The LGBT movement should not be criticized for its sex culture

As the Metro Manila Pride March nears, the problem with the current depiction of the cause of the LGBT movement is smeared with a fraction of the freedom that they have fought for so long. One, the community is shamed for their dating practices. Two, is their imagery on the public eye disadvantageous for their cause and their closeted counterparts? Three, is it right to criticize a sex culture despite its normalcy to non-LGBT cases?


The frontlines of the LGBT movement in America sets a reverberating message to communities around the world. It extends to gender minorities even in a conservative and religious nation like the Philippines. The Western group is perceived as the figure that frames the LGBT community as it is in America where global attention has always been centered to.

Dubbed as modernization of culture and social progression, the community is inches away from reaching what they are aspiring for. This generation is a revolution of breaking social barriers and norms, embracing diversity, and liberation from common beliefs and restrictive polarity. Hence, the clamour of the LGBT community grows stronger and with support even from heterosexuals.

Still, before the movement's complexity and elevation to numerous numbers of issues, what it stood for was simply based on freedom of expression, equal rights, and respect and acceptance from society. These salient points are based on The Editor's observation and experience as part of a gender minority in a hypocritical Catholic society.

First, there is a difference of how homosexuality is portrayed in Western and Philippine media. American homosexuals were mostly closeted and had to pretend to be straight. They are concealed in a heterosexual stature and are attracted to the same sex. Filipino gays in films and as they represent themselves in public are mostly transsexuals and cross dressers, with a few discreet men. It can not be denied that transsexuality may also be a part of Western culture, but they aren't as visually present.

How both personas are treated probably do not differ. The morality of homosexuality over the past decades is grounded on religious beliefs, gender roles of man and woman in reference to masculinity and feminism, and the peculiarity of same-sex relationships in contrast to customary dating practices.

Discrete and closeted men are isolated inside bars, drinking and detecting men of similar nature through instinct. Though these are encounters limited to sexual contact, a few old couples lived by to inspire the LGBT youth. In the Philippines, transsexuals bravely made their presence felt. Most of them took womanly roles in labour. There are hairdressers, fashion designers, tailors, and even became breadwinners of their family. In the face of poverty and declining employment rates, they are known to be successful in their own fields.

But even as they expressed themselves as individuals, vigilance was a mandate to negate bullying, shaming, and hate crimes. It is an emotional and psychological trauma that roots down from their youth and would affect younger men who are discovered or chose to reveal being part of this oppressed fraction of the society.

Discrimination was imminent in employment, law, sports, and education among a few others. The struggle for equal rights resumes and is near closure.

What is left for the community to achieve is the respect and acceptance of society. The movement started at the height of hate crimes and prejudice; that the existence of these gender minorities and sexually oppressed must not be marginalized to the extent of revoking their right and restricting them from humane activity.

Problem is, in a technologically advanced society, the LGBTIQ+ community is visualized as highly promiscuous, sexually active, and overly attached to their victim mentality. It is claimed that homosexuals cannot settle down with a partner and are not monogamous. With social media as evidence, the sexual practices of the community is centered on physique and pleasure. Even Pride Marches are flooded by sexually motivated gestures and imagery of nudism as related to sexual freedom. These criticisms come along the infamous homosexual social media personalities. With technology connecting people from around the world, most argument's bases involve the personal activities of these individuals perceived as representatives of the majority of the LGBT group.

Religious critics engage even against atheism. The wrong representation of atheism, an offensive stance against criticism, and the irony of attitude over cause and advocacy is what damages the whole LGBT movement. 

First, atheism does not seek to debunk the idea of an omnipresent being. The Editor presses that Atheism is a faith in itself. Having faith in humanity, that is. But never does it aim to dominate nor radicalize the social construct. It seeks to co-exist in the face of the passive nature of religion in modern culture.

Second, the movement should not aim to shame the existing opposition. In fact, it's existence is essential to further build the growing complexity of the LGBT, now that it has IQ+ added to its acronym. Kidding aside, the appearance of issues are inevitable as the movement transcends from its original cause. It is regressive to believe that the opposition only rationalizes, instead of making constructive points of criticism where it does matter. 

Third, it is exact hypocrisy when a group battles for freedom and respect when they cannot do the same for others who do not share their ideals. The value here is co-existence and accepting the views of other people. It may be a constant effort to defend a stance, but dialogue is a more effective way of gaining unity and consensus. We are of the same specie anyway.

So these points of criticism are justified, but the sex culture should not be viewed as a representation of the LBGTIQ+ as a whole.

Before same sex marriage, there was no recognition of intimacy. Existing couples somehow cannot create the idea of commitment in a same sex union because there was no spiritual progression that would take place on the possible longevity of the relationship. When couples are formed they are discriminated. Hence, discretion and anonymity became a method for these gender minorities who cannot freely express themselves sexually.

The freedom of expression extends even to sexual terms. It is a celebration which the LGBT community are privileged to have after years of repressing humane desires. Sexual practices should not be a stigma that they are interpreted to simply be.

The LGBT movement has developed its own sex culture, and it will improve as it is allowed to progress into marriage and commitment to monogamy.

©The Pink Merman 

Pacific-Atlantis Mermen Journal 

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And so I therefore conclude that it is not shameful to join the Manila Pride March. GO LGBT!