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.”
Twenty-one year old Cyrix Muyco is first to admit he is no partygoer. While celebrating his second Dinagyang Festival, for instance, he said that “biskan taga-city man ako pero wala ko ga gwa mag Dinagyang kay una, indi ko mahilig mag-party. Dayon wala man ko gainom kag sang una wala pa ko gawa friends kag loner ko ya (Although I’m from the city, I usually do not go out during Dinagyang because, first, I don’t party; second, I don’t drink; and lastly, I didn’t have lots of friends before. I consider myself to be a loner).”
But – perhaps catching the festive mood of the 49th celebration of Iloilo City’s Dinagyang Festival – Cyril joined the Ilonggo LGBT community’s joining in the celebration of Sr. Sto. Niño’s feast. And a lot of this has to do with a realization in life – i.e. to be out and mingle with people to be appreciative of life.
For Cyrix, this also meant joining groups to belong – in his case, becoming a member of GBT-Panay, a clan composed of bisexual and gay men, which he credits for giving him a social circle with whom he can enjoy life with. “Sang una gamay lang akon friends, pero sang nag-join ko sa GBT-Panay grabe gid influence nila sa akon. Gin tudlo-an ko nila mag-mingle sa iban. Ang mga LGBT nga ni ang rason ngaa na-enjoy ko ang Dinagyang last year kag this year (Before, I didn’t really have many friends, but when I joined GBT-Panay, it influenced me a lot. They taught me how to mingle with other people. These LGBT persons are the reason why I enjoyed my Dinagyang).”
And this is a lesson Cyrix wants others to learn – to come out of one’s shell and have fun, such as by visiting a festival like Dinagyang.
“Bal-an ta man nga basta Ilonggo mapinalanggaon gid kag ang mga Ilonggo friendly gid katama especially sa LGBT community kay educated man kita. Kung gusto mo mag–kadto sa Iloilo kung Dinagyang kag LGBT ka, safe ka gid dire (We all know that Ilonggos are loving people and we are very friendly to the LGBT community because we are educated. If you want to visit the city during Dinagyang and if you are LGBT, you are safe here).”
