Pride Month Celebration held last 2022. Photo courtesy of Jason Kyle Julian of The LANCE.
June is the season to be proud, to be loud, it is a season to celebrate the long history of the LGBTQIA+ community. In 1969, the Stonewall Uprising saw the LGBTQ community stood up for their rights, and this month the fight continues.
As an ally, we celebrate the Pride season by amplifying their voices, this is a story of two members of the LGBTQIA+ community– my parents.
In 2010 my mother met her partner. Their love for music brought them closer together and there their love story began. They traveled cities, lived together, they were there for each other. Unfortunately, things took a sour turn and they had to part ways. For eight years, they dealt with their own lives. Amazingly, healing oneself helped them become ready to rekindle their love. And in 2018, fate brought them back together– more established, more mature, and more in love with each other.
By the end of 2019, two women stood in front of each other, vowed and promised their love for one another. And today, they’re stronger than ever. Their unwavering love crossed rivers and conquered mountains.
My mother found her forever partner and they will live forever as a loving couple.
I have told their story countless times already and it always makes me sentimental whenever I ask some people how they would react. Some of the reactions I always get are:
"Oh, wow. Someone in the friend group has two moms. I thought it only happens in the movies, pero ang cute pala talaga."
“As part of the same community and the same relationship dynamic, ang heart warming kasi naka-feel ako ng sense of safety.”
“I was surprised at the same time I felt happy and at ease that you have a sort of healthy relationship with them.” Well, It’s no different having bisexual parents as long as you have a healthy relationship with them.
I am happy that in modern times, we are increasingly seeing couples or even parents of the same gender and I feel like my parents are one of those people who paved the way and their relationship proved that love conquers all.
I am fortunate to have parents like them who are loving and caring not only to me, but to everyone as well.
These days, it’s great to see that people are somehow open-minded about same-sex relationships. I, for one, am happy that we get to celebrate and remember them. We don’t celebrate pride because they are special. No, we celebrate them because we are starting to break the stigma. People are becoming more appreciative and people inside the community are getting the love and respect that they deserve.
I am always going to be proud of them and I will never get tired of telling their story.