Tria (left), who identifies as a lesbian, carries with her shades of pink, white, and orange as she attends Pride for the first time with her partner of three years, Sophia (right). Tria shares how she came out to her mother last year, who responded with love and acceptance. This has led to moments of being able to openly exist as a queer couple, such as bringing Sophia to her family’s events.

For their first Pride celebration together, Tria expresses excitement over this special moment in their relationship while cherishing the opportunity to freely identify as a lesbian.

More than a mere declaration of her identity through the lesbian flag, Tria shared how doing so brought out a simple joy in being seen for who she is by those around her.

“It’s nice to know people can see me as who I really am instead of having to pretend all the time—my mom knows I’m here,” said Tria.

For Raf (right), his second time attending Pride has brought a sense of freedom. He shares that while every day is a chance to live out one’s identity in their own way, Pride Month maintains its uniqueness through its celebratory energy that reverberates through the queer community.

As someone proudly bisexual, Raf echoes the chants of ‘love wins’ while sharing his belief that all people deserve equality and freedom.

“We deserve love, no matter who we are,” emphasized Raf.

Raf’s partner, Cass (left), holds up a pansexual flag alongside Raf’s bisexual flag, describing it as the most accurate representation of her SOGIE.

Emma Hickey, who is currently the Ambassador of Ireland to the Philippines, celebrates Pride Month in the Philippines for the second time.

Emma expresses her delight at the lively atmosphere and cheerful expressions from fellow pride marchers and her ambassador colleagues who are also attending the event.

As she holds up a rainbow flag and the flag of Ireland while wearing a shirt that bears a rainbow-colored shamrock with the text, “In Ireland Grá is the law,” Emma shares the meaning behind this choice:

“I'm wearing a t-shirt that says ‘Grá is the law,’ so this is Irish for ‘love is the law’. Ireland was the first country in the world to vote in gay marriage by popular referendum, so we’re very, very proud of that. We like to come out in solidarity wherever we are across the world.”

Emma sends her greetings to Quezon City and the whole country for Pride Month, highlighting that human rights are for all while declaring support for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.

For Red Castro, to wear the colors of the transgender flag and to be transgender is both an honor and a privilege.

Describing her transgender identity as a crucial aspect of herself, Red shares how she transitioned during her thirties.

From this experience, Red hopes to inspire people to be who they are without any hesitation or fear of discrimination.

As someone attending Pride for the third time, Red shared how the venue, UP Diliman, was special to her because of its culture of promoting inclusivity and equality, which allows her and many others to exist as their true selves.

“Just be who you are. Don’t let others dim your sparkle,” Red remarked.

Even as Pastor Wesley came to Pride with no colorful flag to display, his white clerical collar stood as a call for LGBTQIA+ rights.

Attending his first Pride with his colleagues from the Union Theological Seminary, Pastor Wesley sees his presence as a form of solidarity with the queer community, declaring that all are loved and recognized by God.

More importantly, Pastor Wesley stated that his attendance came with an acknowledgement of the church’s sins that sought to discriminate against and condemn LGBTQIA+ people. He calls on his fellow attendees to celebrate with love that is free from fear and embarrassment, while declaring that standing up for love and truth is a victory in itself.

“Hangga’t may isang bakla na hindi malaya na mabuhay, hindi malaya na umunlad, at hindi malaya na magmahal, mananatili na ang Pride ay protesta,” Pastor Wesley shared.

The Pride event and its slogan of “Love, laban” were what first came to Jeryll’s mind when defining his Pride colors as a gay person.

For Jeryll, the green, white, blue, and purple stripes became a more specific way of identifying himself beyond the traditional rainbow colors, allowing him to be more representative of who he is.

As someone who was president of an LGBTQIA+ organization during his high school years, Jeryll’s growing interest in activism for queer liberation is amplified by Pride Month, as it has become a platform to demand equality from the state and society.

While Jeryll understands that a long way lies ahead for genuine action for the queer sector, he believes that it is a necessary road to take, stating that it is not enough to exist in a society that is merely tolerant of the LGBT community.

“Even now, you would still find Facebook posts on Pride that are filled with laugh reactions and degrading comments directed towards queer people, and I think this is all the more reason to celebrate and protest during Pride Month,” Jeryll said.