A couple of months ago, Barangay Los Angeles was invited for a couple of interviews by The Filipino Channel’s (TFC) RSVP – the channel’s newest weekly talk show that aims to highlight and discuss various issues relevant to the Filipino American community.Dr. Tess Mauricio, one of show’s hosts, marched with us at Los Angeles Pride back in June 2011 and the episode showcased the organization’s efforts in both the Filipino and LGBTQ communities. Together with other Barangay LA members – Gregory Pacificar, Allison Santos, and Maria Carmen Hinayon, my mom and I went on the show.

It wasn’t my first time being in front of the camera for an interview on TFC. Albeit, the first couple of interviews I did were very short segments. This time around, it was longer. And it revolved around something I really didn’t have enough courage to talk about very publicly until these past few months.

See, I already came out of the closet to my close friends and to my immediate family. It was liberating and scary at the same time. You can watch the clip below as to how I came about doing so and how my mom reacted to the whole situation. If you need translation to what she said, I’d be happy to provide you with it. Bottom line: it was a message of love, understanding, and support.

However, I’ve never really talked about it to the other members of my distant family – cousins, aunts and uncles. I haven’t even had that conversation with my dad. Little did I know that representing this organization meant that I needed to step out of my comfort zone. And eventually, I realized the importance of talking about who I am, not just for me and for the people I care about but because my story is similar to many LGBTQ Filipinos out there.

Coming out is a process and the time it takes for someone to do so varies. The difficulty of the whole coming out process is the fact that our society doesn’t talk about LGBTQ issues within the family. This is compounded by the fact that there’s really no role model for the younger LGBTQ. Shame and stigma continuously causes fear for someone to step out and admit who they truly are.

My hope is that my story somewhat inspires others to do so, if and when they are ready. We can be the role models. I never had anyone to look up to (that’s LGBTQ) growing up but I have tremendous support from the people I care a lot about – my friends and family. The love and acceptance they’ve given me allowed me to proud of who I am and gave me the courage to walk on. Because I know, that from the moment I was ready to show the whole world who Robert Julius Maullon is, I have them walking with me.

Watch Barangay Los Angeles on TFC’s RSVP here: