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- And it's just reminding me
that if we, if I get elected in Congress
that I don't change.
This is in college, 2000.
I haven't undergone yet the
hormonal replacement therapy.
I never had some implants
yet at this time.
- But one was able to fight his feelings,
but the other one, the youngest, no more.
He's gay.
I don't like her to be a politician.
- I'm a 47 year old, homosexual man.
Now, I can admit it.
Before, I could not.
Not even to my self.
Filipino gays have long been
known by the word bakla.
It's here, it's here.
There's the B and the A,
and then there's a cross in the middle.
When I was growing up,
bakla was the most
fearsome word in my life.
It's not the equivalent of gay.
It would be more like faggot.
- We don't have a word
for transgender, actually.
So we use the word bakla
for gays and transgenders.
The Philippines is very much dominated
by the Catholic church, but
the baklas are tolerated
as long as you feed certain stereotypes.
If you're a bakla in the
entertainment industry,
in the beauty parlor,
or gay beauty contests.
If you cross this boundaries,
that's when distinct
discrimination happens.
- Homosexual acts are not
criminalized in the Philippines.
However, gay men, they're
subjected to extortion.
Lesbian couples are separated
forcibly by parents.
Transgenders, who are shown
out of public restrooms,
accused of being prostitutes.
If we are accepted, then
there should be laws in place
protecting us.
Tolerance doesn't equate true acceptance
or the equality of rights.
- If we can show the lead,
not just in the village,
but in the world, that we are
open in embracing LGBT people
as equal members of our society,
then we have done a really big thing.
It's the same thing that's
driving the campaign
of Ladlad partylist right now.
Ladlad partylist is the
only LGBT political party
in the world.
- "Mr. Remoto, you're leading a group
"that is immoral, abnormal.
We had only three weeks to campaign.
- Ladlad very new then.
That was the first time
we were going to run.
Then everyone was excited.
We were new and good,
honest politicians.
- We almost got one seat at that time.
Bemz almost got to sit in Congress.
- If we lose this time, Ladlad
will need to start over.
Before the campaign gets into full gear,
we have prepared kit.
What to say when these are
the questions being asked.
This is the history.
A series of core messages.
- Go and give talks to
- Aside from senatorial candidates,
partylist groups have likewise
kicked off their campaigns.
- Ladlad, the partylist group
represents lesbians, gays,
bisexuals, and transgenders.
- Bemz stepped up.
She really wanted it.
She was ready to make the sacrifices
that were required of the position.
- My love, we thank you on short notice.
Thank you for coming.
In Ladlad, you cannot
see one of the platforms.
The gender recognition is not there, no?
Being the first nominee,
I already start lobbying
for the gender recognition law.
Let's see how well they react.
- Yes.
- Exactly.
- This is the only way
we have to enter Congress
and tackle our issues there.
I want to be my co-warriors
will be my fellow trans-women.
- Yeah, so she
will be discussing--
- It's intentional.
- You don't trust me?
I used to be a sex worker.
I was engaged in sex working
and I was earning a lot.
I realized I was not happy.
I begun to do something more
meaningful with my life.
What I'm doing in Ladlad right now
as the campaign coordinator
is what I really want to do.
- I am Ladlad.
I belong to Ladlad.
I love Ladlad because
Ladlad fight for the rights,
fight for the freedom of LGBT.
- Okay, no problem.
I have this injection.
I have this bust enlargement,
so I say I am a transgender.
I may be a gay, a tough guy, a tough gay.
That depends on the mood.
Depends on what people is dealing with.
That's it.
Ready to girls?
Proceed!
Boy drummers, ready!
- Support
Ladlad partylist number 28
in the ballots.
- Well, there you have it.
Sure, it's one thing to be out.
It's another thing to actually
be declare you're a bakla,
bakla as you walk around the
streets of your hometown.
- This is one of the Ladlad
supporters and a transgender.
- My neighbors, they like
me because I'm so jolly.
The biggest challenges here in the the 66,
we have this congressman, Benny Abante.
Benny Abante is the
number one enemy of LGBT.
- Abante, Abante, Abante, Abante!
- The Bible condemns
homosexual acts, okay?
But the Bible also says
that God loves all people.
Some of my members are homosexuals
and they have been changed.
They are no longer homosexuals
because no one is born a homosexual.
That is a lifestyle.
- The church say that
they exercise compassion.
The would frame it not
just as a moral issue,
but also as a pathological issue.
They actually encourage gay men, lesbians,
to undergo conversion therapies.
It comes to a point where it's asked
whether it pushes for LGBT rights.
I would like to here Ladlad
that same sex partnerships
should be embraced.
- He breeds...
- I breed chickens, fighting cocks.
- A hobby.
- This is my hobby.
He just look at the chicken
and then, "Bye, I'm hungry."
- In every town we have an annual,
transgender beauty pageant.
This is my first time to judge a pageant
and I used to train transgender
beauty pageants before.
- The Philippines,
they want to touch your hand.
They want to talk to you.
It's a very personal culture.
Unless they see you,
there's a code for you.
What Raymond, Bemz, and I have done is
to go around the country and
touch base with our voters.
- It's such a big country
and we're trying to cover 7,100 islands.
- Since we don't
have the money for T.V. ads,
we have to shake hands
with a lot of people,
as much as you can.
- I said he's not curious anymore.
I think he wants to test
a transgender, sexually.
Very naughty!
- This is my childhood friend.
I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
But who cares, no big deal
I want more
People tell me that you
should be prim and proper,
you should sit like a lady,
you should not be wearing
that if you want people
to take you seriously because
you are part of Ladlad.
Let's go, let's go.
I would always say to them,
"This is exactly what we're fighting for."
You know?
To be who you are.
- Thank you very much...
Robert and Masuto.
- Ladies and gentlemen,
here are your Binmaley Gay
Universe 2013 candidates
in their opening number!
- You accepted here in Binmaley, come on.
That's precisely the reason
why we are giving you something like this,
to boost your confidence.
- In the case of Ladlad,
they've traveled to ensure
that they've got legitimate
chapters all over the country.
I don't know how strong or
how organized the chapters
that they put together.
I've listened the Bemz a few times.
He presented a very clear
platform, no theatrics.
They need to be accepted
by the mainstream,
not just by the LGBT.
- My god, feels so good to be back home.
I used to work here.
- Alliance of third fours
here in district six.
That's the English word, but
if you check the acronym,
it's the A-I-D-S.
- The AIDS understand that
I'm not discriminatory.
Of course I've gone against
the Gay Rights Bill,
so to speak.
Why?
Because I believe that
we have enough rights
to protect every individual,
whether they be gays or straight or women.
Now, I don't hate the gays.
I don't like the lifestyle,
but I don't hate them.
- Maybe because of money.
- I think people underestimate
a transgender person.
I get those comments
that I'm not good enough,
I'm not smart enough,
I'm not brilliant enough
to be a representative in Congress.
I cannot because I'm not even a lawyer.
If Ladlad will not win,
I will not even have a face
anymore to my community.
That will be a biggest disappointment
in my life if that happen.
- I hate that.
I really hate that when people
just ask for money outright.
You want to do new politics
and people just ask you for money.
I mean it's just...
It's crazy.
- It's very, very gratifying
to see faces
of young gay people.
I mean, most of them are young.
All of them are poor, you know?
It's their hope that finally
they have their own voice in Congress.
- Hey, cut it, cut it!
- We're here actually to show our support
for Ladlad partylist.
- Today was suppose to encourage
LGBTs to help us campaign.
I was thinking that there'd
be about 300 people,
but it's not even 10 percent.
I'm very disappointed.
- Vote for Ladlad.
Thank you so much.
- Let's take it one step at a time.
In the beginning it was
all so gung ho and excited,
and I was sure that yeah,
yeah we're going to win,
we're going to win.
People might not actually go out and vote.
No doubt, all of us are working hard,
doing the best that we can,
but we should be doing more.
- Cheers, thank you.
- So is anybody asking
you any questions about...
- Yeah, for what is this?
They have to say, yeah, they
have a voice for the LGBT.
- How are you campaigning for Ladlad?
- You also spend
on your own, right?
- Yeah, we do, yeah.
- Photocopying, spends for it
and.
- The Senatorial candidates,
who you've made packets with.
How many are there?
- I think we have 10 now.
They believe that there's
really a big LGBT community
that they need to tap.
You know, we have to play politics also.
We have to talk with them.
If we need to beg to them--
- That's right.
I think that's nothing wrong
as long as I don't sell out
the commitments and the focus of Ladlad,
I think I'm safe.
- The other LGBT activist,
they're seeing too much negotiations
and bargaining with local politicians.
That's already traditional politics,
and people are afraid we're
doing too much of that.
Ladlad is doing too much of that.
We should know how much
you can compromise.
- Talk me through your strategy
regarding same-sex marriage.
- Well, the problem is it
will be very controversial.
You will not get mainstream support.
I don't want to alienate voters.
I'm a politician.
- He's there.
Congressman Benny Abante.
- He's the pastor of the Christian church,
but when I see him, we're
like friends
because there's nothing personal.
- Because he doesn't
like same-sex marriage.
So come May, we're just
pushing for equal rights
in the workplace.
That's all.
- When you're a political
party, you compromise.
When you're a social movement,
you're able to push for a agenda.
The biggest strength of Ladlad is
that it's pushing for LGBT rights.
It should make it's case and
say that this is who we are
and this is what we're fighting for.
It shouldn't compromise this early.
- It's a delicate dance between trying
to live up to our ideals
and getting down and dirty.
I don't think we've sold out.
I don't think Bemz, or Danton,
or myself have sold out,
at least not yet.
- Marlea called
me early in the morning
to check if I'm okay.
You know why?
- She was beaten to death.
- We really spread ourselves very thin.
There are those who have left us already.
You don't see them anymore,
because they don't believe
in the nominees or, you know.
We are not afraid
- We have a smattering
of people helping us out,
but not in a very organized way.
But the tip, it's all us, the three of us,
going around the country and campaigning.
There's this nice
concept of LGBT equality,
and then there's the long, winding road
of trying to make our dreams into reality.
I don't know, we'll manage.
Go!
- The Commission
on Elections today completed
the printing of all 52 million ballets.
- On elections vows
to crack down on vote buying,
warning candidates that even--
- More than
44,500 candidates will vie
for over 18,000 positions
across the country.
- The LGBT partylist number 28.
- Excuse me.
- Thank you mama.
- So look at the national total.
From here to here, we didn't get one seat.
We're here in the bottom.
So we're not yet in.
We're not in.
- Hello.
- See, so way down.
- Pins...
These were so damn expensive.
We believe that by making
political alliances
with local politicians,
the mainstream voter
would vote for Ladlad.
That's obviously not what happened.
We didn't even get all LGBTs
because many LGBTs were
turned off by the fact
that we didn't have same-sex
marriage on our platform.
We were afraid of creating controversy.
It was a mistake.
As Ladlad's leadership,
we let Filipinos down.
I told them that I will
be your voice in Congress.
I will speak for you.
- I was in shock.
I wasn't able to talk
to anyone for months.
It's like breaking up with 10 guys
at the same time.
- It was a very emotional time.
I was in limbo.
I didn't know where to go.
I didn't know what's next for me
because I never look at
the picture of defeat.
I want to rest for this coming elections.
I'm not running.
But for the future, I
don't know
what will happen.
I don't want to close my doors.
- Anything goes.
There's so many young people.
They appreciate what Ladlad did
and they're willing to vote on.
These are young people, 18, 20, 30.
The arrow of our expectations
is toward the future,
to form a new party that will learn
from the lessons of the past.
So we have to elect a
new group of leaders,
a new group of officers,
and board of trustees.
- We won the battle against Benny Abante.
The LGBT won against devil.
Ah, that's good!
- One or two elections
for Ladlad doesn't define
the movement, doesn't define the journey
of the LGBT community.
The struggle continues.
The journey continues.
The fight continues.