"In a selfish way, it felt like I was being shoved back in the closet." Most LGBTQ+ couples feel the need to hide their closeness because they are often ridiculed and even censored by pixels--which are used to hide disturbing or inappropriate images. So why is the same applied to LGBTQIA+ couples who are simply expressing love? Love shouldn't ever have to be hidden or pixelized, which is why this time around @closeupph is switching things up with a surprise. So come close and see what it means to be #freetolove! No blurs, or crops, or pixels should hide your love. For the latest relationship tips from #closeup: loveforall.info FOLLOW THEM Nica - https://www.instagram.com/nicadelrosario Justine - https://www.instagram.com/jus.eats Edward - https://twitter.com/auntiewarrd Jeanno - https://twitter.com/ohnojinooo Frances - https://www.instagram.com/jfrances25 Dzeli - https://www.instagram.com/mermaidzeli Mikaela - https://www.instagram.com/yakimiiks Neil - https://www.instagram.com/nlbtrz Lex - https://twi

Video Transcript / Subtitles:( AI generated. About AI subtitles » )

* AI ("Artificial Intelligence") subtitles on Tagalog.com are generated using "Whisper" by OpenAI (the same company that created ChatGPT and DallE2). Results and accuracy may vary.
* The subtitles do include errors occasionally and should only be used as a tool to help with your listening practice.
* You can request this website to create a transcript for a video if one doesn't already exist by clicking the "Request AI Subtitles" button below a video. Transcribing usually takes 30-40% of the length of a video to complete if there are no other videos in the queue. For example, a 21 minute video will take 7-8 minutes to transcribe.
* Running a super fast cloud GPU server to do these transcriptions does cost money. If you have the desire and financial ability, consider becoming a patron to support these video transcriptions, and the other tools and apps built by Tagalog.com

I can remember na mayroong one time na nagkumain kami sa isang restaurant

and then they placed us far from the entrance na para hindi kami nakikita na parang doon kami sa side

ayaw nila siguro nakikita na mayroong dalawang lalaki na kumakain magkasama.

Like in a selfish way, it felt like I was being shoved back in the closet.

I'm Nika Del Rosario.

I'm Justine Peña.

Hi, I'm Gino.

Hi, I'm Edward.

Hi, I'm Jelly.

I'm Frances.

My name is RJ Puod.

And I'm Joey Cortina.

Hi, my name is Jay Kim.

Hi, my name is Lex.

Hi, I'm MJ.

I'm Daniel.

I'm Mikayla Javier.

I'm Neil Beatriz.

And I identify myself as bisexual.

I identify myself as gay.

Transgender man.

Queer slash pan.

Pansexual.

Non-binary.

Non-binary pansexual.

I'm bisexual but I lean towards girls.

LGBTQ couples find it difficult to get close in public.

Yes here, no?

Okay.

Yes.

Yes.

Both yes.

Upoon mo.

Yan.

Ayan.

No.

Ako kasi personally, wala akong pakialam sa mga nasa paligid namin.

Mapapansin namin yan na a lot of people will titingnan kami, ganon.

Pero ako hindi ako nahihiya kasi sobrang confident ako sa sarili ko.

And comfortable ako nakasama siya.

Kami, we're lucky.

Since heteronormative kami, we don't get the stares.

We understand that kami kasi, we have cis privilege.

Kasi when you look at us, parang wala namang ano, wala namang MF.

When you're in a same-sex relationship kasi, you get the judgmental stares from the public.

Nasanay kasi kami nang we touch, like hold hands, ganyan.

But minsan babother ako pag may nakatingin.

I think if we hold hands sometimes, napagkakamal na kami BFFs lang.

Magkapatid.

They look at us and they're wondering like,

magkatropa lang ba tong dalawang to?

Or like, may something.

Naiisip nila, oh babae sa babae, goods yan.

Tapos parang they will just come to us.

In the movie theaters lang kami nakapag-holding hands because it's dark.

Tapos ang hawak-hawakan lang is tropa-like yung nakahawak sa ganon.

Kaya hindi ko...

I remember we had this one unfortunate incident when we were riding a cab.

We were very much intimate inside the cab.

And the driver talaga explicitly told us na,

kung babasin niyo tong sasakyan ko, lumabas na lang kayo.

And we were shocked because that was the first time that that ever happened to us.

Kahit wala naman silang outright na ginagawa para saktan kami,

parang nandun yung sense ko na, you know, looking after my shoulder.

Naging cause siya of friction for us early on

kasi I was more open to holding hands and stuff like that.

Tapos parang, like in a selfish way, it felt like I was being shoved back in the closet.

Guru deep-seated.

Na hindi pa ko out for a few years before.

Hirap pa ko na maging close in public.

And the fact that I had to go back in with her kasi nga natatakot pa siya.

I was the first girl that she dated.

Hindi ko rin siya pin-reassure na mag-show ng affection sa akin publicly.

I think that it comes naturally na lang.

Mas nag-ievolve na lang yung pagpapakita namin ng love sa isa't isa.

Yes or no?

The LGBTQ plus are easily accepted when they come out.

No.

No.

Kasi ako, I did not have a coming out story

kasi my parents are really cool.

Very lucky because my parents are very accepting.

Hindi nila ako kinahiya as gay ako.

Medyo ano yun, medyo parang ang weird kasi having been raised like that

I thought na it's like that for all.

Kapag nag-come out ka kasi, there's this judgment pa rin.

Pag sinasabi ko sa kanila na I'm non-binary, nagugulat sila na

it's like I have to prove myself na kailangan ko pang humalik ng lalaki

para lang sabihin sa iyong non-binary ako.

Ako nag-come out ako nung naging kami na kasi nga sinasabi niya sa akin

na kailangan ka pa magiging ready.

When I was a kid kasi, pag napapanood namin si Jake Cyrus

talagang sasabihin ng mama ko na

oh wag kang gagaya dyan or kaya ay sasigera.

Di ba ganun yung mga na na-

Mapupunta ka sa Ipiang.

Mapupunta ka sa Ipiang, like legit.

So ako parang, kinonvince ko pa yung sarili ko noon na

eh baka yung not lesbian, baka naman it's just a phase.

Pero before, you don't get to dress that way.

I can't dress kasi oo.

Parang most of my youth was about me hiding talaga.

Tananggap ko na talaga na parang like

maybe I'm going to have to hide this for the rest of my life.

Maybe.

Maybe.

It's a maybe.

It's a maybe pa rin.

Oo, it's a maybe.

It's better now compared to say 20 or 30 years ago.

I think ha, when you come out like with people na friends mo

it's very accepting.

Pero pag family, hindi naman parang totally accepting

pero kasi because you know, ikaw yan, they love you.

Parang it's more of, ano lang sila, parang compliance.

I'm glad to say that my mom was really supportive.

Sinamahan niya pa ako doon sa surgery ka when I had my top surgery.

With my family, they started transitioning with me.

They started switching from calling me ate

and then it was a process for my mom.

They had to call me teya.

As a sign of transitioning, they couldn't say kuya right away.

So it was in between, teya.

Pero ngayon naman, super accepting ng parents and family.

So I think the more may alam sila about it,

the more na mas maintindihan nila.

LGBTQ plus couples are treated the same as straight couples?

Absolutely not.

No, no, no, not yet.

I don't know.

Paano?

Tatawa na lang ako.

For example, sa insurance.

I can't even put her on my beneficiary, I had to put my mom.

If we decide to, you know, have a family,

ang daming talon yung kailangan.

Parang hindi ka tulad sa cis, het couples na

napaka-supportive ng institution sa kanila.

Na hindi nila kailangang diskartehan.

Say for example, if we get married abroad,

it will not be recognized by the government here.

So parang wala talaga siyang masyadong bigat.

The fact that our wedding isn't legal

is what here in the Philippines is also.

Besties pa rin tayo dito.

Roommates kami.

Pag member ka ng LGBTQ ay

sobrang daming stigma na nakadikit sa'yo.

Sa teleseries nga, and then sa mga movies natin.

Kapag yung tao, yung regular couple,

kikiligin sila agad, gano'n.

Pero pag LGBT couple, parang nakikringe sila.

Siyempre meron pa rin mga cultural paradigm differences.

Like, if you're gay, you're expected to look a certain way.

You're supposed to act a certain way as a couple.

If you have someone who's queer,

parang yung mindset agad is baka mahawa ako nito.

It's just the same.

Parang we're not really here to convert anyone.

We're not really here to parang influence anyone na

okay, you convert to being gay.

Wala siyang gano'n. Wala kaming gano'ng anything.

Straight couples can understand us a bit more

when they realize we're not that different.

All we're trying to do is fall in love, stay in love,

have the same rights.

Kahit civil wed...

Sige, kahit civil wedding na lang.

Yun na lang ibigay niyo sa'kin.

Again, we just want to be treated like normal people.

Is the Philippines ready for queer relationships?

That's such a complex question.

Yeah, 50-50 din eh.

Leaning sa no, pero maybe.

It's ready in the sense na

if they are willing to finally embrace themselves in that way.

There are people for them.

There is a community for it.

No, in the sense na if they do it, hindi siya madali.

LGBTQIA plus community in the Philippines

are just tolerated.

Hindi pa talaga tayo fully accepted.

A lot of people would say natanggap nila,

but they would say na,

don't be too gay or

I accept you, pero don't behave a certain way pa rin.

Kasi it's making...

Hindi sabi ka naman.

Correct. It's making me uncomfortable.

Or even in bading yan, for example,

pero mabait naman yan.

So, in order for you to be accepted by the society,

you have to prove yourself.

The Philippines, as progressive as we try to be,

still has a lot of growing up to do.

And there's so much representation now,

more than ever.

I mean, we can still do better,

but it's there and we are progressing.

That gives queer people more opportunities

to represent themselves.

To see nga na parang,

oye, pwede pala itong mangyayari sa akin.

Different types of LGBT relationships lang

na parang hindi parang kit-both.

Gay is parang comedy-comedy na agad lahat.

There are some older people who are saying na,

bakit dumadami ang bakla sa Pilipinas?

Or bakit ang daming bakla sa mga kabataan?

It's not like a phenomenon or something.

Parang...

A plague.

Di siya uprising.

A gay plague.

I think what's happening is,

change the action siya.

Someone has the courage to come out

and nakikita nung other people na parang,

oh, sinusupport nila siya.

And yun nga.

That's the importance of representation.

We're slowly turning into ano,

into a progressive country.

Pero,

we still have a long way.

Medyo mahirap pa.

I think we have so much pa na

lalakbayin.

Siguro kasi this generation is much more open na.

Much more, yun nga, woke generation na.

So parang,

siguro the younger ones,

the next generations,

baka mas sila pa yung parang,

we'll get there.

I still want to be hopeful na

kayang i-accept ng tao.

Kasi nga,

people learn.

For me, that is like a big,

big,

the dream of any community.

Hindi mo na kailangan,

oh, I'm trans,

I'm lesbian.

Hindi na ganon.

Like, I'm just friends.

And I'm a human being.

For you guys,

what does it mean to be free to love?

Ano?

Being able to

express who you really are.

Siguro feeling safe.

Feeling safe in general.

Pag free to love ka,

you don't have to explain why,

why her.

Parang ganun.

I want to be able to bring him home to,

ano, to my family and be like,

have it be like the most normal thing na parang,

oi, hi Lex!

Nice to meet you.

Kain ka.

Blah, blah, blah.

So I would like to have a love that

we can celebrate

and not just like shun

because people are not yet ready for it.