They may be banned in Manila but in other areas, gay people, particularly the transgendered, will not be prevented from joining the May Santacruzan procession.
"If [gay people] are banned [from joining Santacruzan] in Manila, there are other places where we can join [the event]," Danton Remoto, leader of gay group Ladlad, told ABS-CBN's morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda" on Tuesday.
Remoto said that while his group respects Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales's opinion against gays joining the Catholic procession in honor of the Virgin Mary, the prelate's statement applies only to the capital city since "it's not a CBCP (Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines) directive."
Remoto advised gay people who want to join the Santacruzan to prove their faith in God and to go to other places where priests and prelates allow gay people to join the event.
He added that there are also Santacruzan events that are sponsored by local government units. He said almost half of the "reynas" (queens) in the procession are gay.
Focus on real issues
Meanwhile, Remoto advised Rosales to avoid focusing on "small matters" and use his strength on more important issues such as the birth control issue in the country.
Rosales said gay people should join Santacruzan processions to "keep sacred what is sacred." He added that people are making a mockery of the sacred event by allowing gays to join the procession.
Remoto explained that the gay people who join Santacruzan procession are those called the transgender, who doesn't only look like a woman, but also thinks and feels like a real female.
Majority of the transgender gays who join the procession are "the working gays" or those employed in beauty parlors and other ordinary jobs, he said.
"Each gown costs at least P5,000. These gay people don’t belong to the middle class. Hard-earned money are spent for these decent-looking gowns," Remoto said.