Charles Teves
Vice presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte left a lot of people with a bad taste in their mouths after claiming to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
In a meet and greet on Thursday, March 10, she expressed her support for the group.
“Do not allow people to define you cause of your beliefs, because of your gender, because of your age,” she said.
She shared a time when gays showed her love because she backed the community.
“Ang sabi sakin doon sa isang mga nadaanan namin na LGBT group sa aming pangangampanya sa Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas. Sabi niya, ‘Mahal na mahal ka namin, Inday Sara.’ Sabi ko, ‘Mahal ko po kayo, mahalin natin ang Pilipinas.’
“Sabi niya, ‘Hindi, mahal ka namin dahil mahal mo ang LGBT.’ Sabi ko naman sa kanya, paanong hindi ko ba mamahalin ang LGBT e LGBT din ako?” she added.
Duterte said she cuts her hair short whenever she wants to feel like a man.
“Sa gender stereotyping, ang sinasabi nila ang lalaki maikli ang buhok, ang babae mahaba ang buhok. Kaya po minsan nakikita ninyo maikli ang buhok ko, gusto ko po maging lalaki niyan. Pag ayaw ko na po maging lalaki, pinapahaba ko po ang aking buhok,” Sara said.
“Totoo po ‘yan. Tinanong ko po ang human resource namin dahil isa po siyang LGBT. Sabi ko, ‘Bakit paminsan-minsan gusto ko maging lalaki, minsan gusto ko maging babae? Pero madalas gusto ko yung mga gawain ng lalaki pero hindi naman ako attracted sa babae.
“So in-explain nya sa akin. Sabi niya ang sexual orientation mo ay babae, ang gender expression mo ay lalaki,” she furthered.
Well-known members of the gay community saw Duterte’s move as a sign of desperation.
https://twitter.com/floydtena/status/1501900636744720386?s=20&t=qb-zETmSapCuD53_VGWpiA
Pwede naman talagang LGBTQIA+ si Sara Duterte. Pwede naman talagang di lang niya alam paano ipaliwanag na may incongruence sa identity niya. Pero ang punto, hindi dapat ginagamit sa galawang trapo ang pagiging LGBTQIA+. Higit sa identity, ano ang plataporma mo para sa amin? Wala.
— Reyna Valmores (@ReynaValmores) March 11, 2022
https://twitter.com/macronikki/status/1502076269680525312?s=20&t=qb-zETmSapCuD53_VGWpiA
Not to be that person but Sara Duterte explaining she's LGBT bec of "gender expression" is misleading & sounds like a trapo attempt to woo LGBT votes.
To everyone, esp those LGBT close to her (pls be responsible!), here's why this is dangerous (a thread):https://t.co/SMkoAfAoMo
— Vince Liban 🏳️🌈🌹 #AkbayanTayo2025 (@vinceliban) March 10, 2022
I know her personally. Naging officemate ko si Mama Dindi pero we broke connection nung nalaman niya na anti-duterte ako. Let me say this. She doesn’t represent me, my partner and my friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. pic.twitter.com/3RP1uKozXE
— Maki🐨 (@itsmakoi) March 10, 2022
