Charice: The 'Comin Out'

I know every Filipino can still recall how a guesting in The Ellen Show had opened doors for the then 14-year old Charice Pempengco's singing career. And we can still remember everyone's shock when he showed up on TV in 2011 with a boyish hairstyle, a totally different wardrobe and a tattoo. She never said anything about her sexual preference, but this month, on her 21st birthday, she described it as a 'coming out party'.

I was never a Charice fan but her 'coming out' had touched me. In a country like the Philippines where people of the third sex are judged as if they are not as much human as the 'straights', it must have been hard for her to come out and show who she really is. I can only imagine how hard it was for her to be the kind of performer everyone had designed her to be. It must have been hard suppressing your real identity just to please people.

I have a newly-found respect for her. Despite her increasing number of bashers because of her choice of wardrobe and hairstyle, she continues to act and dress the way she likes as if telling her haters, "This is what I'm comfortable with and I don't owe anyone and explanation". If that is what makes her happy, then who are we to judge?

I am an atheist so suffice to say I don't care about the religious bullsh*ts against the third sex. I feel happy when gays and lesbians come out despite the odds and their family and friends accepts them. For me, it means that society has matured. We can't keep on hating them. We cannot keep on denying their existence. If they are here, it means they are ought to be here. Let's embrace them just like everyone else.

"My spirit is made of Titanium. I will not break" -Charice

*Photo courtesy of Bum Tenorio and The Philippine Star.