A year ago I was preparing to answer one of the most simplistic but essential questions when I took over as President of Barangay Los Angeles for 2011. What is your vision? At the time there was no easy answer. Joining the Barangay Los Angeles team, you have to be a visionary, not only for the organization to grow but for the future of the community. What made Barangay LA so unique and strong in the past years was creating social safe spaces where members can be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ), and also celebrate being proud Filipino/Filipinas. This organization is the concept of that very idea, being proud of your whole self, which in 1989, came to fruition.
In 2011, we as Barangay Los Angeles Boardmembers ‘decided to take the concept further. Taking the visions and strengths of its past and set on a journey to step outside of the box. In the past few years, our community has been placed at the forefront of politics and media. From the repeal of “Don’t’ Ask, Don’t Tell” to the ballot measure for marriage equality in California. At large, the LGBTQ community has have taken astronomical steps, but we as Filipinos and Filipino-Americans are barely scratching the surface. However, in 2011, we are proud to say that Barangay Los Angeles has created a movement that will only continue to grow.
At the start of 2011, Barangay Los Angeles created an Advocacy Committee, which set out to start our movement at home, with our families. We stood on a platform challenging our Filipino community to create space spaces for LGBTQ Filipino/Filipinas. We called on our community to address youth suicide through an event called, “TULAY: A Bridge to Help Fight Youth Suicide,” a 3-day art gallery and symposium with the hope of opening dialogue between families through visual art, spoken word, and live performances. For some of us, it was the first time hearing from Filipino families in support of their daughters and sons. We engaged health educators, religious and community leaders, artists, advocates and allies to discuss the issues, we as LGBTQ’s face on a daily basis.
Attendees observe artwork at "TULAY: A Bridge to Fight LGBTQ Youth Suicide"
Barangay LA’s commitment to the community is always constant. We held “Kapihans,” coffee talks, for our LGBTQ community and allies to come together once a month in a safe space to discuss issues that affect us. A space where Barangay LA can listen to the community and be a better advocate. We partnered with Mariposa Center for Change to address gender violence. We stood by Filipino Veterans to voice inequality they have been facing for many years. We participated in marches with API equality, AIDS Walk, Historic Filipinotown, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and LA Pride. For us there isn’t one way to be a better advocate, there are numerous ways.
Advocacy has many forms and sometimes is can be the simplest, it can be as simple as visibility. Visibility is one of our most vital roles we have in the community. When we took our positions as Boardmembers, we held a series of community meetings with members and community shareholders. One thing that became apparent was the lack of visibility, lack of voice we as LGBTQ Filipino/Filipinas have. I remember the words of Harvey Milk, an openly gay politician, “we will not win our rights by staying silently in our closets [...] We are coming out.” So in 2011, we “came out.”
We increased our media coverage through The Filipino Channel’s (TFC) newest weekly talk show, RSVP. Hosted by Giselle Tongi and Dr. Tess Mauricio, an entire show was dedicated to family acceptance and pride, putting our stories into the households of millions of Filipinos. We continued our wonderful partnership with Janelle So at Kababayan LA, doing segments on LGBTQ youth suicide and awareness. We also worked with Balitang America throughout the year, covering topics on Prop 8, hate crimes and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Coming out in the media was only the first steps in making an impact.
We also participated and partnered with our allies to create in-person visibility of our community, to represent the diversity of being LGBTQ. In partnership with FilAm Arts’ 20th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) in San Pedro, we hosted the very first LGBTQ workshop on Art and Advocacy on the festival grounds. We were so appreciative to be joined by first-time attendees, such as aunties, teenagers, friends and families. At our booth, we continued to be overwhelmed by the amount of support we received. Lea Solonga, Consul General Mary Jo Aragon, Giselle Tongi and Rex Navarrete, visited us, voicing their support of LGBTQ Filipino/Filipinas. Taking advocacy work a step further, we also challenged attendees at the festival to wear purple in support of Spirit Day and the prevention of LGBTQ youth Suicide, which many supported, both allies and LGBTQs. One festival attendee shared with me, “This is the first year that I saw so much support and diversity of the LGBTQ community. Barangay truly created a safe space.”
Barangay Los Angeles’ Winning Parol at FPAC 2011 with Consul General Mary Jo Aragon
Hosting a workshop at FPAC wasn’t only our first time coming out to an event. We made first time appearances at Models of Pride, Hollywood Youth Parade, Tuesday Night Café, Friendship Games and at Our Lady of Angels Cathedral at the Simbang Gabi. We were the only LGBTQ Filipino/a organization in participation. And we continued our support at Outfest, the Queer Pin@y Conference and supported artists such as, Alec Mapa and Alison Dela Cruz.In celebrating our mission of making Barangay LA a place to be proud of your culture and your identity, we participated at Los Angeles Pride. For the 41st annual celebration, not only did we bring to the parade the largest contingent of LGBTQ Filipino/Filipinas but we also brought our first annual Sagala. A Sagala is a traditional Philippine parade with custom traditional dresses and cultural pride observed in the Philippines. At Barangay LA, it is important for our members to celebrate their Philippine culture and traditions, as well as their identity.
Keeping to our vision for 2011, we continued to host our well-known events, such as Barangay Idol. Joined with guest judges, Bernardo Bernardo and Janelle So, we celebrated the talent in our community with our annual singing competition and fundraiser. Barangay LA was very proud to present Joannarae with first place and was able to raise money for our Advocacy event (TULAY) and provide educational workshops such as like Transgender Sensitivity training. This year we partnered with the Gay Asian Pacific Support Network (GAPSN) and presented, Fantasy, our annual Halloween party. We also introduced new events such as like Bekilmpics, a day at the park learning about Philippine games. And we held our first annual volleyball tournament, “Serve for a Cause,” which we raised money to support a recreational center at the heart of Historic Filipinotown.
Our work as an organization couldn’t be as strong as it is without our partnerships. Throughout the year, we partnered with over 10 organizations and projects, such as the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), AF3IRM, Ministry of Gay and Lesbian Catholics, Lifeworks, Search to Involve Pilipino-Americans (SIPA), Sigaw, Sama-Sama workshops, Pilipino Artist Network, FilAm Arts, API-PFLAG, APAIT Health Center, APIPC Pride Council, BakitWhy.com, Los Angeles Volleyball Organization (LAVO), Imperial Court – Hollywood, and with artists from The Malaya Project, a photography project highlighting proud LGBTQ Filipinos.
Since becoming Board President of Barangay LA in 2011, I am absolutely proud of this organization’s vision and mission. It is very clear to me that the days of being silent are in the past. We as a community, each and every one of us, have a responsibly to continue creating safe spaces for future generations. We have the responsibility to keep coming out and challenging our kuyas and ates, our aunties and uncles, our nanays and tatays to make sure they create a safe space just as Barangay LA strives to do.
It is with great gratitude to share my uttermost appreciation to everyone who has supported Barangay Los Angeles throughout the year. And especially to the Boardmembers, the visionaries of 2011, who have shared with me the pure passion for the community and the result that passion has on others. A year ago, a group of LGBTQ Filipinos sat in a living room, besides being proud of who they are, all had one thing in common, a vision for a better future for their community. In 2011, I witnessed first hand how one individual can make a difference and I also witnessed how one team can make an impact.
Mabuhay,
Gregory Pacificar
Barangay Los Angeles, Board President 2011.
