The paradox of gays in Philippine media

I think anyone with half a mind is well aware that the local entertainment industry owes so much to the local gay community. People in showbiz are not only dependent on the gays when it comes to their styling needs, they depend on gay men to even make it in the business in the first place. Just try to imagine how many of today's matinee idols started out by catching the eye of some gay talent manager.

While not all of them are well made, I would like to think that the plethora of gay "indie" movies are providing more than enough help to our ailing film industry. Much of them may not add anything to our cultural heritage, but the sheer number of gay men who consistently patronize these films must stand for something. Otherwise they would have stopped making them a long time ago.

With showbusiness needing gay men in and out of the industry for it to survive, you would think that gay men would be treated a lot better, but then you'd be wrong.

Just this morning,this was the top story in the entertainment section of the tabloid Balita: "Bakla, tawag kay Enchong Dee sa set" (Gay is what they call Enchong Dee on set)

Now there's nothing wrong with this title per se, but the way that the writer -- who is a woman -- fleshes it out makes me bristle a bit. These lines in particular really rubbed me the wrong way:

"...bakit tinawag na bakla si Enchong, e lalaking-lalaki naman daw ito? (Why do they call Enchong gay when he's very manly?)

Ngayon na rin lang tuloy namin naisip na wala pala siyang ipinakilalang girlfriend simula nu'ng mag-showbiz siya, pero hindi namin siya pinag-iisipan ng hindi maganda tungkol sa pagkatao niya, huh! (I realized just now that he's never introduced a girlfriend ever since he entered showbiz, but I never thought there was anything wrong with him, huh!)"

I hated the first part because it just assumes that because one is they gay, then they are probably limp-wristed fairies who cross-dress and can not be trusted with "manly" things. It's a way of thinking that's not only very demeaning towards gays, but towards women as well -- the implication is that nothing is more embarrassing than a man acting like a woman.

It also makes it sound as if all gay men are disgusted of their penises and would like nothing more than to exchange it for a vagina, which of course is so far from the truth. I think it would be fair to say that gay men love their penis. And other men's penises as well.

The second line riled me up even more. In just one fell swoop, the writer condemned single people and gay men as having something wrong with their personalities. Because we apparently have not entered the new millennium just yet.

But the most horrible part of it all is that it's not just the straight writers doing this kind of reporting, but the gay ones as well. I remember most of the gay entertainment writers condemning BB Gandanghari for being "too gay". How in the world can one person be too gay? All I see a lot of self-loathing.

The whole situation is just so frustrating to me because the Philippine entertainment industry has such a powerful hold over the people, and with mostly gay men in charge you would think they would be smart enough to use it to their advantage and change the way people think about gays. Instead they just keep on perpetuating the same old cliches about themselves. Sheesh.

Thank you for your time. Here's a picture of me with Enchong Dee to thank you for making it through that rant.

Two guesses as to which one I am