It’s a choice. And yes, it’s a tough one.

Deviating from what society deems as normal will always be a difficult call. That is why independent artists struggle, why the alternative media works twice as hard to create buzz, and why up until this modern age and time (while post-modern ideas abound), the LGBT community has yet to see light in its tedious battle for recognition and equality.

Against the Current

The struggle starts with daring to go against the current. It’s tough, crazy, and scary as hell. All eyes are on you. Everyone just seems to be waiting WHEN, not IF, you’ll eventually fall back to the “normalcy” that society dictates. Because as how they put it, it’s just how things are.

But you know for a fact that it’s not. It’s not just a phase. Neither is it a temporary feeling. Nor is it a mere experiment. It’s real. 100% legit. And the more you try to suppress it, the more it fights back, pounding hard through the walls of your heart until they break. Then it spreads through your body like a virus. You feel it to your very core. The feeling of helplessness overpowers you. And you know it can no longer be contained. You have fallen in love.

I asked someone once why she finally decided to come out. And her reply was simple: “Because I wanted to be with you.”

Of course, it is wishful thinking for everything to be as easy as that. Perhaps this can be another reason why the LGBT flag is of different hues. It reflects not just the variation in gender identity, but also the spectrum of circumstances all LGBT individuals and couples go through.

Coming out is already a huge step in itself. But standing your ground while everyone tells you otherwise is a lot more terrifying; because while society claims that it has done the LGBT community a huge favor by being “more tolerant” of same-sex relationships, there is still much left to be desired.

Acceptance

All over the world, 16 countries have already legalized same sex marriage. Meanwhile, the Philippines has been ranked as among the most-gay friendly countries in the world according to the survey The Global Divide on Homosexuality from the Pew Research Center in the United States. Results showed that 73% of adult Filipinos agreed with “homosexuality should be accepted by society.”

But answering yes to whether homosexuality SHOULD be accepted by society does not really equate to saying that homosexuality IS, indeed, accepted by society.

Stockholm Pride 2014. Photo courtesy: Frankie Fouganthin

Waiting for the Dawn

The journey to victory is long and hard. Yes, there is still a long way to go before the LGBT community no longer needs to hide in silhouettes or shadows. When there is no more fear of being ostracized from the very society it is striving hard to be part of. When there is no longer a need to endure the pain of hearing the people they love say that they cannot attain real happiness and fulfillment because of their choice.

But the struggle continues. And we dare not bow out.

No Longer a Choice

At the end of the day, as long as you do not trample on other people’s rights or happiness, I still believe that you cannot help who you fall in love with—man, woman, straight, gay. In fact, you’re not supposed to. That is why it is called FALLING in love. This time, it’s no longer a choice.

[Entry 9, The SubSelfie Blog]

About the Author:

Edma Remillano is the Manager for Advocacies for SubSelfie.com. She is also a News Writer for State of the Nation with Jessica Soho. More importantly, she is the owner of Edma’s Homemade Cupcakes. Life is what we make of it, or so she says. Journalism 2010, UP Diliman. Read more of her articles here.