This is part of #KaraniwangLGBT, which Outrage Magazine officially launched on July 26, 2015 to offer vignettes of LGBT people/living, particularly in the Philippines, to give so-called “everyday people” – in this case, the common LGBT people – that chance to share their stories.
As Outrage Magazine editor Michael David C. Tan says: “All our stories are valid – not just the stories of the ‘big shots’. And it’s high time we start telling all our stories.”
Charmie has been working as a host/standup comedienne for a while now, with her latest work in a gay venue in Marikina City.
“I start at around 7:00PM, or even earlier, just when the bar opens,” she said in Filipino. “And I work until the bar closes – I’d say after 4:00AM or 5:00 AM, largely dependent on whether there are still customers in the bar.”
No, her job doesn’t pay well. “I get just around P500 a day,” she said, so that the tips received from customers help “a lot!”. The amount isn’t a lot “kung may binubuhay ka (when you’re supporting someone).”
Because of the small earnings, she is also forced to find “raket (that is, additional work/job) to supplement her earnings.
“It’s funny,” Charmie said, “how we make people laugh, but we also have our own issues to contend with. Ganyan talaga ang buhay (But such is life)!”
