LGBT awareness speech for ENGL05:Speech Communication 2
by Carmela Diosana
Good morning everyone.
I stand before you as a member of the society, a person not quite different from anyone. In only a few months I will be moving on from my teenage years and yet I’m still at the verge of fitting in, but in this journey of self discovery, unlike some, I have experienced how it is to be judged and discriminated by people of the same age, in this country, who share some common interests, but also are the same people who obviously do not understand things in my perspective and who clearly do not appreciate me within this identity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I stand here before you as myself, a gay teen to appeal for respect and equality of rights as a human being.
What does it mean to be a gay person? Gay is the general term in describing someone who is attracted to others of the same sex. It is as simple as that. No fancy terms. No labels.
The LGBT or the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender community as much as being denied and condemned is still an essential part of the society.
The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law did a research which depicts the ratio of one out of twenty people is gay (1:20).
If we sum up the total gay population in the world, just imagine how much of the LGBT community make up the world’s population.
All of us, as a part of our being human have the freedom to express ourselves. We hold the decision for our own happiness and we are all entitled to a life free from the stereotyping of the majority.
Throughout the 19 years of my life, I have witnessed many gay oppression. Gay people are being called names and degraded from the most embarrassing down to the simplest scrutinizing ways.
I remember back in high school when the COCC trainees were moving onto senior year and a new set of CAT officers are to be appointed, the commandant assigned me as the Executive Officer, but I had to refuse the offer ‘cause I will be transferring to another school, so I referred my friend, Kevin knowing that he worked hard and had accomplished all his tasks. I was sure that he deserved such position despite of his effeminate nature.
But to my surprise, our commandant was then obviously hesitant to agree with my suggestion. He asserted that he would opt to appoint a female officer rather than some boy unsure of his identity.
So that had me thinking, did all his efforts gone void just because he wasn’t manly enough for such rank? Since when has a person’s gender identity become a qualification?
Discrimination is defined on the House of Representatives Bill No. 2784, Philippine Congress as any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on any ground such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, birth or other status, whether actual or perceived, and which has the purpose of effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise of all persons, whether natural of juridical, of an equal footing of all rights and privileges.
Others on the other hand are harassed directly, either verbally or physically.
Bakla, tomboy, sirena, jinggoy-jinggoy, tibo, mang-aagaw ng lakas, abnormal, salot are just few of the countless insults thrown at gay people. Forming the common misconception about their personality and identity. What did they do to deserve this? Does being gay make a person less human?
We can’t blame people for expressing themselves; it is just the way they are. No one wants to be discerned by the way he/she dresses or walks, or with his/her preferences. It may not be the standardized idea of a type of a person, but it is also not mandatory for individuals to be a typical figure in their community.
I know how it feels to be disgusted, because I, myself had been subjected to other’s peevish judgment. I remember all of it as if they were recorded in my head and played back every time I am faced with new people and new experiences. It was in December last year when I am given the opportunity to present myself in this school’s annual event. It was a very rewarding experience, I’ve made quite a number of friends and although all of them are straight, it was not an issue to them if I were gay.
But of course, reality had to hit me every once in a while, as they say, “You can’t please everyone.” I know that I’m not as graceful as the other contestants in the catwalk and I have a different sense of style. During and even after the event, I would hear people say, “Diba yun yung tibo sa Ms. AMA?”, “Diba tibo yun?”, and that privileged feeling slowly deteriorated into a demeaning state of shock, but at that point, I knew that I wasn’t doing anything wrong so instead of dwelling in despair, I was actually given the motivation to prove myself to those who had doubts in me, and at some point I felt that I have succeeded ‘cause for one, I have proved that not only straight people are qualified in that pageant. At least I earned an award, I may not be like the others, but it states that I was the people’s choice.
Quoted from Gabrielle Chong’s speech, I would just like to say that
When one man is not free, all are bound.
And when the gay community triumphs, our triumph too, shall be your triumph.
And just as what is written in Danton Remoto’s article in the Philippine Star,
The LGBT community is not asking for special rights, but simply for equal rights. “There are people like us who are deprived of our human rights, pushed to the margins of society and looked down upon as “just minority””.
Our goal is simply to “live in an ideal society were everyone lives free from prejudice, enjoys equal rights and privileges, and every person’s fullest potential is realized.”
Thank you.
