The Rainbow Blog Philippines

Yesterday was my first class of Basic Spanish at the Instituto Cervantes Manila. A long time ago I made a pact with a friend that every year, as part of a conscious self-improvement program, we'd make sure to learn a new skill or do something outside of our comfort zones, something new or adventurous that will surely enrich us as persons. This is why last year I purposely studied Japanese and took and passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3 the same year. Although I plan to continue studying Japanese in the future, this year I'm setting my eyes on learning this supposedly third most widely-spoken language in the world, next to Mandarin, Hindi or English, depending on who's doing the counting. My first experience with Spanish was with my very strict and stern but loving grandfather on my mother's side who passed away a little less than a decade ago. His name was Restituto Magistrado. But to us kids, we all lovingly called him Apay , a filial term for grandf...

Habang nagpapalaboy-laboy sa blogworld, isang piktyur ng lalake, siguro mga edad trenta o sobra pa, ang kumuha ng atensyon ko. Maskulado ang pangangatawan niya na suot lang boxer shorts. Sa ilalim ng piktyur na yon ay nakalagay ang, " I'm hot and expert!". Habang sinusulat ko ang part na to, nagsimula namang tumugtog sa celfone ko ang Careless Whisper ni George Michael. Kaloka. Pang gaybar ang drama. Napatigil tuloy ako sa pagsusulat at nagmunimuni muna. Hay! Kawawa naman ang mga single na katulad ko. Siguro mga dalawang minuto lang, natauhan din si Maganda. Ipagpapatuloy ko na sana ang sinusulat ko ngunit bigla namang umarangkada si kuya Gary V sa kanyang Take Me Out of the Dark. Ano ba? Wrong tayming naman yon. Inistap ko muna at itinuloy ko na ang naudlot kong paggawa ng madamdaming nobela. Charing daw sabi nila. Pero in fairness, maganda ang Pooh at Pokwang tandem! Tse! Saan na nga ba tayo? Nananaginip ka naman bading. Bumalik ka muna sa katinuan mo. Oo, ayon nga. Hot...

Growing up in a small town, I realized early on that it was easy to be marked as different and to be made to suffer for it. I was in grade school when I first heard of June (not his real name). He lived in my neighborhood and everybody knew him. Actually, people whispered about him behind his back. His popularity or infamy, depending on which side of the fence you were, was primarily because June was a very loud, flamboyant and effeminate 16 year-old. The first time I bumped into June in the street, I think, was when I was seven years old. I was stepping out of the gate early morning on my way to school when he suddenly appeared from nowhere in his high school uniform. Our eyes locked, he looked directly into mine, smiled and said in our dialect "Pretty!" I was terrified, speechless. I didn't know what to say. I think I ran to school that day. At home, relatives were already making comments about how "soft" I was. Once during a big family reunion, an adult famil...

Kinailangan ko na kasi magbayad ng 'sang damakmak kong bills. Syempre ang lola nyo, gastos left and right. Ayun, left and right din ang bayarin, may harap at likod pang kasama. Jusmio, ikinataranta ko talaga. Naisipan ko mag-side-line. May nakapagsabi tungkol sa isang website sa mga online work. Nung una, hindi ako naniniwala sa ganitong klase ng trabaho. Syempre, nakakaduda naman talaga ang bayaran at wala kang pinanghahawakan na legal na katibayan. Dahil desperada na ako, go na nga! Ang hirap kasi humingi ng increase ng sweldo sa office, ang hirap din naman lumipat. Nagbakasakali na ako. Kinarir ko ang pag-aapply sa mga job postings. Pagandahan na sa cover letter. Iba-iba ang klase ng projects na makikita mo, pang administrative support ang alam ko. Minsan naging ghost blogger pa ako. Eto na ngayon, ang posting, writer for an lgtb travel guide. Naisip ko, why not! Member ako ng community, gala naman ako. Nagpadala ng questionnaire ang employer, ang winner question bakit ko daw ma...

The search is on for the most anticipated competition in the world of blogging parrots. Presenting..... Rainbow Blog of the Week Mechanics. Nomination 1. All members/supporters/visitors are welcome to submit their nominations on the comment page of "Rainbow Blog of the Week". 2. All submitted links or nominations are subject for verification and authenticity. 3. Only the fist five nominees will be accepted every week. 4. The lists are then consolidated and submitted to the screening commitee. 5. All blogs that are previously nominated can be nominated again, except the blogs who won the Rainbow Blog of the Week for three (3) times. Voting 1. Everyone can vote on a daily basis. 2. The poll result shall constitute 40% of the total score. Criteria for judging Aside from the number of votes garnered from the poll, nominees are also given additional points by the judges based on the following criteria. There shall be three (3) to five (5) judges and the average of their scores for...

My letter to Junior Inquirer and GMA7 see letter here: http://www.vinvinjacla.com/2009/02/my-letter-to-junior-inquirer-and-gma7.html February 21, 2009 That was my letter to Junior Inquirer and GMA7 when I was still 12 years old. At such a young age, I already knew that I was gay. LOLZ! I was kinda hooked into reading pocketbooks during that time: Sweet Valley, Goosebumps, and many others. But it's Sweet Valley and Goosebumps that I really loved the most. Sweet Valley in particular because I kinda had this small crush with Todd Wilkins, a fictional character in book. Geesh! Haha! A few months after I wrote that letter to them, GMA 7 bought the rights of Sweet Valley which was, during that time, being shown in the US. They played a few seasons of the show. It was shown every Sunday morning, around 10:30AM. But what I kinda didn't like about what they did with the show was that they had it dubbed in Filipino. Well, I have nothing against my national language, ok. I love it. It...

After doing the Gay for Pay episode, Tyra Banks brings in the controversy once more and featured homophobic homosexuals on the show. Yes, she invited openly gay individuals to talk about their likewise very open disgust on homosexuality. Confusing, yes I know, but very real. Not only on Tyra but even here in the Philippines. One needs only to follow some of the local gay blogs to see the same issues and themes in Tyra recur The Episode Tyra's guests are: 1. Shane -19 and gives himself until the age of 30 to turn straight 2. Tia and Skylar - Tia is Shane's ex-GF and now best friend and roomate. Skylar is shane's ex-BF who is now Tia's object of affection (they lead REALLY complicated lives) 3. Greg - a small town kid who feared gays 4. Elian and Katy - married BUT Elian remains gay and Katie accepts this and EVEN allows for threesomes 5. Marc - is one HOTT stud. I feel like he's got no major issues on homosexuality just his dad who forces him to go to ex-gay ministr...

Let me share with you an email addressed to Prof. Danton Remoto , Chairman of Ang ladlad. Thus, being an integral part of this society, I want to know your side, too. Please read. Dear Mr. Remoto, Sana po tingnan nyo naman ang sumasamang sitwasyon sa gay indie films ngayon. When "Sagwan" was shown two weeks ago, many of the viewers, complained not mainly because of the sex scenes but because it is its director, himself, who played as gay customer twice in the movie and who performed on screen oral sex on at least three of the budding actors. The viewers are crying exploitation. They say he used his power as director to molest the aspiring actors, and even had the guts to put the abuse on film. Another gay-themed movie is coming out next week entitled "Booking". Publicity shots of this film include that of a young boy completely naked. The write-ups say that he is Charles Delgado who will play a 16 year old callboy and will have a frontal nudity shot in the...

( Isang sulat mula sa aking kaibigan) Mga Kasama: Isang mapagpalang araw sa lahat. Nais kong ibahagi at idulog sa mga kinauukulan ang isang kongkretong anyo ng diskriminasyon sa ating hanay na dinanas ko noong Biyernes, Pebrero 13 sa Camp Sampaguita sa Muntinlupa City. Pang-apat na pagdalaw ko na sa aking katipan na nakapiit sa Medium Security Camp sa Muntinlupa City noong Biyernes. Una ay noong kaarawan niya noong Nobyembre 28, pangalawa noong Pasko at pangatlo noong Bagong Taon. Noong unang dalaw ko, nabasa ko sa mga patakaran ng kulungan na nakapaskil sa dingding ng tanggapan ng mga dalaw ang isang partikular na patakaran na bawal ang "effeminate visitors unless they are relatives of the inmates". Doon pa lang ay alam ko nang isa itong mapagdiskriminang patakaran. Wala namang naging aberya sa pagdalaw ko noon maski noong Pasko at Bagong Taon. Nitong 7:30 am ng Pebrero 13 ay tinanong ako ng babaeng empleyado on duty sa overseer's office (na lagi ko nang ...

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Jay Brannan talked about " The Annoying Gay Factor " in his blog: Q. the big annoying GAY factor: why do you hate being called a "gay" singer-songwriter, or being told you write "gay" songs, or always being asked to participate in gay-themed activities, etc.? A. it's 2009. i think it's time that everyone, the "gay community" included, allow gay people to take their place in the world as real people , rather than continuing to be defined and separated by their sexual orientation . i want the freedom to be myself, unafraid and uncensored, without having to market myself based on a sexual orientation, or attaching that sexual orientation to my name as a title. in recent years, an entire industry has developed around "being gay" -- ...most of these entities are built around cheesy, outdated and cliché ideas of what it means to be "gay," what gay people want, what is "sexy," or what sells. ...i don't want my ...

Last Friday the 13th, of all days, I was scheduled for my annual physical examination (PE). Let me say at the outset that unlike other transwomen I know, I don’t dread routine medical check-ups. Even if I’ve met my share of medical professionals who didn’t know any better, still I am very comfortable in the presence of health care workers. This is probably because I come from a family of nurses who impressed on me growing up the utmost importance of one’s well-being and the merits of getting regular medical exams. So I always look forward to my annual PE and hate it when I miss it. What I don’t like about it is the general confusion that ensues every time. At the University of the Philippines Health Service (UPHS) (formerly the UP Infirmary), where I went last Friday, you have to ask for your records before a consult and apparently, the UPHS has devised a new color scheme for patients along gender lines: yellow for female and green for male or maybe it’s the other way around, I’m not s...

PATAY NA SI RUSTOM! ...I know alam na ng sangkabadingan ang story at ang itsura ni BEBE GANDANGHARI, pero hindi niyo pa alam ang STORY NI MRS.J WITH GANDANGHARI! odi ba? kabog! i had a chance to really EXPERINCE, hindi yung iniisip nio sis natin sya!, when i say experience i'm one those few na nakita at nakachika ang lola mo ng 1st time niyang magpakilala. it happened sa the buzz! yung nagcome out from the open ang lola mo... nang binubuo palamang ang story nakakatuwa na ang sinasabi ng lahat ay "sakyan lang natin siya" personally ininterpret ko siyang malala na talaga tong si rustom! what is she/he thinking!- isa rin kasi ako sa hindi natutuwa sa ginagawa niya, i even considered her/him na isa siyang FREAK! nakakaloka talaga ano ba kasing gusto niyang mangyari! nafufrustrate talaga ako! e pano bet ko din siya before eh ngayon parang kapatid ko na siya! but ng dumating ang linggo naiba ang lahat...well sa akin yun... "andyan na siya! kinabog pa si ruffa!" dumati...

Gusto ko lang i-share ang naging karanasan ko sa Lovapalooza na ito. Noong Friday, nabigyan ako at ng partner ko ng libreng ticket sa Lovapalooza ng isang taga-kumpanya ng San Miguel Beer. Hindi ko naman hiningi ngunit gusto ko din pumunta dahil tutugtog ang isa sa mga paborito kong banda na Pupil. Wala talaga kaming balak pumunta doon dahil inaasahan namin na magiging marami ang tao ngunit dahil nabigyan na kami ng VIP ticket eh sayang naman kaya ginamit na rin namin. Wala naman talaga kaming balak din mag-date o makisabay sa mga magsing-irog na nagdiriwang nito. Sabado, araw ng mga puso. Dumating kami ng SM Mall of Asia ng mga 7:30 pm, Bamboo na ang tumutugtog. Pumasok kami sa entrance at hindi na kinailangan na magrehistro (kung couple o single) dahil may tickets na kami. Dahil sa couple naman talaga kami ng aking partner eh sa couples entrance kami nagbalak pumasok. Sa kasamaang palad eh ayaw kami papasukin ng lady guard kasi hindi daw kami couple. Sinabi ko sa kanya na ang kasama ...

The mind, that is. And the movie that I’m referring to is Jay , last year’s Best Full-length Feature Film at the Cinemalaya, a festival for independent movies. Last weekend I went to SM Megamall to catch an afternoon screening of this digital film and I was not disappointed. For the record, movie-watching in Manila has become so expensive that really it will take a lot to get me to watch something on the big screen. Nowadays, I will only go see a film if a) it’s something that I really like (which is rare); b) it stars people I like; c) it or a cause related to it is something that I’d like to support; d) it came highly recommended by a credible person; and/or e) it’s free. Anyway the last movie with a cause I supported was Aurora , another digital indie. Starring Rosanna Roces (who I love by the way,), Aurora is the story of a social worker abducted by Moslem rebels. Deep in the jungle, Aurora was raped by one of her abductors. Because of the rape scene, the Movie and Television Rev...

The story below is a little dark but made me laugh. Happy Valentine weekend to all. Enjoy. The love story of Ralph and Edna... Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have. Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there. Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out. When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable. When she went to tell Edna the news she said, 'Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded th...

Sabi nila, pag ikaw ay tinamaan ng pana ni kupido ay kusang mag iiba na raw ang iyong mundo at ang iyong pagkatao. Walang pinipiling kasarian ang digmaan ng pag ibig, isang bagay na walang dapat pagdebatehan pa. Mas lalong walang pinipiling lugar ang giyera ng puso. Para sa akin, ang pwersa ng kapangyarihan ng pag ibig ay parang isang mahika. Para itong isang magnanakaw na biglaang dumarating sa iyong buhay. Ikaw ay magugulantang at ito ang magiging tulay tungo sa hardin ng pag ibig. Likas sa ating mga Pilipino ang madaling mahulog ang loob sa isang tao kahit isang beses o kahit hindi pa niya ito nakikita. Kaya, kahit rumaragasa na ang pandaigdigang problema ng ekonomiya, heto't ang pinoy patuloy ang pagiging romantiko. Sa isinagawang survey ng Social Weather Station (SWS) lumalabas na karamihang pinoy ay naniniwala sa katagang 'first love never dies' at ang pagmamahal ay itinakda ng tamang tadhana. Marami rin ang naniniwala sa kasabihang ‘pag mahal mo ang isang tao, palaya...

Mahilig ka ba sa mga sex scandals? Pagdedebatehan na sa plenaryo ng Kamara ang panukalang batas na magpapakulong sa mga mahihilig magpapakalat ng mga malalaswang video katulad ng sex scandals at iba pa. Ito ang House Bill 4315 o 'Anti - Cyber Boso' ni Buhay Partylist Rep. Irwin Tieng na naglalayong makalaboso ang sinumang mamboboso o magpapasa - pasa ng mga bastos na video. Kalakip sa pagkakulong ng hanggang anim na taon ay ang multa na umabot sa Php500,000 ang sinumang mapapatunayang lumabag sa batas. Ibinunyag naman ni Tieng na may mga natatanggap siyang balita na mismo umanong mga empleyado ng motel ang kumukuha ng video footages ng kanilang mga parokyano habang nagtatalik. "Your lover today may be your blackmailer tomorrow," bulalas ni Tieng.

Rustom Padilla is dead. A former workmate of mine sent me these pictures earlier via YM. Kabog! Naloka ako sa ganda ni Rustom, ay mali, patay na pala si Rustom, si Bebe Gandanghari pala! May resemblance din sila ni Carmina. Do like the pictures? Anong say mo? Bongga di ba! Emote sa Close-up Emote sa Salamin Emote sa Piano Emote sa Kama Emote sa sofa Related RBP Article(s): Welcome Home Binibining GandangHari! The Bebe Experience

NAG DESISYON na ang Korte Suprema na labag sa Konstitusyon ang ordinansa na nagbabawal ng short time sa mga motel sa siyudad ng Maynila. Wala na ring balak pa umanong maghain ng apela si mayor Alfredo Lim sa naturang desisyon. Nagbabala naman si Lim na handa niyang ipasara ang anumang motel sa lungsod ng Maynila sakaling may makita sila na pinapayagan na magpapasok ng mga estudyante para magshort time. Pero, teka, ito talaga ang pakay ko, ang mga lumang sinehan sa Metro Manila. Taong 2005, balak ko na itong iparating sa dati kong boss na Kongresista, ang patuloy na pamamayagpag ng mga lumang sinehan sa Maynila. Subalit, may tila tinik sa aking lalamunan na nakabara. Tila, wala akong boses sa tuwing ako ay maghahanda sa aking mga sasabihin. Tila, nakagapos ang aking mga kamay para isulat ang mga hakbang na dapat kong irekomenda para masulosyunan na ito. Alam ko, ikaw ay pamilyar ukol sa mga lumang sinehan sa buong Kamaynilaan. Sa unang pasok ko sa ganitong sinehan, ako ay tuwang tuwa. ...

Join now and be a part of TASK FORCE PRIDE (the official organizer of the annual Pride March in Manila and other related LGBT events)! http://creator.zoho.com/tfpmanila/tfp/form-perma/Membership_Registration/ Membership Program Information Task Force Pride is an ever-evolving member and community-based organization of volunteers. The membership is a body that meets monthly with the Coordinators to make decisions to further the mission of the organization. By becoming a member you will have a direct voice in shaping events that educates and gives back to the LGBT Community (i.e. the annual Pride March in Manila and other related LGBT events) At our monthly meetings, the general membership can provide direct input to Coordinators and the Production Team/s as well as stay informed year round through monthly e-Newsletters and periodic e-mail updates. Other benefits of membership include participation in the nomination and selection of key posts, choosing the yearly theme of the Celebration...

"That's so gay." You have probably read that comment a million times on YouTube, referring to something that is stupid or lame. You have probably even heard similar statements at bars around Metro Manila such as "usapang lalake (a manly agreement)," which connotes that women and gays do not keep their promises or agreements, or "bakla ka yata eh (you're probably gay)" when a man refuses to drink a mug of beer. You also may have watched that local beer commercial that shows a difference between "real men" and the so-called "fake men." For many, referring to gay people as inferior, lame, unmanly-like, and stupid may mean nothing. "It's just a word," they say. "Why would you be offended?" The problem, however, is yes. WE ARE OFFENDED. Being verbally harassed because of our sexual orientation creates an atmosphere where gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender feel disrespected, unwanted, and unsafe. ...

On Monday, 18 out of 24 Philippine Senators approved the Magna Carta of Women (Senate Bill or SB 2396) which seeks to empower all Filipinas and protect them against all forms of discrimination. It will still be tweaked in a "bicam" conference involving both upper and lower houses of Congress but it's already a done deal. So come March 8, Filipino women the world over will have more reason to celebrate International Women's Day. The passage of the Magna Carta, like the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB) that seeks to penalize discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression and that of the Reproductive Health Bill, which gives parents the right to choose what type of family planning method they want, has been delayed by strong opposition of lobby groups for the Catholic church. Right-wing conservatives have criticized the bill's usage of the term "gender" which they claimed was a cover-up for LGBT rights. Allowing t...

Policies concerning human rights and constitutional guarantees on civil liberties are the jurisdiction of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC). It is the responsibility of the CHR to draft policies to protect lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) against discrimination. This is what Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales said after Akbayan party-list Representative Ana Theresa Hontiveros-Baraquel asked DOJ who should make the policies on LGBTs. Articles 2(2) and 26 of the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which the Philippines is a signatory, requires that LGBTs be entitled to equal protection before the law. "The law shall prohibit discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any grounds, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,...