The New Gay Revolution?
Tapping Next Gen GLBTQIA Activists
By Mikee dela Cruz
PUBLISHED: APRIL 2010

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Tan believes that, outside of text votes that cost texters from P2.50 per text in support of wannabe celebrities in popularity competitions, “if we could instead raise the money for worthy causes – noting that there are an estimated 400 million text messages sent in the country per day – we can change this country’s direction.”

At least Patalinghug has already somehow tapped this potential.

It took Patalinghug, who also spearheaded the I AM NOT IMMORAL video campaign in response to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) branding GLBTQIAs as immoral (its ground for non-inclusion of GLBTQIA group Ang Ladlad in the partylist system), “less than a month to organize everything,” he says.  “We had to gather all the resources and information needed to conduct a (proper) HIV rapid screening, equipped with all the necessary pre- and post test counseling (as required by the law). In other words we had to tap government institutions, such as the National Epidemiology Center or NEC from Department of Health (DOH), Social Hygiene Clinic Manila, Positive Action Foundation Philippines Inc. (PAFPI), and the Global Fund (in a short period of time).”

While the DOH provided some funding, “we had to turn to our friends in the Net, specifically Facebook, and we were able to gather enough funds that covered our (expenses) in Puerto Galera.”

Everything is, obviously, getting integrated – Google Chrome, as an example, attempts to unify all the applications needed online, from email to chatlines to Facebook-like functionalities to YouTube-like tasks.  Technology is far from perfect – yet – but “perfectly functional or not, it can already be used for advocacies in ways never done before,” Tan says.

But whether it’s through high-tech strategies or low-tech tools, Sreenivasan is (for now) somewhat cautious.  “It’s all about having a plan about new technology rather than jumping down rabbit holes,” he says. “You have to do everything you did before. This is something you need to add into the mix.”

ADAPT, ELSE...

MCCQC’s April 8 Affirming Party was not the first – nor will it be the last – event that the group will mainly promote through New Media. Says Agbayani: “We have been using the Internet even before Facebook,” citing, specifically, the now defunct Guys4Men.com, a social networking site geared towards MSMs, which allowed the group to “pagpapalaganap ng (widely spread) information and invitations (of our events).”

Agbayani, nonetheless, believes that any of the New Media follows much of the same “given” of old practices.  “First, (dapat) maganda ang event mo. Malaking add-on ‘yan (First, you should have a worthy event. That’s a big plus),” he says. 

“Pangalawa, dapat matiyaga ka talagang mag-promote sa iyong event – mag-message sa inbox nila, mag-personal message sa lahat na nag-confirm, et cetera (Secondly, you should be persistent in promoting your event – send messages to everyone, follow-up those who confirmed, et cetera)." 

And thirdly, “make sure sa event, hindi gutom ang tao – may laps dapat lagi [make sure participants do not go hungry – there should always be food (to ensure you look after your guests)].”

All the same, the game, in a manner of speaking, has changed.  “Malaki ang role ng New Media (in pushing advocacies to the fore) – maramihan kasi ang naabot niya; lahat na kasi yata ng tao ay involved sa New Media (The role of New Media in pushing advocacies to the fore is substantial – it has wider reach; just about everyone is in it),” Agbayani says.

And with this understanding, MCCQC, among others, enters a braver new world.