Resurrection. Transformation. Bebe Gandanghari.

"Patay na po si Rustom Padilla, sya ngayo'y kilala bilang Bebe Gandanghari" - Rustom Padilla

These were the exact words of the actor-forward slash-actress Rustom Padilla-forward slash-Bebe Gandanghari as he-forward slash-she-forward slash-it announced the change in his-forward slash-her name.

Enough of the forward slashes.

It was quite a very rapid transformation for Rustom. From his out of the closet scene in Pinoy Big Brother, with the mariposa, to his gay role in ZsaZsa Zaturnnah, he has gone a very long way out of his comfort zones. 

And for the Filipino audience, it was not a very good move.

We all know that there is an imbalance treatment between the heterosexuals and the homosexuals in the society, and for one, nothing can ever take the fact that Philippine is a patriarchal society. 

Thus, you can never expect that Filipinos will eagerly accept the change in Rustom, especially that he is a public figure.

However, I do understand the sudden change in Rustom. Imagine hiding inside yourself for almost 30 years? 

What Rustom is going through right now is maybe just a long-time dream for him - to be out in the open, to express himself the way he wanted it to be, to live life as a woman.

Maybe, just maybe, it was not the best time for such change. 

Filipinos are not ready yet. They are not your Obamas that wholeheartedly accepts homosexuality and the underlying factors within it.

I now wonder, when will the Filipinos be ready?

Wedding bliss

I wonder how it feels to walk down the aisle, exchange vows, wear those rings, and kiss the man/woman of your dreams in front of a crowd?

When I was younger, I don't pay too much attention on wedding ceremonies. I settle with just being on the background. The last time I remembered involving myself with the ceremony, itself, is when I was the ring bearer of my uncle's wedding, I was five or six that time. From then on, I never saw myself being one of the sponsors.

Growing mature, I now feel the romantic breeze during weddings. I can't even help sometimes but cry.

Now I ask, how do people find the perfect someone whom they will spend forever with? Do such exist in the world of homosexuals?

Searching the corners of the world for your lifetime companion is not at all an easy task. It requires a spoonful of patience, a bucket of faith, and a pinch of perseverance. Sometimes, some end with fixed marriage just to settle themselves - rather, it's what their parents want. 

But however we find our partner, may it be through the web, through a wrong phone call, or through a friend, what's important, really, is how we keep the love burning with passion and desire even after years and years of being together.

With homosexual relationships, I find it interesting when people of the same gender vow to live with each other forever. I, myself, would want to spend a lifetime with my partner. It would be the happiest moment as we exchange vows and promise to love each other until our dying day.

Homosexuals, too, has the right to love and be loved - that's the reason why I am one with those gays and lesbians who fight for their right to marriage. 

No matter what gender you belong, we all are looking forward to that big day. And no matter what gender you belong, you have the right to marriage.

Let's all fight for it.

* * *

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Galvez as they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary yesterday, December 17, 2008 - the reason why I made this blog entry.

May you continue to spend a lifetime in each other's arms. May you live life to it's fullest together and celebrate an unending love with God's love and divine presence. May the passion to love burn forever. As you vowed, till death do you part.

Again, Congratulations!