We could start at our Excommunication Party in December 2010, where we challenged the Catholic church in our support for the Reproductive Health Bill:

The Filipino Freethinkers then went full-on geek at the UP Lantern Parade in December 2010:

We made coming out of the closet a blast at the 29 Steps for LGBT Human Rights festival on July 2, 2012.

Who could forget that legendary and iconic protest against the Pajero Bishops:

In August last year, we supported freedom expression and the arts with Jesus:

.. and put the “fun” back in fundie at the last Pride Parade (original photo by Quentin Gaudillière):

Who knows what other hijinks Filipino Freethinkers will be up to in this new year? Whatever they are, we promise to make them more fun. And take a lot of photos.

Tania N. Arpa blogs about being a geek in the city in The Entropy Blog.

Wait! What’s this? FF RH Advocacy Director Kenneth Keng and FF President Red Tani sharing a tender kiss? After all those months of putting up a front, claiming -4 on the Kinsey Scale and trying very hard not to pat each others’ asses, they’re ending up in a Public Display of Affection? How could this be? What environment could have led them to shed their fears and just admit to their raw, pulsing brahmance?

Answer: The 29 Steps for LGBT Human Rights festival, which was held last July 2 at the Quezon Memorial Circle’s People’s Hall. Presented by the Lesbian Activism Project (LeAP!) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the event aimed to promote awareness of the Yogyakarta Principles—a set of principles on the application of international human rights laws on sexual orientation and gender identity issues.

There were film showings, musical performances, and several booths manned by pro-LGBT organizations, the Freethinkers included.

There was international human rights group Amnesty International Philippines, which recently voiced its support for the RH Bill…

…the AIDS Society of the Philippines…

…STRAP, the fabulous Society of Transexual Women of the Philippines, and many other groups out to advocate gender equality and a prejudice-free society.

FF wanted a particularly interactive booth, and came up with the “Come Out for a Kiss or a Kiss” concept.

The idea was fairly simple: come out of a literal closet as absolutely anything you desire–gay, lesbian, straight, transgender, Belieber, atheist, hipster, human–and after being cheered on and getting your picture taken with your Coming Out Certificate, you have the choice between a chocolate kiss, or a kiss from one of the Freethinkers.

For instance, cheery Ging and Chris came out as Trans-Men…

…and got to kiss FF’s LGBT Advocacy Director Beatriz Torre!

Transgender beauty Magdalena came out as a Gender Non-Conformist…

…and got to kiss Kenneth. (As it turned out, Kenneth was a particularly popular choice, and would receive quite a few more kisses as the day went on.)

There were several participants who came out in pairs, like lovely lesbian couple Jam and Joey…

…bewitching singer Tao Aves and her partner AK, who came out as Mrs. Tao…

…and super-sexy sisters James and Angel from STRAP, who came out as Transexual Dyosas.

It was also great to have many participants from Deaf Rainbow Philippines (DRP), such as DRP’s President Bibo, who came out as a Beauty Queen…

…and Cutz, who came out as an Adventurer.

Suffice it to say that lot of people got very creative with their certificates. Aldrin, for instance, came out as a Freesexual.

While JM came out as Fabulous, Teng went for specificity and came out as an Ali-Top-Top!

Cy came out as a Bear Lover (as opposed to, say, an Otter or Twink Lover)…

…while Reighben came out as a Bottom Lover! The booth, it seemed, served an excellent secondary purpose as a Want Ad.

Not to be outdone, Pepe came out as a Delicious Treat to the crowd’s libidinous screeching.

Jack was very particular about his spelling of “Duqueza.”

UP Psych Prof Eric did away with the lengthy psych jargon and came out as a Gay Nerd.

Lia came out as a Gold-Star Lezzie, which she explained was a lesbian who has never had sex with a man. You learn something new everyday!

Jeiel came out as a Hipstersexual, which we can only assume entails obscure sexual acts in underground bunkers to the strains of a shoegaze band.

Babs came out as Human. ‘Nuff said.

Taking a break from sucking face with strangers, Kenneth came out as a Token Christian.

Sexy Lexi from all-girl rock group General Luna went for simplicity and came out as Bi-Sexual…

…as opposed to Ena Terol, the event’s official photographer, who went by the name Optimus Prime and came out as a Lezbatron.

The event’s co-host and singer Maegan Aguilar professed to being Bilingual in Sex…

…while Elmo fetishist MJ came out as Queer.

However, there was one particular “out-ing,” so to speak, that led these boys to show their unbridled enthusiasm. What, pray tell, could have made these boys so motherfreaking happy?

This, of course!

STRAP Founder Sass and her friend Santy came out as Lipstick Lesbians…and how! If that’s not coming out, I don’t know what is.

The moment was such fun, in fact, that Santy decided to go for a second round. This time she came out as a Nudist and, well, we don’t blame her.

All those sexy silhouettes aside, both the 29 Steps for LGBT Human Rights festival and our Coming Out booth were a definite success. It was very awesome to see everyone taking great pride in who they were, blind to their differences and working together for a Philippines free of bigotry. It was a great way to spend a Saturday.

I’ll leave you now with a chance photograph of the G-mik Barkada circa 2011. The Pajero in the background was paid for legally.

Did you come out of our booth and have your picture taken? Check out our FB photo album for your special shot! 

(Thanks to Garrick Bercero for the photos!)

Here’s wishing all of us good luck in our endeavors.

Online resources:

• American Civil Liberties Union: LGBT Rights – http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights
• American Civil Rights Institute – http://www.acri.org
• American Civil Rights Union – http://www.theacru.org
• American History: Civil Rights Movement – http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilrights/Civil_Rights_Movement.htm
• Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation – http://www.glaad.org
• Gender Education and Advocacy – http://www.gender.org
• Human Rights Campaign – http://www.hrc.org
• The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: Indigenous Peoples – http://www.civilrights.org/indigenous
• Legal Information Institute: Civil Rights – http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/Civil_rights
• LGBT Census Fact Sheet – http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/factSheet_General_LGBT.pdf
• Majority Rule/Minority Rights: Essential Principles – http://www.democracyweb.org/majority/principles.php
• National Center for Transgender Equality – http://www.nctequality.org
• National Civil Rights Museum – http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org
• Natural Law, Natural Rights, and American Constitutionalism – http://www.ninrac.org
• Rights of Indigenous People of the U.S. – http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/treaties.htm
• Teaching with Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/
• Timeline of LGBT History – http://www.ct.gov/dcf/lib/dcf/wmv/pdf/timeline_of_lgbt_history.pdf
• Transgender Law and Policy Institute – http://www.transgenderlaw.org
• UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center – http://www.lgbt.ucla.edu/
• U.S. Commission on Civil Rights – http://www.usccr.gov/
• We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement – http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/
• The White House Issues: Civil Rights – http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/civil-rights

[Reposted from The Entropy Blog]

Keep Your Theology out of My Biology; Get Your Rosaries out of My Ovaries; ‘Ala Bang May Utak sa Council; and the crowd favorite, Your Face is an Ordinance

Last April 9, the Filipino Freethinkers (FF) helped kick some ideological ass at the second protest versus the infamous Ayala Alabang Barangay Ordinance 01. Our placards were a hit the second we walked up to the village’s Madrigal Gate, lending a good bit of snark to the morning’s events.

Keep Xerez out of my Cervix; Abstinence Ain’t Valid

The protest kicked off with a lot of chanting among villagers and non-villagers. It was a heartening mix of people–upper, middle, and lower class alike…

Jesus! Give Us Some Privacy; CBCP Checklist: Delay RH Bill, Oppress Women, Protect Child Molesters, Pass Ordinance

…united in their stand against the barangay council’s blatant violation of church-state separation and their outright mangling of the truth regarding reproductive health.

Alliance Against Vaginas; Modern Dei Fascists

Kenneth, FF’s RH Bill Committee Head and a member of Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT), was especially happy that day…

Thespian titillation at its finest

…after having met Broadway star and outspoken RH ally Lea Salonga.

The ironically-named “Team Unity,” composed of the barangay council members responsible for the ordinance

Apart from the chanting, villagers also encouraged motorists to honk their disapproval of the ordinance…

Honk if You are with Us!

…which many motorists did!

The chanting was soon followed by a brief string of speeches from some pro-RH personalities, such as Jay Ignacio, whose footage of the anti-ordinance villagers’ meetings and the latest ordinance hearing have made the rounds online…

…former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral…

…Lea Salonga…

…Peter Wallace, one of the most prominent foreign businessmen in the country…

…Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) Chair Elizabeth Angsioco…

…and Dr. Guy Claudio, Director of the University of the Philippines’ Center for Women’s Studies, Senior Faculty Adviser of FF-UP Diliman; co-founder of the Likhaan Center for Women’s Health, prominent member of the Akbayan Party List…

Word up.

…and the person responsible for The Most Awesome Pic Evar.

The following day, FF banded together for its fortnightly meetup, which generated one of the liveliest discussions we’ve had in a while. This came as no surprise, however…

…thanks to the day’s main topics: Medication to Boost Your Morality, and Rights for Ugly People.

Kenneth is an Episcopalian, as evidenced by his shirt

Even Kenneth made sure to attend the meetup, despite the understandable aftershock of having met Kim/Eponine/Fantine/Jasmine/Mulan in the flesh.

In the end, whether rallying on the streets or engaging in discourse, the Freethinkers know how to make good use of the typical weekend–sans drugs and violence!

Although moments like this one can’t be avoided. Let’s call it an occupational hazard.

Photos courtesy of Garrick Bercero, Jeiel Aranal, and Patrick Charles Rigonan

On the morning of the 100th Annual International Women’s Day, the Filipino Freethinkers were busy making blood. They needed several batches of the stuff for  the Women’s Day March for RH that afternoon, where they would hold a special performance demonstrating the Catholic Church’s sins against women.

There were 22 bags of the stuff all in all, enough for a bloody good show. But what exactly were they for?

As 3 PM neared, the Freethinkers proceeded to the St. Peter Parish along Commonwealth Ave., where a group of supporters had started to assemble, and band Pinikpikan was keeping everyone stoked.

Soon enough, over a thousand demonstrators from various groups, who had assembled earlier at the Commission for Human Rights, marched in, chanting fervently for the passage of the RH Bill.

A new chant was then introduced to the crowd: “Tama na! ‘Di dapat makialam ang pari sa aming mga ari!” (“We’ve had enough! The priests have no right to meddle with our private parts!”)

At 3 PM, out came FF members Kenneth and Edgar, who were dressed as a bishop and his congressman-on-a-leash, respectively. Kenneth represented the CBCP, whose deceptive, anti-RH stance has been an utter detriment to the country, while Edgar represented the politicos who pander to these powerful bishops and actively delay the passage of the Bill itself.

The performance began with the bishop and congressman bullying five women around, only to have one of these women, played by FF member Margie, vehemently refuse to cooperate.

The four other women–played by FF members JM and Tania, and FF allies Tin from the Pink Rockers and Eliza from the Likhaan Center for Women’s Health–followed suit.

Margie then rebuked the bishop by listing down the Catholic Church’s many wrongdoings against women all over the world, from the outright lies it has been spreading about contraceptives, to its priests’ habit of raping nuns to avoid STDs. These sins were interspersed with cries of outrage from the crowd: “Tama na! ‘Di dapat makialam ang pari sa aming mga ari!”

The bishop then went into a tirade, spouting off even more lies about reproductive health…

…while his congressman-mongrel snapped at everything in sight.

One by one, as the bishop went on, the women started bleeding from their bellies. The blood packs from earlier were finally put to use!

First was JM…

…followed by Tania, then Tin…

…then Eliza…

…and finally, Margie.

The bishop and his mutt looked over the corpses in triumph. These women’s deaths represented the 11 deaths that occur day after day due to maternal complications, and which will continue to occur if the CBCP and the anti-RH politicians continue to throw their weight around irresponsibly.

To end the show, a few strong words on the plight of women and the need to uphold their rights were aired.

Headed by the FF performers, the entire group of demonstrators then proceeded to the Batasang Pambansa, where RH proponents were pushing for the Bill’s passage at the lower chamber’s plenary that same day.

The group soon arrived in front of Batasan and settled into their respective groups.

A very varied mix of supporters came from all over–FF’s fellow groups under the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN), labor groups, youth groups, artists, musicians, educators, etc. By the end of that day, there would be over 7,000 supporters in attendance.

There were several supporters from overseas as well, such as Ida and Caroline, who hailed from Sweden.

There were many personalities who graced the stage that day, including Carlos Celdran, former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel (pictured), and Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello.

Rep. Bello delivered particularly thrilling news: despite anti-RH House members stalling the RH Bill’s deliberations for two whole hours, the deliberations still managed to push through!

As the night went on, more rousing speeches were given. FF President Red Tani was one of several group heads who went onstage to relay messages from fellow proponents.

The event also featured several musical performances, including sets from Aiza Seguerra, Nars Cabico, Bayang Barrios, Cookie Chua, and Imago.

It was an awesome day for reproductive health, and for women all over the world. It was also a landmark event for the Freethinkers; this rally was one of the biggest events they had attended thus far, and it was a thrill for them to work alongside so many passionate people for the very same cause.

(Photos courtesy of Jeiel Aranal)

“Depart into the uttermost corners of the earth, and diligently do your appointed work. Persecute the sick child; settle upon its eyes, its face, its hands, and gnaw and pester and sting… spare no creature, wild or tame; but wheresoever you find one, make his life a misery, treat him as the innocent deserve; and so please Me and increase My glory Who made the fly.”
Thoughts of God
from Fables of Man
by Mark Twain

Pakistani children who survived heavy flooding lie covered with flies as they are forced to live in miserable conditions on a roadside in Nowshera near Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

The court session was scheduled at 1.30 pm, so some of us from the Filipino Freethinkers met up with Carlos at Starbucks around noon. I was trying to hold up one of the posters from the people at Sex and Sensibilities, but turns out I was holding it upside down.

Carlos was in good spirits, even giving us a short demo of his current favorite gadget, the Samsung Galaxy Tab. (Which totally rocks, by the way.)

Inside the courthouse, we saw a bunch of people in anti-RH bill shirts. These shirts were unfortunately colored bright yellow — the exact same color as that of the detainees who were there for their criminal trials. (Note to self: when dressing for court or planning propaganda shirts to wear to court, make sure to not wear the same regulation prison colors as suspects in custody. Because when you leave, the judge will try to get security to stop you.) I was wearing the grey “excommunication” shirt, while the others were in white, “Damaso” printed on the front and “Pass the RH Bill Now!” on the back. (Speaking of suspects, it was interesting that there was no effort made to separate the detainees and the spectators. There were guys in prison outfits and handcuffs standing right next to me during the session.) The room was airconditioned but there were too many people inside so it was still hot, and I kept fanning myself with my poster. It looked like this. I was seated close to the anti-RH bill people, so I’m pretty sure they saw it. No one said or did anything confrontational, though, which was promising.

It was over under an hour, I think. The complainant presented their case, the defense denied everything. The judge advised them to settle out of court. I don’t blame him. There was a woman who was jailed because she stole clothes amounting to around 1 to 2 thousand pesos, which was bailable, but apparently she couldn’t afford bail, so she’s been in jail for months. I believe our judges have better things to do than entertain ridiculous cases like “offending religious feelings”. After all, who here thinks we should go to prison for mocking Xenu? Oh, and next trial date was set for March 10. (Or was it May? I’m getting old.)

When it was over, we trooped outside with the other pro-RH Bill advocates from the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) in the parking lot and waited for Carlos and his attorney to finish up the last details with the MTC. There were a few media people there with cameras and they took photos of us. When Carlos appeared, he posed for photos with us, holding up the posters.

The anti-RH Bill advocates had a banner. Don’t ask me why being the world’s greatest boxer should make your opinion on whether or not women should have access to reproductive health care weigh more than the rest of ours, because I’m stumped. Don’t ask me either why they spelled Pacquiao’s name wrong — I didn’t notice because I was too distracted by that colon. Later, a friend had to point out to me the missing ” ‘s “.

Oddly, the Anti-RH advocates wanted to have photos taken with Carlos, too. They did not appear hostile in any way. In fact they were quite nice, logical fallacy and typos notwithstanding.

The epic moment was when they shook hands with Carlos.

Oh, and someone asked for Carlos’s autograph on a poster.

There were some spectators watching us speak with the anti-RH Bill advocates and talk to the press. Lots of them wanted to have their photos taken with Carlos, and even one of them asked Carlos to kiss her baby (he obliged, laughingly). The funny thing was, some of them thought he was a priest. Most of them thought his name was Damaso. I’m not sure they knew what exactly was going on, it just seemed they wanted to have their photo taken with him.

“Magpapa-picture ako kasama si Father!” (I’m having my photo taken with Father.)

“Hindi siya pari! Tour guide siya.” (He’s not a priest, he’s a tour guide.)

“Oo, pangalan lang niya Damaso.” (Yes, he’s just named Damaso.)

(Ah, so they know Damaso was a priest, at least. Madame, I suggest you should put down your books once in a while and turn on the TV to watch the news. Haha.)

One of them asked me if I was the girl in the poster. Flattering, but no. For one, she clearly had better hair than I did.

The posters were a hit, though. Lots of women (the spectators were mostly women) asked us if they could have some. One of them asked me what they meant. Before going home, we gave Carlos the remaining posters so he could distribute them on his tours.

Some of us stopped by Makati for a late lunch before braving the traffic home. The trains were full and the lines at the taxi stand were ridiculously long, so we took the bus. It took me more than an hour to get home. The truth is, no matter what side of the condom debate you’re on, we all get screwed by rush hour.

This post was reposted by the author from her personal blog.

There was a guy named Schroedinger

who was quite an exceptional thinker

He posited that

there’d either be a dead or live cat

Even before you laid down a finger

And I don’t want to leave another favorite subject of mine (among others) without its own limerick.

Newton discovered calculus

So did Leibniz, plus its use

There was some dispute

on who’d bring the discoverer’s loot

But Isaac won over a ruse.

“John Connor gave me a picture of you once. I didn’t know why at the time. It was very old – torn, faded. You were young like you are now. You seemed just a little sad. I used to always wonder what you were thinking at that moment. I memorized every line, every curve. I came across time for you Sarah. I love you; I always have”

-Kyle Reese, father of John Connor, talking to Sarah Connor in the movie Terminator (1984) while hiding form the terminator. Aaww. That is so romantic,  moving across time (and space) to be with the one you love. 

Mulder’s email to Scully:

I’ve resisted contacting you for reasons I know you continue to appreciate. But, to be honest, some unexpected dimensions of my new life are eating away at any resolve I have left. I’m lonely, Dana, uncertain of my ability to live like this. I want to come home. To you, and to William.

Scully’s reply to Mulder’s email afterwards:

I hold no hope you can respond to this. Or that it reaches you. I only hope that you are alive.

I cannot help believing that you jumped off that train because you knew what I now know – that these “super-soldiers,” if that’s what they are, can in fact be destroyed. That the key to their destruction lies in the iron compound at that quarry.

I am scared for you, Mulder. And for William. The forces against us are unrelenting. But so is my determination. To see you again. To regain the comfort and safety we shared for so brief a time.

Until then, I remain forever yours… Dana

- In ‘The X-Files’ season 9 episode, ‘Trust No 1″. Mulder is separated for a time from Scully and their son, because if he hadn’t, he would be putting Scully and their son in danger. Aaww. Sniff sniff. 

Just remember…no matter what happens…I’ll always love you. ALWAYS.

- Superman to Lois Lane, before finally dying at the hands of the monster Doomsday, in Superman #75  (1993). The line really isn’t something new, but the situation and the overall atmosphere made it really special in my opinion.

So there you go sci-fi buffs, geeks, and nerds. Happy Valentine’s day.