Diana Ross, let's hear it!
"I'm coming out
I want the world to know
I gotta let it show..."
Tonight (technically), Rustom Padilla came out to Keanna Reeves (and the rest of the world - where TFC is seen) and told her that he is gay. He has been hiding this part of himself for so long now because of the worst experience he had when he was 3 years old. Dressed in a girl's clothes, his father grabbed him by the arm, took the clothes off, and beat him with a belt - the buckle hitting him. When his father stopped, instead of comforting him, his mother scolded him and asked him to stop crying.
That incident scarred Rustom for life. As a child, he didn't understand why he was beaten. Aside from that, the word "bakla" left a bad impression on his mind. Therefore, he dealt with confusion and repression all his life. But he couldn't resist the urges anymore so he decided to leave for abroad. It is in the US that he finally felt like he belong. That he finally realized that gays are not one-dimensional and stereotypical.
He didn't explain why he came back to the Philippines but I guess, it's because he wanted to be accepted by his family and friends for the way he truly is.
When he came back here, I didn't like him anymore. With the blonde hair and (too much) weight loss, he was kinda freaky. Not to mention that I find him pretentious. However, tonight, I found new respect for him with this coming out. I now understand his predicament. Being gay as it is is hard enough, what more if you belong in a family like his - madaming bruskong kapatid at may babaerong ama (na may traditional macho attitude). No wonder, it took him this long to come out. At least now, he'd be a sort of spoke person for Pinoy gays and show the Philippines that not all gays are effeminate.
Now, if only Piolo would do the same, I'd love him to death! *wink wink*
P.S. "People like us" has their own stories to share and they are not pleasant, mind you! But be assure of this, abuse (of all kinds) will always be a part of it!
No comments:
Post a Comment