Notes

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I am NOT an LGBT activist I don't
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qualify
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neither do I identify myself as an
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advocate because I'm afraid I may not be
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able to live up to the expectations of
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the label I'm a proud gay man and I'm
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one with my community in our fight
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against oppression bigotry
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discrimination and for equality yes my
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name is Boy Abunda and I was born and
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raised in a small town called Barranca
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in eastern summer it's now a small city
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it's still beautiful I had a happy
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childhood not perfect but a wonderful
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childhood as a child as a young boy I
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was told many things I was told to be a
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good boy and I was as also told to love
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Lana and that I I was told to love my
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country the Philippines I was also told
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to love and honor God above all you know
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a kapu yang I did all those as a young
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boy I was also told to play basketball I
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tried I tried with all the bones in my
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body but I just didn't have the rhythm I
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didn't have the timing the alacrity of
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basketball players I was a failure as a
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young boy I was also told to like a
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young normal girl because young normal
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boys played basketball and like young
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normal girls again with bravery with a
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lot of prayers I tried to like a young
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normal girl again I was a failure there
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was a street in my town called royal
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street from where I lived
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you had to go through this street to be
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able to go to church to the town plaza
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to the public market there was another
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way but it was a longer route and there
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were more stray dogs and it was darker
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so we had to go through
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royal street it was horrifying it's
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terrifying to walk through royal street
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because young normal boys would bully us
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they were mean they were wretched were
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obnoxious they would call us names we
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would fight back I would fight back once
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in a while but we would always be
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outnumbered they would call us names
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shout at us they would holler
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byah byah byah that's the where I word
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for back lap and a Royal Street broke me
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in a way that I became so defensive
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about my posture I became very defensive
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about my sexuality in my youth royal
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street was equivalent to hell as a young
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boy I started to ask so many questions
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some I have answered others I'm still
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trying to figure out now I have another
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question why can't we have a gay
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president why can't we have a gay
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president I wanted to test this question
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so I spoke to some friends acquaintances
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strangers teachers students because I
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wanted to see how people react to a
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provocative question like why can't we
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have a gay president
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somebody told me boy I have so much
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respect for you I love gays you're just
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so funny I can't imagine a world without
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gays you're just the best comedians in
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the world and you excel in the creative
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endeavors you're the best hairstylist or
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the best eyebrows i list s-- you're the
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best fashion designers i said excuse me
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we can be many and we can do anything i
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told her the story about alan turing
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father of computer science he was the
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lead scientist that decoded the german
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enigma that paved the way for the
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victory of great britain in the second
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world war against germany Alan Turing
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was a computer scientist we are computer
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scientists we are biologists we are
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physicists we are basketball players we
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are pool dancers we are many we can do
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anything and then another one told me
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but aren't gays supposed to be cowards
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you you guys back off from fights
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debonair arenak na hoona tiene medallas
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Pegeen decal uma bond apart
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buk laka anybody who backs up from the
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fight is supposed to be gay I said no
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we're not cowards Recker ages were brave
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like the Stonewall Riots in 1969 in New
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York
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trans women queer young people a drag
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queens LGBT people who fought valiantly
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fearlessly the cruel brutal violent
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police of New York we are courageous
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were brave we're not cowards and then
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somebody said but boy I guess supposed
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to be Half Men and half women and you're
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supposed to be trapped in somebody
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else's body
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I said no we're not half half we're
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whole and we're not trapped in somebody
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else's Island for you to know you have
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to be me
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but since you cannot let me tell you
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that we are not half
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we're whole and then someone said after
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I asked why can't we have a gay
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president isn't homosexuality supposed
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to be a disease a disease
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I said no dibban Aravena Cunha 10 or and
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Salma karin-sama Sahaba by Han
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democratical McGinn back laka are you
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enough more penis Arabic Lanigan baklava
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Louie some time ago a father douse
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boiling water on his sleeping son in
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exasperation because he cannot he could
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not cure the homosexuality of his
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sleeping son some parents actually allow
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the young lesbian daughters to be raped
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because they believe that rape can cure
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lesbianism in 1973 homosexuality has
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been stricken out from the diagnostics
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and Statistical Manual of Mental
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Disorders we are not an ailment we're
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not a disease so I called another friend
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and I said why can't we have a gay
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president and my friend said because
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gays are supposed to be promiscuous they
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salivate at the sight of flesh the
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Predators they prey on young boys I said
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excuse me some gays are from
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skewers some women are promiscuous some
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men are promiscuous promiscuity is not a
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gay monopoly and then even beauty queens
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drink and then somebody said but isn't
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homosexuality a curse I said no we're a
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blessing before my mother before Nana
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was a debilitated by mild dementia she
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used to tell me a narc
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you're a blessing to me uh and if
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naughty were strong enough it should be
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here today standing beside me and she
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will tell you my son is a blessing he's
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not a curse if only mothers and fathers
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of LGBT people can be here today they
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will stand up for us and they will say
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we are a blessing and we're not a curse
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and then somebody said isn't
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homosexuality a sin don't you commit a
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sin when you express your homosexual
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lava I said I'm sorry as far as I know
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I'm not a sin I'm a child of God and I
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was also created in the image of God why
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can't we have a gay president because in
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2010 the Commission and elections ruled
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that gay people promote immorality
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abnormality and error threats to the
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youth in the same year the Supreme Court
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reversed this decision this homophobic
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barbaric decision why can't we have a
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gay president why can't we have a gay
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president let me borrow some words from
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the great Martin Luther King because
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sadly we are still crippled by the
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manacles of homophobia transphobia
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discrimination bigotry why can't we have
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a gay president because some people
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believe and some people preach that we
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are creatures lower than animals let me
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tell you we are not creatures lower than
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animals we are human beings
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so today on TEDx I ask you why can't we
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have a gay president why can't we have a
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gay president when the Constitution
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allows it the Philippine Constitution
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allows it natural-born Filipino
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registered voter can read and write
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forty years of age ten year resident
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it doesn't say there that you have to be
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a straight man or a straight woman to be
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president of this country in my opinion
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we are living in the new age of
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enlightenment this is the best time for
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exploration this is the best time for
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discovery observation and provocation
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this is also the best time to challenge
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to challenge prejudicial discriminatory
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cultural common beliefs this is also the
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best time to correct the wrongdoings of
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colonialism this is also the best time
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to ask why can't we have a gay president
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Belgium had a gay Prime Minister allude
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Aruba Iceland had a lesbian Prime
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Minister but you want a cigarette here
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my argument is if Iceland and Belgium
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had gay Prime Minister's I asked you why
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can't we have a gay president let's go
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to the black slavery movement yes there
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was a certain part in our history as
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human beings when blacks were treated
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like beasts they were animals they were
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invisible to be black was to be a sin
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they were marketed they were sold in
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town plazas and marketplaces they were
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bartered they were given as gifts but
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the black slavery movement the civil
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rights movement persevered and persisted
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in 1963 in Washington DC the great March
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happened where dr. Martin Luther King
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delivered his I have a dream speech that
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dream came true
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in 2008 44 years later in 2008 the
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United States of
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America elected its first black
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president in Barack Obama my argument is
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if blacks were treated like beasts like
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animals in the past and today the
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president of the most powerful country
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in the world is black why can't we have
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a gay president the black slavery
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movement inspired the women's liberation
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movement the women's rights movement the
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women's suffrage movement there was a
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time in our story as human beings when
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women were nothing there were
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second-class citizens
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there were third-class citizens they
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were invisible they had no voices they
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could not participate in public debates
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they could not even walk beside their
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men in some cultures because women were
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shadows and extensions of their men and
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other fathers today women's movement
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against violence continues but women
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have become Presidents and Prime
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Minister's you have Merkel of Germany
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Thatcher tae-hwan just elected his first
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woman president trying when partying hey
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now is president of South Korea this
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country has had two presidents President
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Corazon Aquino
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and President Gloria macapagal-arroyo my
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argument is if women who were shadows if
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women who were extensions of their men
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and fathers have become presidents and
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prime ministers I ask you why can't we
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have a gay president I wanted to
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understand what makes a great president
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I researched and I found the most
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insightful in size of discourse written
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by Karl Rove policy advisor to George W
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Bush and in that discourse he enumerated
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some traits of what makes a great
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president
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what makes a great president clarity of
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vision consistency of purpose emotional
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intelligence a healthy respect for
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public opinion a great team nowhere in
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that discourse will you find that you
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have to be a straight man or
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woman or LGBT to be a great president it
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just have to be a human being to be a
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great president ladies and gentlemen
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indulge me here a bit let's have a
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little fun imagine what a gay president
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of the Philippines would do he would
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probably appoint somebody like big Hong
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Duterte - ambassador of the Vatican he
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would have a lot of fun with Pope
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Francis a gay president would not be
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afraid to convince Archbishop Cruz to
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come out of retirement and ahead the
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Bureau of Customs he will clean up that
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agency in less than 24 hours
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Archbishop Cruz loves trouble he loves
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getting into the fray a gay president
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would probably create an anti corruption
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department headed by the impervious by
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the incorruptible women of be CIJ a gay
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president would probably appoint
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somebody like Senator little Lapidus
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permanent representative to the United
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Nations so that people may know that as
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a people we are quiet and we don't talk
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a gay president who would probably
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appoint somebody like Miss Universe 2015
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Pia wurtzbach ambassador to Colombia so
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that people may know that we don't bear
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grudges and remember the table and the P
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DAF are natural enemies of the badeff
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seriously now a gay president will
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nurture and strengthen the Filipino
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family a gay president will be a servant
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leader a gay president will subscribe to
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the concept of politics being the art of
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impossible and not the possible vaclav
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havel
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specially if the impossible is for the
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good of all a gay president will
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prioritize the FOI the freedom of
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information bill the anti-discrimination
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bill a gay president will not be afraid
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to be a great president ladies and
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gentlemen we have some of the most
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passionate some of the most driven some
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of the most brilliant intelligent some
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of the most qualified
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and some of the most inspiring some of
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the most transformative leaders in the
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LGBT community one of them is just
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waiting in the wings waiting for his
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turn to be the next president of this
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country one of them
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in conclusion allow me to rephrase my
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question from why can't we have a gay
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president so can we have a gay president
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can we have a gay president yes we can
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can we have a gay president yes we can
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because like every woman like every man
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in this theater in this country in this
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world the presidency is our destiny it
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is our birthright can we have a gay
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president yes we can yes we will yes we
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must and why do I say this with
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impregnable clarity
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ladies and gentlemen towards towards
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history and common sense thank you