CBSME, Advocacy, And Social Impact

Nearly 5 months ago, I joined the Philippine Bloggers Awards.

Joining such contest or blogging award was not really in my priority list. After all, my advocacy will remain as it is without the accolades that my fellow beloved bloggers have and worked hard for. But it was worth the try. My blog, later on, won the Best Blog under Community and Groups.

But before everything led to fruition, I needed help from my closest friends and even from the community that I was in. Unfortunately, I was doubted.

The screencap above would show just how self-stigmatizing the gay spectrum in the LGBT community. Their points are well taken. But at the back of my mind, the community that I chose to fight for is the same community that fights with me. Fight for and fight with are two different things, though. It made me realize that we can never really get the equality that we think we deserve.

All I wanted was the help from the community that I was in. I thought that I will get their support because, first and foremost, I am one with and of the community. But I was doubted. That’s OK. Their feedback, after all, are free market research that I wouldn’t get just anywhere else.

But this only proves that being gay in the Philippines is tolerated but not accepted. This is prevalent in the greater scheme of things. Yet, we are not even talking about the inequality that is happening INSIDE our community.

I wonder, when will the term “bakla” be not synonymous to being weak or as a derogatory remark? I wonder, when will a banana logo not be associated with a dick just because it is used for a gay-themed blog?

Fortunately, in a digital generation like ours today, there are things that can be done in order to shed light on things that are better off in the closet and in the dark. Hence, I am pursuing my luck in #CBSME Pitching contest with only the burning passion that I have for HIV awareness, LGBT issues, and the purchasing power of the pink peso.

Hopefully, with me being granted with the scholarship, I can broaden my horizon as a digital influencer amidst all these things. No matter what happens, I will still fight for these noble causes that deserve to be recognized and heard. And maybe, just maybe, I can make a difference.

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Joemar Belleza

Blogger-In-Chief at Bakla Po Ako, Confirmed!

Joemar is the Blogger-In-Chief of BaklaPoAko.Com. He is currently a graduate student in University of the Philippines Open University. He also studied at Maquillage Professionnel School of Makeup Artistry and School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA). He is a bold advocate of education, environment and LGBT issues. An earner, dreamer and a lover. Before he was once a dream-sprouting seed. Now he's a tree in his renaissance and will always be evergreen. Hear him speak with his intelligent guide for gay news of the Philippines and worldwide, Bakla Po Ako. Confirmed!.Follow him on Twitter @belleza_joemar. Gay it forward!