Angie Umbac
R-Rights
Big Pride
By Mikee dela Cruz
PUBLISHED: MARCH 2010
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANGIE UMBAC

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She has worked as a deputy chief of staff of a senator, as a team member on paralegal involvement in a study of the Supreme Court, The Asia Foundation and LIBERTAS - Lawyer’s League for Liberty on addressing “Affordability Constraints on Access to Justice” and as co-Secretary General of the Lesbian and Gay Legislative Advocacy Network or LAGABLAB.

BRAVING THE WAVES. "I never assume that people or institutions are against our cause; there are pleasant surprises out there if we have the patience and courage to seek out good and supportive people,”Angie Umbac says.

Angie believes that hiding who you are or talking about it is a personal choice. “Although admittedly there are those who had negative experiences on this, I try to remember that when some people ask us about our sexual orientation or gender identity, sometimes they simply want to know, and not necessarily because they want to harm us,” she says.

For Angie, allies and supporters can be found everywhere. She found allies in the top brass of her government office when in July 2006, she travelled to Montreal, Canada to present a paper at the LGBTQI International Human Rights Conference.

“I did so not only as a rights activist, but also as a government representative. Travel tax by the Philippine government and visa payments at the Canadian embassy were waived; small courtesies afforded to one traveling with an official passport. So there I was speaking on discrimination against lesbians in the Philippines with the full backing of my government agency. From that time on, I never assume that people or institutions are against our cause; there are pleasant surprises out there if we have the patience and courage to seek out good and supportive people,” she recalls.

PROUDLY DISTINCT

Angie is actually not as confrontational as some in pushing for acceptance. “Coming out can be very formal, or structured, or casual. It all depends on you and what the situation calls for. I have often been asked by family, friends, colleagues, ‘Did you really appear on TV or where you featured in a magazine, discussing lesbianism?’ There is the risk of being ridiculed and a general denial is admittedly tempting. But my answer is consistently in the affirmative. Oftentimes, their response would be to look uncomfortable and so I would ask them back, ‘How did I look? Was my make-up ok?’ And you could see the tension lift; they would be relieved and would say I looked fine. They would even suggest a more colorful shirt, a better shade of lipstick, and that is the end of yet another stressful coming-out episode,” she says.

Angie has been repeatedly recognized for her efforts. Among others, she was given the Gawad Kawayan para sa Katangi-tanging Kasapi ng Gender and Advocacy Networking Group (Bamboo Award for Outstanding Member of the Gender and Advocacy Networking Group) for championing the issues of gender and development in both her personal and professional lives; and the Gawad Kawayan para sa Katapatan (Bamboo Award for Loyal Service) to the Gender and Advocacy Networking Group, both given by the Civil Service Commission on March 28, 2008.

“The citation for the awards credited me for practicing gender fairness in my professional and personal life. In short, they gave me awards for being true to myself, and for standing up for what I believe in,” Angie says.