Why Andi Eigenmann, Drew Arellano and Iya Villania Just Earned Our Respect
In a country where majority is not for Marriage Equality, where the LGBTQ community is merely tolerated and not accepted, and where Filipino celebrities' sexuality can make or break their career, these 3 celebrities speaking up on Gender Sensitivity and LGBTQ issues are not only a breath of fresh air but a sign of hope for Filipino LGBTQs.
On Gender Sensitivity
Last week, Andi Eigenmann tweeted a scenario that is all too familiar. Her daughter, Ellie was looking at Marvel's The World Acc to Wolverine when their Yaya (Nanny) said, "Not that! That's for boys". Andi Eigenmann stepped in saying that "Nothing is classified depending on gender." And basically giving her daughter the freedom to play with whatever toys she wants and wear whatever she wants.
This is still a new aspect that we're trying to learn - to get out of the "For Boys" and "For Girls" labels. We often hear this from parents, especially Filipino parents - that you should act a certain way because you are a boy or a girl. I experienced this when I was a kid. There was a time when all I ever wanted were Matchbox cars but I wasn't allowed to have them because "those toys were for boys." I remember it vividly because I couldn't understand why I couldn't play with tiny cars and then a few days later, my mom bought an entire set for my brother. I remember watching him pound on the cars trying to replicate a car crash scene. With every dent that the Matchbox car earned, I shed a tear wishing I had those to play with. And if I do, I'll take care of it just like what I do with my other toys.
On Accepting Your Child No Matter What
A few days before these tweets from Andi Eigenmann were posted. Drew Arellano was interviewed and was asked about his and his wife, Iya Villania's plans for having children. He was then asked on his thoughts about having an LGBTQ kid. To which he responded, “Boy, girl, or kunyari boy siya physically tapos gusto niyang maging girl, or girl physically tapos gustong maging boy, importante is may anak kaming mamahalin. (Boy, girl, or if for example, he's born male but feels that she is a girl, or born female but feels that he is a boy, the most important thing is that we have a child to love.”
This is a big issue not only in the Philippines but everywhere. How I wish more and more parents would feel this way. I hope more parents would understand the courage it took for their kids to come out and how great the pain of rejection is when it is coming from them because at the end of the day, we were taught that parents will love us no matter what. To learn that, that is not the case is undescribable.
A Newfound Respect for These Filipino Celebrities
This is remarkable on Andi Eigenmann, Drew Arellano and Iya Villania's part for 2 main reasons. One, all three are teaching their kids and future kids to not be caught up and limited to labels. Two, they are opening the minds of their followers, of their fans to this kind of thinking and paving a way for more Filipinos to keep an open mind.
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