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.”
Kyle, 23, is a lesbian who works as a waitress in Makati City. Originally from Bacolod, the eldest of four siblings sends whatever she can to help her family in the province. She’s been in Manila since 2011, and “life has not always been easy,” she says in her vernacular.
But then smiles as she shares that she has “a special someone” in Bacolod (“My fourth girlfriend,” she laughs). “Being away from each other is difficult, but it’s needed. Kailangan talaga eh (It’s really needed),” she says.
If there’s a “consolation” for Kyle, it’s that “at least we’re accepted by our families; what we have is known by our families, and they’re okay with it.”
And so, while life throws challenges her way, in that acceptance, life is easier. And with that acceptance, there’s happiness, Kyle says.
