The night before the concert, I was up until 5 am. Supposedly, I was going to sleep early to prep up for this event but something came up. Anyway, I woke up at 11 am and headed to SM Mall of Asia with Karla. We first hung out at Bona Coffee opposite the concert grounds. Karla was wearing her Noytee shirt, the shirt I got didn’t fit me so I requested to meet up with someone from Noytee to get a larger size at 3:30 pm.

Around 4:00 pm, we headed to the VIP entrance as we are expecting that the gates would open at 3:00 pm. Apparently, they’re not letting anyone in yet. Karla and I were the 3rd and 4th person on the right side entrance (near the bay). Patricia and Gerard (newly found friends from Circus) were the 1st and 2nd on the line. We’re complete strangers but the Eraserheads binded us as if we’re already familiar with each other. The guards then were instructed to let the audience in around 4:30 pm. I was really surprised to see how near I am from the stage.

(Me and Karla posing for the cam)

(The Yellow Brigade of Bouncers. They have been there since 11 am)

(Some Circus members in the VIP section, hehe, minus me of course)

I brought a big cloth with me so that it would serve as a mat for us to sit on. Under the heat of the sun, we still managed to wait patiently. I went around to take some photographs using Karla’s camera. I just want to observe the people around. I saw lots of people that I know from Circus (the Eheads Mailing List) and had a quick chit chat with them. This event became the grand EB of Circus. I got my Circus ID courtesy of Jaz (thanks to Levan of course who really took the effort on making those for us).

Different kinds of Eraserheads shirts were worn by fans. Here are some of the pictures I took:

(Eraserheads Team Manila Shirt. Thanks Gerard for modeling for me! )

(Eraserheads Team Pupil Shirt)

(Another Eraserheads Team Manila Shirt. Thanks to Patricia for modeling!)

(Jazz Nicholas of Itchyworms (sessioning for the Eheads also) took a picture of us. I took a picture of him also )

As I was going towards the Gold section and looking at the view of the stage, I realized that the Stickerhappy piano was there. Oh yes, the ever famous piano of Ely Buendia filled with stickers. If you are familiar with the Stickerhappy album (Eheads’ 5th album), it’s on the front and album sleeve (with Joey Mead naked). I personally was able to touch it way back when it was in 70′s Bistro and during the Eraserheads Exhibit in Megamall.

(Ely playing the piano during the soundcheck last March 6, photo by Day Cabuhat)

As the sun was setting down, the concert grounds was beginning to fill up. Friends were texting and calling me to ask where I was located at the venue. Around 8:00 pm, the MTV vjs went onstage and did their hosting stints. As usual, they did their hosting stints as they are required to mention the sponsors (especially about their network, MTV). Anne Curtis, being one of the VJs, misread an Eraserheads song as “Tindahan ni Aling Nene”. What would you expect from them? It’s their job to read and make a fool of themselves in front of the crowd that nobody really cares to listen. I was getting impatient with them as they talk non-sense (promoting their shows i.e. their Paris Hilton show??); wishing that they would get off the stage at once. The people beside me were chanting “Dyosa” to Anne, she felt flattered but I know it was sarcastic. After they had their stint, it took about 10 minutes before the actual show started. I thought that the show would immediately start after their stint but apparently sponsors again flashed their ads in the big video walls. It’s business, can’t help it. Fine.

There was an Audio-Visual Presentation of old Eraserheads videos that came from MTV shows. It was like a timeline of how the band was formed and there were never before seen like the bloopers. Of course the video when they took home the Moon Man for the MTV Asia International Viewer’s Choice for Asia was shown.

“Salamat sa Diyos. Maraming Salamat to all the fans who voted for us, BMG Pilipinas, Aureus our director, Robin our producer, our crew, MTV Asia, our families and friends.
ELY: Mabuhay ang Noypi!
ALL: Bogchi!”

There was this interview with VJ KC (Montero) which he asked the Eheads “Is the Eraserheads going to disband?” and I think it was Raymund and Ely who answered “No”. The irony of it is that they are already disbanded. As one Eheads song goes “Marami ang namamatay sa MALING AKALA” .

After a few minutes, there was an alphabet countdown (yeah, this has never been done haha) and it ended up at the inverted letter E (of course as in E-raserheads). This was the cue that the concert is about to start. Fans were screaming as robotic looping sounds of “Eraserheads” were heard mixed with the sound of thumping pulse and beeping. The band was already onstage staring at the excited audience. Loop sounds of “Punk Zappa” were also played on the foreground with the pulse and beep as the background. As the looping sounds end, the outro of “Butterscotch” (the backmasked guitar riff) was also heard then BOOM! The initial fireworks lit up the stage with the word Eraserheads flashed on the videowalls. Raymund gave the cue to start the band to play “Magasin”.

(First Song: Magasin)

By the way, here is the complete setlist. Total number of songs they performed: 27. I will narrate some highlights for every set so bear with me please .

1st set:

Magasin
Walang Nagbago
Maling Akala
Maskara
Poorman’s Grave
Waiting for the Bus
Huwag Mo nang Itanong
Slo Mo
Alkohol
Insomya
Torpedo

Highlights on the first set:

1. There were fireworks after Magasin. Ely changed a line on the lyrics “Medyo pangit ka pa noon, HANGGANG NGAYON”. Well actually, he was doing that way back.
2. Ely almost forgot the intro of “Poor Man’s Grave” and took the everyone’s attention that he will do it again. (I can take over for him, hehehe).
3. Ely threw his Levi’s Denim jacket towards our direction and guess what? The 6 of us were literally holding on to the jacket. This is how we literally fought over Ely’s jacket. I wasn’t on the picture because I was dragged on the ground. Haha. The bouncer (without the cap) was already saying that the jacket should be given to the girls (i.e. MINE and the other girl!). Of course, the men wouldn’t allow it because their hands grabbed it also. And so this bouncer (with the cap) confiscated the jacket. The 6 of us were worried that he might not give it back to us. He came back to us after the first set and was asking for a bribe (pang-merienda lang daw). WOW. Of course we didn’t give in to his demands (ano ito, ransom???) and so the 6 of us decided to just divide the jacket among us just to compromise. We might be reprimanded with unruly behavior (and the concert might be stopped because of us) that’s why just to get over it (since we’re from Circus anyway), we decided to cut the jacket into parts after the concert since scissors were not allowed in the venue. The jacket became a ‘sacred object’, you know in the religious sense? It was so immature of me but what the hell, this would be the last time that i’ll be doing this. Haha.



4. During “Huwag Mo Nang Itanong”, they rearranged it into a reggae version and let Marcus do the vocals. Actually, Marcus does this during his gigs with Markus Highway. Jazz Nicholas (of Itchyworms) took over the drums as Raymund was frantically reggae dancing onstage. Marcus changed the first line of the song as “Chika ang inabot ko” and was singing “Hindi ko sasabihin sa yooooo” during the chorus. Ely also danced on stage (wahahaha), he never do that but he tried his very best (wehehe).





5. The audience were chanting “group hug” but Marcus heard it as “Bruha”. Ely then asked “Sinong bruha?”
6. The audience again chanted “group hug” he responded “Kayo muna!”. He saw us hug and he said “Eh ang konti nyo eh!”.
7. Raymund took over the vocals on “Slo Mo”, “Alkohol” and “Insomya”

   (I love this picture taken by Karla, they were asking the audience to sing the chorus of “Alkohol” with them)

8. 

   People were chanting for Buddy to sing solo; he mocked the audience by singing the first line of “Fabulous Baker Boy” -> “They come for me for doughnuts….”

There was a few minutes break. The Eheads were seen being lifted by a hydraulic stage. It was a ‘homie’ production set up with Ely seated at the sofa, Marcus and Buddy seated on high stools and Raymund of course with his acoustic drum kit.

2nd set (the Acoustic/Unplugged set)

Julie Tearjerky
Tikman
Wishing Wells
Fine Time
Pare Ko
Kailan
Back2Me (Plugged)
Trip to Jerusalem (Plugged)
Spoliarium (Plugged)
Overdrive (Plugged)

Highlights of the 2nd Set:

1. Raymund entered the stage with his skateboard.
2. Ely asked the audience “How do you like our new home?”
3. At the end of “Fine Time”, Ely gave Buddy the cue to sing the last line “Basta’t kayakap ka ay okey”
4. Ely joked “kung may gusto kyong i-request isulat nyo lang s 1/4 sheet of paper lengthwise tapos pabigay s waiter”.
5. Ely changed some lyrics of “Pare Ko” into “Yun pala, magaling na siya sa kama. Akala ko ay dehins pa”. Again, they’ve done this way back.
6. Ely stood up at frontstage right and sang “Kailan” with Jazz Nicholas playing the Stickerhappy piano in the background. This is the first time that Ely sang only with the accompaniment of a piano. Good job! While Ely was at the middle of the song, a guy near me shouted “I love you Ely” and Ely replied on the mic “I love you too pare”.
7. At the end of “Overdrive”, they played the outro of “Trip to Jerusalem” which goes like this.. “Spin, spin, gonna spin it around”. Again, this was never done before. Yipee!!
8. Ely threw his Puma sneakers to the audience. No, it wasn’t me who got it. haha.

There was a 6 minute break before the Encore Set. This was the tribute to one of their closest friends in the industry, Francis M. Kiko was supposed to appear during “Superproxy”. As we all know, this was the song they collaborated for Cutterpillow.

Encore set 1: (Tribute to Francis M)

Superproxy
Minsan
Alapaap
Kaleidoscope World (sang only the Chorus)
Ang Huling El Bimbo (The Finale)

Highlights of Encore Set 1:

1. Raymund stood up from his drum kit holding a folder with “Man from Manila” written on it. Obviously, that already hinted the audience that this will be for Francis.
2. Ely and Raymund sang the rap parts that was originally done by Francis. I still remember the rap part by heart.
3. Alapaap was rearranged. Ely was singing “Masdan mo aking mata” for about 8 times with the sound of sitar playing in the background. It was a mellow version; the other guys came in on the last chorus. This was the best Alapaap version I have ever heard before. Wow.
4. They sang Kiko’s song “Kaleidoscope World” but only the chorus. I remember they sang the whole song, together with Kiko, way back during the “Electric Fun” concert at the Folk Arts Theater.
5. They were finally able to sing the final song “Ang Huling El Bimbo”. To tell you honestly, I cried in the middle of the song. I didn’t anticipate the tears but it just fell down my cheeks. I think Buddy saw me crying. It’s really unexplainable. I know that I have already moved on. Maybe I cried because I finally saw that Ely is back. All throughout the show, he was enjoying himself and didn’t seem to be forced on doing something that he didn’t like. This was the Eraserheads that I saw way back when they were still together: joking around, didn’t care if they made a mistake on a certain part, etc. If i will be comparing it to the first, I like this one better because I know they were all enjoying.
6. The song ended and Ely said “ITO NA ANG HULING EL BIMBO”. During the instrumental, The unexpected happened. Ely lit up a piece of paper using a lighter and threw it on the Stickerhappy piano. It became a symbolism of the end of the Eraserheads. I don’t know if the other guys knew that he would be doing that. I think he just wanted to say to the fans to move on and apppreciate the present. I suddenly remembered Elton John as he did that too with his piano. Another famous singer I remembered was George Michael as he lit up his jacket to symbolize that the end of the “old” closet gay George Michael and the start of the out and proud George Michael.







(oh yeah, Karla took a picture of me crying. wahhh!!!!)

7. 

   There were fireworks again after the final song. They all bowed (and semi hugged ) and Ely said “We ARE the Eraserheads”. If you will notice, it was used in the present tense.

Encore 2:
Ligaya
Sembreak/Toyang

Highlights of the Encore 2:

1. Raymund came back onstage and asked the audience “Ano, gusto niyo pa?”. He asked the audience to call the others. Ely, Buddy and Marcus came back. I was able to read Raymund mouth, he said something like “Sorry…”. He was apologizing maybe because they weren’t prepared for anything for this set.



2. Ely changed the lyrics of “Ligaya” into “Gagawin ko ang lahat pati ang misis mo”…
3. Ely forgot some lyrics of Sembreak and immediately proceeded towards the last verse. Then he asked Raymund “tapos na?”. haha.
4. Ely went down to the audience and gave the mic to some people in the VIP section. Unfortunately I wasn’t one of the people who sang “Toyang” but I was able to hold his hand.
5. Ely gave Tim Yap the opportunity to sing “Toyang”, apparently, he wasn’t prepared. Lots of fans hated him because of that because it was a very common song. Well give him a break, he’s there to cover the event and was probably one of the ‘friends’ of Ely’s entourage.

Remember Ely’s jacket?? Here’s the documentation on how we divided the jacket. hehe. This is to be fair and square to everyone who got involved in this rowdy incident. haha. I have now realized that Levi’s is really good quality. A lot of effort was made to cut the seams dude!!

(This is my share; still have to decide what part to give Karla )

By the way, here are some additional videos or blogs you can view about the event:

Schizo’s You tube video- “Ang Huling El Bimbo” live stream

Karla ‘s blog post

Karla’s blog post 2

Nielsen’s YouTube video- Ely singing “Kailan” with piano accompaniment

http://zarathustralf.multiply.com/journal/item/36/Eraserheads_Final_Set_Experience_03.07.2009

Jake Yrastorza’s blog post

(if you have blogged about this one, just comment below and i’ll add it here )

]]> http://www.rockerfem.com/this-is-the-last-el-bimbo-my-eraserheads-final-set-experience/feed/ 72 http://www.rockerfem.com/my-views-on-prop-8/ http://www.rockerfem.com/my-views-on-prop-8/#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:11:04 +0000 Sharlyne Ang http://www.rockerfem.com/?p=600

The California Proposition 8 has been already out in the news and I guess you already know what happened, it was PASSED. 52.3% voted yes and 47.7% voted no. It was a close fight but we were not able to succeed. If you already know me personally, I am based here in the Manila and maybe you’re asking why I said WE were not able to succeed. I am saying WE because WE may belong to a different ethnicity, geographical location, etc…but WE are part of the global LGBT community. We may not have same sex marriages here in the Philippines but we are part of the community that is being discriminated by hypocrites.
I was watching the show “The View” yesterday and what really struck me is what Whoopi Goldberg said. It’s just an issue of semantics ( and that’s what I also believe ). These hypocrites only relate the word marriage as the sacrament and would like to claim ownership among “their kind”. They don’t want the word gay beside the word marriage probably because it insults the “holiness” of the word itself. Bottomline, just change the word “marriage” into UNION. The hypocrites want to own the word marriage so give it to them. In my own opinion, I would get married not because of its religious functions but because of practical reasons. I am concerned about have equal rights with my partner in some legal documents like owning a property ( conjugality ) or the right to claim my partner’s body if ever she dies ( I’m not wishing this to happen to my partner). It’s just the pragmatism of it so that we as members of the LGBT can work our way out also with these mostly heterosexual-made laws. This is far cry from happening here in the Philippines. I would like the Anti Discrimination Bill to be passed first before asking for same-sex unions.

Oppose Prop 8!

Manila Pride March 2008: Show Your Pride!

Dear Friends,
Rainbow Greetings!

Task Force Pride, the official network that has been organizing the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride March since 1999, would like to invite you and your organization/group to participate in this year’s celebration of LGBT Pride in Malate on 6 December 2008, Saturday, 3 PM to 5 PM.

Theme. This years Pride March is a tribute to the last 10 years of LGBT human rights advocacy. Hence, the theme is: A decade of dignity: Our rights, our lives, our loves, our selves.

Route. The route of this year’s march is: Remedios Circle-Adriatico St.-P.Faura-Roxas Blvd.-Rajah Sulayman-Remedios Circle-Adriatico St.-Nakpil St.-Orosa St .

The march will be followed by a brief cultural program showcasing both LGBT and non-LGBT talents.

Significance. The Pride March is known for its overwhelming attendance. It attracts thousands of participants and generates extensive local and international media attention.

This year’s Pride March is particularly significant as it coincides with the celebration of the 60th year of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the launch in Manila
of the Yogyakarta Principles (www.yogyakartaprinciples.org), an international declaration which affirms sexual orientation and gender identity and expression as fundamental human rights.

We hope that you will choose to make this year’s Pride celebration a more festive, colorful and meaningful event with your participation. Should you have inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Bruce Amoroto, head of our Participation Committee at 0916.282.6781 (bruce.amoroto@gmail.com) or Peach Natividad, head of our Program Committee at 0917.539.2742 (peach_rmn@hotmail.com).

Thank you.

Sincerely,

(Ms) Pau
M. Fontanos
Co-Coordinator, TFP 2008

(Ms) Sass Rogando Sasot
Co-Coordinator, TFP 2008

---

‘Pregnant man’ gives birth to girl — reports

First posted 04:21:36 (Mla time) July 04, 2008
Agence France-Presse
LOS ANGELES — A US man who was born a woman before undergoing gender realignment surgery has given birth to a baby girl, US media reported Thursday.

Thomas Beatie, who is legally male but decided to keep his female sex organs during chest reconstruction surgery and testosterone therapy, attracted worldwide attention in April after revealing his pregnancy.

The 34-year-old gave birth to a baby girl at a hospital in Bend, Oregon, ABC News reported, without providing further details.

Beatie, who sports a beard, was dubbed the ‘pregnant man’ after appearing on Oprah Winfrey’s television talkshow to discuss his pregnancy.

“I feel it’s not a male or female desire to have a child. It’s a human need. I’m a person and I have the right to have a biological child,” Beatie told the chat show queen.

Beatie’s unusual situation first became public when he wrote an article in the leading US gay magazine The Advocate in March, entitled “Labor of Love.”

“To our neighbors, my wife, Nancy, and I don’t appear in the least unusual,” he wrote, explaining that his wife was unable to have a child after undergoing a hysterectomy. So he chose to become pregnant by artificial insemination, he said.

“Our situation sparks legal, political, and social unknowns,” Beatie wrote, adding the couple had experienced opposition from health care professionals, friends and family.

One doctor refused to treat the couple, after consulting an ethics board.

“How does it feel to be a pregnant man? Incredible. Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am,” Beatie wrote.

–> from inquirer.net

Beatie was correct, gender isn’t important if one wants to have a child of his/her own. Being a transsexual or being part of the LGBT per se should not be a hindrance for the right to procreate. There are different ways of obtaining a child. Let’s not think only of procreating through consummation between a man and a woman. This is liberating in the sense that it deviates from the Victorian view of consummation as a prerequisite for procreation.

If you would be interested, you may want to watch “What Makes a Family“, an indie film about a Lesbian family. Popular stars in the film are Brook Shields and Whoopie Goldberg. This movie is a great way for you to understand that being a family doesn’t only involve blood relations. What is important is how children are being brought up. Bigotry of people around us only aggravates the situation. It’s not correlating that if a child is born with gay/ lesbian parents they will definitely be ‘bad’ kids. Actually most studies show that children brought up by ‘gay’ parents are far better kids than those brought up by ‘straight’ parents.

I have just finished reading Sarah Waters’ “Tipping the Velvet”. Actually this has been long overdue since I started reading that i think late December. Let me give you a little background about the author and the story.

Sarah Waters is a known lesbian author born in Neyland, Pembrokeshire in 1966. “Tipping the Velvet” is actually her first novel that she published in 1999. The story was inspired by her PhD thesis about lesbian historical fiction.**
The story itself is based on the Victorian Era, specific location of the story are the music halls during that era. The main character in the story, Nan King ( an oyster cook from Whitstable) became infatuated with a male impersonator actress named Kitty. With her infatuation, she didn’t know that she will become physically attracted to this woman. She thought that she was just being fanatic about the art that Kitty is doing. She eventually becomes Kitty’s personal assistant and left Whitstable to be with Kitty during her performances. Nan King also has a hidden talent and became Kitty’s partner in their performances ( male impersonation). Their on-stage partnership suddenly became realistic, thus making Kitty as her first girlfriend. Kitty didn’t want to expose their relationship, Nan King realizes the “closet relationship”. After a while, Kitty left Nan to marry their manager and live a life as a “straight” person.

Nan King being devastated of her first lesbian experience, she lived a life as a ‘tom’. She left the music halls and lived in another place far from the music halls. She got attracted with a girl name Florence, working in the boarding house she’s living in. Nan became a prostitute ( for gay males) because they think she’s a boy. Nan King was picked up by Diane, a rich woman in her late 40′s and adventurous in sexual experimentations. Nan King then became her ‘boytoy’ and made her live in her mansion. Nan King enjoyed the experimentation however she didn’t love this woman, she’s still in love with Kitty. She also became involved with Diane’s maid Zena.

She left Diane’s mansion and tried to look for Florence, the girl that she got attracted with before leaving for the mansion. She felt that there was something ‘hanging’ between them. Now with no money, she found Florence. They started where they left off. Nan admitting her past to Florence.
In a socialist event, all of Nan’s ex’s were in that particular place. Kitty talked to Nan, asking her to come back even though Kitty still married to Walter. Nan refused since she didn’t want to become the ‘third party’. Though Florence and Nan both have unfinished businesses with their ex’s, Nan still chose Florence over Kitty.

My commentary:
This has a historical approach, makes you really imagine the music halls during the Victorian era. It seems that the author wants to explore lesbian visibility in history that has been left behind. The author showed the ‘exclusive’ parties for women who love women that may be present at that time.

At the beginning of the story, readers will already realize it is a lesbian novel due to the yonic symbols used such as oysters etc… ( I guess I know what you mean lolz ;p ).It made me giggle a bit at first, since Nan is somewhat a ‘virgin’ in this kind of feeling. It made me think of the first time I felt that feeling, going beyond friendship or fanaticism. I felt disappointed at Kitty being a closet lesbian, leaving Nan hanging. I actually became angry at the character of Kitty, especially the part when she was saying to Nan that she doesn’t want to be called a ‘tom’. Well what are you then? I totally understand closet relationships but between the two of them, Kitty still prefers not to be called a ‘tom’. That is called hypocrisy.

Actually, as I was reading through the course of the story it was suddenly becoming too graphic for me. The part when Nan was already involved with Diane. For me, it seems that the character was floating, on the rebound that’s why she agreed to be Diane’s ‘boytoy’. For the faint-hearted, I believe you might not like what you will be reading when you come to this part.
In summary, the novel is liberating lesbians especially in its setting in the Victorian era. During that time, women are treated weak and does not have the right to enjoy sex. Well as for this novel, it showed that women can enjoy sex and be whoever they want to be. As you can see, the characters of Nan and Kitty as male impersonators, they have to be one so that they can be considered as ‘someone’ in society; albeit shows patriarchy in that period.
Aside from patriarchy theme, it also shows discrimination among lesbians. It could be shown in Kitty’s statements that she doesn’t want to be called as ‘tom’ ( referring to a butch lesbian). We must admit that there is also discrimination even inside the circle that we revolve in.

** based on Sarah Waters’s official website.

Transphobia refers to discrimination against transsexuality and transsexual or transgender people, based on the expression of their internal gender identity ( from Wikipedia.com)

Transexuals are what people call in lay person’s terms who had undergone sex change while transgenders are people who feel uncomfortable on their biological sexual make up and thus feel that they are trapped in that body and would need to perform gender roles that do not match on their biological make up.

One of our sisters/brothers in the LGBT community was discriminated by a transphobic kind of action in a bar in Greenbelt 3 Makati. This is a repost that I got through email. Pls read about it.

AN OPEN LETTER OF A WOMAN TRANSGENDER IN THE PHILIPPINES

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt

My friends and I have been made to feel inferior approximately five
hours before I wrote this letter. I’d like to sweep this incident
under the proverbial rug but there is no more space to accommodate it.

On the 24th of May 2008, my friends and I were celebrating the
anniversary of our organization the Society of Transsexual Women of
the Philippines (STRAP), the first transsexual women’s support group
and transgender rights advocacy organization in the Philippines. We
settled to celebrate it in Ice Vodka Bar, located in Greenbelt 3, 3rd
level Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila. It was my first time in
that bar. Two in our group have been there before and they had nothing
bad to say about it.

There were five of us. I was leading the way. The bouncer stopped us.
I asked why. His reason was we were dressed “inappropriately” . We were
rather dressed decently, tastefully, and most importantly just like
any other human being who lives her life as female 24 hours a day.

I asked for the manager. The bouncer was nice enough to let me in. The
manager, Ms Belle Castro, accommodated me. I don’t know if I spelled
her name right. I asked for a business card but she had none
available. Her telling feature though was her braced teeth.

I complained. Ms Castro listened to me. I found her sympathetic, even
respectful as she addressed me all throughout as ma’am. She told me
the following:

1. (Referring to my friends, and obviously to me) That “people like
them” aren’t allowed in our bar every Fridays & Saturdays;

2. That that was an agreement between all the bars in Greenbelt
(she particularly mentioned their bar, Absinthe, and Café Havana) and
Ayala Corporation, the company which owns the Greenbelt Complex;

3. That the reason for this policy is: “Marami kasing foreigner na
nag-kocomplain at napepeke daw sila sa mga katulad nila.” Loosely
translated in English: “There are lots of foreigners complaining
because they mistake people like them as real women”; and

4. That they have a “choice” to implement the policy.

I felt terribly hurt and uncontrollably agitated. This transphobic act
is not the first time that it happened to me, to my friends, to people
like us. To say that this has become almost a routine is an
understatement.

I have shouted at Ms Castro several times, asking her why I’m f***ing
experiencing racism in my own country and what gave f***ing foreigners
the right to demand to block people like us to enter bars in our very
own country.

Ms Castro tried to hush me by pulling the “It’s our choice card” and
asked me to talk decently. I am not proud at all of using the F-word
as my intensifier and of letting my emotions ran raw and wild. My warm
apologies to Ms Castro for losing my cool. Just like any of us, I
know, she was just doing her job.

This may not be the proper forum to raise this concern. But is there
any reliable legal forum to address this issue? Reality check: there
is no antidiscrimination law in this country. And if you’re
discriminated, there seems to be a notion that you’re supposed to
blame yourself for bringing such an unfortunate event to yourself.

So, I’d just stand up through this open letter.

I am standing for myself. I am standing for people like us. I am
standing up because I, am, very, tired of this incivility. We have
long endured this kind of treatment for far too long. Enough.

I’ll not go as far as campaigning for a boycott as it is definitely
the simple workers that would suffer from any loss in revenue such an
act may cause.
People like us would like to be treated just like any other human
being. Just like those foreigners who complained about our existence:
With dignity.

You know the civilized and ethical thing to do: Stop discrimination in
your establishments.

Bigotry is never ethical nor a sound business strategy.

Warmly

Ms Sass Rogando Sasot
25 May 2008
Sunday
6.04 am – 6.45 am

http://www.tsphilip pines.com/

MANILA, Philippines – Remember the “flower platoon”?

Back when the Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) was still mandatory for male college students, it symbolized discrimination against gay students. Real men marched in real platoons; gay students were with their pansy fellows in the flower platoon. Their only duty was to cheer for their manly counterparts or run errands for them.

Well, the “flower platoon” disappeared with the abolition of compulsory ROTC in 2001, but the underlying biases that created it still persist. They come in the form of unwritten rules or the ubiquitous “morality clause” in the student manual. They are meant to crack the whip on what some sectors still describe as “moral deviants”—lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT), as well as unmarried pregnant students.

Some schools run by religious congregations or organizations, like St. Joseph’s College in Quezon City, ask unwed pregnant students to drop out or take a leave of absence until after they deliver their babies.

An admissions officer at the Saint Pedro Poveda College in Quezon City says the issue is simply about being consistent with the Catholic faith. “Pregnancy outside of marriage sends the wrong message about premarital sex,” she explains.

But for women’s rights activists, policies against pregnant students are discriminatory. Dr. Guy Estrada-Claudio of the UP Center for Women Studies believes that these policies are very judgmental on women’s sexuality. “It punishes women in the end. To be pregnant, women have to be in a heterosexual marriage. They are not given a choice,” she says.

She cautions, too, about the danger of schools being complicit in sexual abuse, especially if the context of the pregnancy is unknown. “Schools could be punishing students who are in fact victims of rape or incest,” she adds.

Not all Catholic schools discriminate against unmarried pregnant students though. The College of the Holy Spirit in Manila and Miriam College in Quezon City, for instance, have taken a progressive stance on the issue.

In De La Salle University, however, while unmarried pregnant students are not punished, the prohibition could apply to unmarried pregnant female faculty members, if the rather vague clause “public scandal” in the faculty manual were applied.

Notes DLSU professor Natty Manauat: “The rule is contained in a broad and vague morality clause in the faculty manual, but I don’t think it has ever been applied. But that’s exactly the problem—it is there and it can be arbitrarily imposed.”

The same vague policies on morality hound lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, who are brought under control through their attire and physical appearance. In the Philippine Normal University in Manila, effeminate gay students are barred from sporting long hair, using make-up, or wearing earrings while inside the university. Curiously though, masculine and ostensibly heterosexual students are allowed to wear long hair and earrings, and even apply foundation on their face.

In San Beda College in Manila, masculinity tests used to be imposed on presumably gay students. Students can’t enrol if they fail the arbitrary test administered by a panel composed of school officials and faculty members who rate a student according to their perception of masculinity.

Even in the more liberal enclave of the University of the Philippines, discrimination still exists. Perci Cendaña, the first openly gay chair of the UP University Student Council, recounts that during the campaign period, homophobes resorted to nasty tactics against him. “There were even graffiti in some men’s restrooms during the campaign period with phrases like ‘Perci Kadiri’ and ‘Bading ’wag iboto.’ It was a great disappointment because this was UP,” he says.

How then does one address discrimination and stigma against LGBT students and unmarried pregnant students? The Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, a broad network of student councils and governments, views discrimination as a sign of a poor democracy. “Education knows no sex, religion, physical status or gender,” says SCAP Sec. Gen. Bianca Lapus.

SCAP has been pushing for the passage of the Students Rights and Welfare Bill (HB2584) to ensure equality inside schools and campuses. Also pending in Congress is the Anti-Discrimination Bill (HB956), authored by Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel in partnership with the Lesbian and Gay Legislative Advocacy Network (LAGABLAB), which would penalize discrimination against LGBTs in schools, workplaces, and other areas.

Unless these bills are enacted, kicking stigma out of our schools remains a test we all have to face and pass.

I am the boy who never finished high school, because I got called a fag everyday

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.

I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.

I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.

We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.

I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.

I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.

I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.

I am the man who fears that I will never be able to be myself, to be free of this secret because I won’t risk loosing my family and friends.

We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.

I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.

I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.

I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.

I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.

I am the woman who died when the EMTs stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.

I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn’t have to always deal with society hating me.

I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don’t believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.

I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.

I am the person ashamed to tell my own friends I’m a lesbian, because they constantly make fun of them.

I am the boy tied to a fence, beaten to a bloody pulp and left to die because two straight men wanted to “teach me a lesson”

IF YOU BELIEVE THAT HOMOPHOBIA IS WRONG … PLEASE REPOST THIS ON YOUR BLOG

A little vignette here: While we were watching a program, I was able to converse with a woman who was sitting beside me on stage.While Karla was busy taking pictures, that woman who I thought was a lesbian, talked to me and was asking me some questions about the program. She looked foreign so I entertained her. She introduced herself to me, her name was Abby and she asked for my number. She asked if I was gay, I said yes and she couldn’t believe it. I saw Karla glanced, thinking maybe this woman is making the moves to you know.. Well fortunately, she wasn’t. She’s straight and was actually nice because she’s open about homosexuality. She said she had a husband before but got separated. I am thinking she’s in the middle of identity crisis and not really confirming about it. She looks butch though. The program ended, our conversation ended. She kissed both of us on the cheek and said good luck to our relationship. Isn’t that sweet? Hehe.

After the program, we went to Shakey’s to have dinner. I wasn’t expecting my orgmates are gonna be there but anyway we still ate dinner with them. The good thing is Dan, one of Babaylan’s alumnus, treated all of us for dinner. Isn’t that cool? Heheh. He works in HongKong Disneyland as a dancer. hehe. I just miss hearing gay conversations that I don’t usually hear in the “normal world”. I hear gay lingo all around.. Well I couldn’t speak fluently but I could only understand some terms. I became Karla’s translator for the night for her to be able to grasp the meanings from the conversations. After dinner, we don’t have anywhere to go so we decided to check out Penguin, Armi said there’s an “exclusive” there.. So we came to Penguin, it was Karla’s virgin moment. Kadangyan played that night, we sat there smoked some cigarettes, saw some familiar people and drank a couple of beers. Kate, one of our common friends, asked us to come with her to Bed ( not bed- bed but Bed, a gay bar in Malate) where my orgmates in Babaylan are partying. So we went inside, full of discreet male gays and only a couple of women inside. Karla and I danced the night away, this time much closer and *ahem*. Hehe. Got tired of dancing, we ate sisig in Cart Noodle then ended the night with a kiss and took a cab.

This is called the “gay gimmick night” because we’re gay, we’re with gays and proud to be gays.

here are the pix:
http://rockerfem.multiply.com/photos/album/24/Pride_March_

HONOLULU — This is not an easy piece to write. It’s probably the most unusual and unprecedented case the Philippine Supreme Court has had to deal with in its history. It will be many, many years before the high court can have some kind of “transgender law” to guide its future deliberations on transgender cases.

The Court recently denied the petition of Rommel Jacinto Dantes Silverio, a transsexual, to change the entries in his birth certificate in the Office of the Civil Registrar — specifically, his gender from male to female and his first name to “Mely.” This despite the fact that Silverio had undergone what is technically called a “sex-reassignment surgery” in Bangkok in 2001 to become a biological woman. The Court, however, ruled that while the petitioner “may have succeeded in altering his body and appearance through the intervention of modern surgery, no law authorizes the change of entry as to sex in the civil registry for that reason. There is no special law in the country governing sex reassignment and its effect. This is fatal to petitioner’s case.” The Court concluded that it is up to Congress, if it chooses, “to determine what guidelines should govern the recognition of the effects of sex reassignment.”

The riveting story of Rommel/Mely Silverio is detailed in an intimate Internet account titled “My Life as a Transsexual Woman,” which he/she divides into: (1) pre-gender transition from birth to 1995; (2) pre-surgery days in Hawaii from 1996 to 2000; and (3) post-surgery life in the Philippines from 2001 to the present.

It was as a doctoral student in Sociology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa that I came to know Rommel very well. His late mother Anita I knew back in Manila. He was all of 230 pounds but over time I could notice a gradual change in his appearance. He had embarked on a regimen of female hormone pills and estrogen shots. I teasingly told him one day that he was becoming “sexy” but to be “careful.” By the end of 1996, he had already lost 50 pounds. He continued the routine until he lost another 30 pounds. So by now, he was down to 155 pounds evenly distributed in his 5’8” frame. He was becoming a woman and gaining a “greater sense of self-esteem and confidence.”

He went on to defend his dissertation on youth sexual behavior in 2000, and had acquired a “boyfriend” who consented to have him go to Bangkok for the sex change. For about three hours, a renowned Thai surgeon performed vaginoplasty and breast augmentation, increasing her breast size from A to D. Her recovery and post-surgery therapy lasted 18 months, after which she introduced her boyfriend, the man she was going to marry, to her family.

While Rommel had become Mely, for which she was ecstatic, several problems arose. The name on her passport was that of a man and inspectors couldn’t reconcile this with the tall, svelte and well-dressed woman standing in front of them. She had to have two sets of documentation all the time to attest to the fact that Rommel and Mely were one and the same. Bank personnel would do all sorts of checking, so she would seek out only those that already knew her to avoid any confusion and embarrassment. And so on. She could have easily come back to the United States where she wouldn’t have these hassles.

But discriminatory comments such as that the Philippines is not ready for transsexual women like her only increased her resolve to be treated equally and justly. Such remarks only “added fuel to my desire to be regarded as a professional colleague, to be treated with respect as a woman, and to be given a fair chance at life in general.” She escalated her personal struggle to attain “full legal recognition as a woman here in the Philippines, my country of birth” by petitioning the courts to change her gender and first name. The Court of Appeals denied her petition, which was a devastating blow. I am certain that the Supreme Court verdict upholding the lower court was even more devastating.

So, what now? I have great compassion for Mely — whom I will always remember as Rommel — who is really a very bright and likable individual. What does it matter really — Rommel or Mely, man or woman — it’s the same human being! And she has gone through the whole process with extreme pain of validating the essence of her identity and humanity. What more can we ask? But the law as they say is cruel, but it’s the law.

As a footnote, the large majority of transsexual (TS) transitions work out very well over the long term as documented in Lynn’s “Transsexual Women’s Successes.” However, in some cases, complete TS transitions “fail to meet very unrealistic expectations, and way too late the transitioner may realize that undergoing sex reassignment surgery (SRS) was a BIG mistake.” Among the “regretters” is Renee Richards, who was born a male but transitioned as a female via surgery in 1975 at age 40 and became a famous tennis player. She wished she had not done it, but too late. She realized she would always be seen as a transsexual and never as a real woman that she had earlier hoped to become.

My only hope for Rommel/Mely is that she won’t regret the biggest decision she made in her life, and that society will become increasingly tolerant, if not accepting, of diversity in all its possible senses and meanings.

Belinda A. Aquino is director of Philippine Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she has been professor of Political Science and Asian Studies.

copied from

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=98045

MY COMMENTARY

I only heard about Ma’am Mely Silverio ( formerly Rommel Silverio) when I was in college in UPD. A friend of mine who is in a higher batch than me told me stories about Ma’am Silverio. Well actually Ma’am Silverio was her professor in Social Stat 180 then. She’s a really a brilliant teacher according to her. I wished I could be her student but unfortunately, she had to go on a sabbatical leave I think.

Upon reading this article only made me think that we really need laws to protect the LGBT. UP babaylan has been pushing for the Anti-Discrimination Bill which until now haven’t been passed in Congress due to the fear, I believe, that by approving the bill our fellow LGBTs will ask for gay marriage at once ( paranoia.. duhh). We can’t blame the Supreme Court for not allowing her to change her name on her legal documents into her female name because there isn’t really a law that could make it possible. Philippine society isn’t really ready for transexualism yet, but at least treat transexuals equally just like ‘hetero’ men and women. If only Congress sees this situation and be pragmatic about it without thinking about prejudice and bigotry there shouldn’t be a problem.

The dichotomy of nature vs. nurture is very evident in this issue. People still have the notion that everything is determined by nature and cannot deviate from it, thus making homosexuality an “abnormal” thing because there is a notion that people should act and behave according to their nature. I believe that the basic premise of our lawmakers is coming from that notion of pre-determination. On the other side of the dichotomy, nurture, has a notion that everything is socially determined. Some social theorists think that homosexuality is influenced by the people around you and not because it is inherited. These 2 dichotomies have been long debated and until now there is no unified answer as to why homosexuality exists. This issue has been there for centuries and were initiated by “hetero” people who wants to study the absurd. Isn’t it very insulting that “hetero” people have to do that because they think they “normal”? Why don’t we change the situation, why don’t we gay people study why there are “hetero” people? Why are you acting the way you are?

Coming from a social science background, I understand where homophobia and bigotry comes from. People act the way they are because that is how they were socialized in this world. All that they have to do is know how to listen and understand where “we” are coming from too. It is hard to debate with people who are closed minded and would not accept the fact that “we” co-exist in this world. We will always be struggling for our existence and do an extra effort to be accepted in this society.