adore him: he will be a champion to this patriarchal society defunct of tolerance and understanding.

Or he can be like Cholo, an AB Sociology sophomore. I met him in this anonymously gay chat room - bisexually coined '#bi-laguna' - and asked him his ASL (Age-Sex-Location). He replied '18-bi-curious-lb.' I asked myself 'What the hell is this bi-curious? Is that what they call a bi-polar homo nowadays?' But instead, I asked him, placidly:

"What do you mean by 'bi-curious'?"

He answered "I just want to try 'it', but I'm still straight."

So we met, and tried and tried and tried his 'bi-curiosity' out. Amazingly, after five weeks of 'trying', he tells me, "I'm still straight. I'm sorry." So we went our own ways and after two days, I found out that he was now trying it out with Alejandro the Bisexual. Imagine that.

Or he can be like Manuel, a BS Forestry hunk. He gets drunk in an after-finals circle of GSM Blue and Red Horse-chaser with his clique: a boy, a girl, a girl, a gay, a girl, a boy, and a boy. All of them got wasted and the next thing they knew, he and Brian, the gay guy, were kissing. The morning-after, the hang-over, he woke up, naked, next to Brian the Gay. Manuel stammered, and started cursing Brian with "What the hell? What the fuck! Did we? Did you? Gasp! Putang Ina! We did! Why did you? I'm straight! Putang ina pare, straight ako! Trip lang 'yun 'tol! Hindi ako Bakla!"

He shouted diverse obscenities to poor Brian the Gay even when he, Manuel, with all his musculous masculinity, was the one who first grabbed Brian. And, mind you, Manuel the Straight-Tripper was undeniably sober.

Gay guys can choose to be anything that is not gay. This is, after all, a supposed free country. After all, being anything not-gay is a trend these days. After all, hypocrisy is a Filipino culture. But choosing to hide gayness is choosing to be ashamed of it. And, of course, they have all the right to be ashamed of what they are and, most especially, who they are. On the other hand, choosing to be proud is a whole different story of magic and heroism.

Look at that Babaylan, shamelessly flaunting her womanhood - her true humanity. Did we ever consider that she is, day by day, berated for being herself? But she still, day by day, faces the world, hangs out with her friends - friends who accept and love her for who she is - and smiles, laughs and sleeps happily. Look at that butch lesbian at AS steps, cuddling her lover, shamelessly showing to passers-by her love - true love - to the girl of her dreams. Do we consider that they're shunned by their parents but, despite that, they still hold on to a love believed to be real? Do we consider that despite hatred and prejudice they still choose to be proud?

Do we ever consider anything or just glance at them and instantly judge with our twisted perfection?

Look at them: the sinful, malignant, and promiscuous. And then think. Now, look at them: the proud, dignified, and true. And then look at yourself. Look at you.
 
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