Isagani Cruz Hesitantly Lambasts the Gay Community

In his August 10 column entitled “Don we now our gay apparel” for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Isagani Cruz hesistantly takes potshots at the gay community and even goes the length of how the existence of a gays adversely affect society.

Here are some excerpts:

It seems that the present society has developed a new sense of values that have rejected our religious people’s traditional ideas of propriety and morality on the pretext of being “modern” and “broad-minded.”

The observations I will here make against homosexuals in general do not include the members of their group who have conducted themselves decorously…. I offer abject apologies to those blameless people I may unintentionally include in my not inclusive criticisms. They have my admiration and respect.

Queer people — that’s the sarcastic term for them — have come out of the closet where before they carefully concealed their condition. The permissive belief now is that homosexuals belong to a separate third sex with equal rights as male and female persons instead of just an illicit in-between gender that is neither here nor there.

The change came, I think, when an association of homos dirtied the beautiful tradition of the Santa Cruz de Mayo by parading their kind as the “sagalas” instead of the comely young maidens who should have been chosen to grace the procession.

Now homosexuals are everywhere, coming at first in timorous and eventually alarming and audacious number…. And, of course, there are lady-like directors who are probably the reason why every movie and TV drama must have the off-color “bading” [gay] or two to cheapen the proceedings.

And the schools are now fertile ground for the gay invasion…. That pansy would have been mauled in the school where my five sons (all machos) studied during the ’70s when all the students were certifiably masculine. Now many of its pupils are gay, and I don’t mean happy.

Is our population getting to be predominantly pansy? Must we allow homosexuality to march unobstructed until we are converted into a nation of sexless persons without the virility of males and the grace of females but only an insipid mix of these diluted virtues? Let us be warned against the gay population, which is per se a compromise between the strong and the weak and therefore only somewhat and not the absolute of either of the two qualities. Be alert lest the Philippine flag be made of delicate lace and adorned with embroidered frills.

I am not gay, but I am personally offended by what Cruz wrote. His column screams of Filipino male machismo which includes the belief that females are weak, and everything feminine are weak and frivolous. The gay community, and every self-respecting Filipino man and women should express their outrage over this very narrow-minded and judgmental view.

Mr. Cruz, the degradation of society, in my opinion, is not due to how people dress or speak. Rather, it is due to narrow-minded, disrespectful and judgmental men (and women) like you who think too highly of their self-righteous selves.

7 Responses to “Isagani Cruz Hesitantly Lambasts the Gay Community”

1. The Bystander says:

   August 18, 2006 at 6:19 am

   Firstly, thanks for featuring my entry in your blog. I’m deeply honored and appreciate the “recognition” given.

   Secondly, I want to give my two cents worth on this article of Justice Cruz. While I disagree with this latest “separate opinion” of his, I will not as yet call him a bigot or anything. He may have gone overboard with his choice of words and a bit juvenile with his distinction of gays but this alone is not sufficient to condemn the old man.

   Could it be that his age and exposure to a different set of values (conservative) may have contributed to the kind of homophobia that was exhibited in his column?
2. jdespaldon says:

   August 21, 2006 at 6:51 pm

   I think you should also read the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Editorial of today (22 August 2006) entitled “Born free and equal” which somehow reduces or minimizes the adverse impact of Justice Cruz’s columns including that of 20 August 2006 directed primarily against the retort (and personality?) of Manuel L. Quezon III.
3. jules says:

   August 22, 2006 at 11:11 pm

   “A hit! A palpable hit!” -Hamlet

   I agree with you completely. On another note, I find PDI equally culpable of bigotry for allowing such hate-mongering article to come out.
4. mbagumbayan says:

   August 23, 2006 at 4:40 am

   isagani cruz article reflects what many other people think, and that is that mass media is being saturated with a lot of gay (but not lesbian) themes. actually, i don’t see the fuzz. if you read the article carefully, there is some truth to it. it does get annoying.
5. kofigurl says:

   August 24, 2006 at 12:44 am

   It took me a while to realize that I really couldn’t blame Justice Cruz’s take on this issue, but my initial sentiments were rearing towards resentment. Especially since the article was charged.

   I don’t think that gay people these days are waving their flags desperately to be noticed or be generally accepted. In that light, their “coming out of the closet” isn’t as exaggerated as Isagani portrays. A lot of gay people still suffer a severe kind of prejudice that overlooks their humanity. The way I see it, this is precisely why a lot of gay people would opt not to expose themselves openly in spite of the “modern” and “broad-minded” views the society now employs. He cannot sharpen his argument on how the emergence of gay people to the mainstream is attributed to declining values by juxtaposing the situation now with that of “his day”, in this case. He has oversimplified the kind of values Filipino hold. If his is one which clings to the value of heterosexuality and the Catholic take of shunning the evil of homosexuality, the string of values that have been recently introduced is something that is quite different: One that gives more premium to uninhibited human expression of sexuality, acceptance, understanding and non-prejudice. These are values, which I endorse.

   It isn’t the gay people Isagani Cruz should fear. Rather he should fear a regression of thought and the existence of context insenstivity. Bigotry is despicable.
6. Mrs.C. Dijkhuyzen says:

   February 13, 2007 at 7:36 am

   Will some producers please give Richard Gomez a film to shoot?We’ll pay for his fee!This is HOPELESS.This is one good reason to stop remittances to our country.Pinoys from Europe.
7. Francis Sison Foronda says:

   May 21, 2007 at 5:15 pm

   DIOCESE OF BALANGA
   Sulat-Pastoral Ukol sa Nakaraan Halalan sa Bataan
   ANG KABANALAN NG HALALAN

   Nagsalita na ang balota subalit hindi tinig ng konsensiya ang lubusang narinig. Ang nanaig sa karamihan ay ang nakasisilaw na pera. May sigla sa buong bayan subalit ang siglang ito ay kahiya-hiya at kalapastanganan sa Diyos. Ito ay katulad ng pagsasayaw ng mga Israelita sa harap ng ginintuang diyus-diyosan sa ilang. Bagamat tayo ay nanalangin at nangarap upang maging malinis ang halalan, hindi ito ipinagkaloob sa atin dahil na rin sa ating sariling kabuktutan at kanya-kanyang pagkukulang.

   Parami nang parami ang hindi na nababagabag sa buhay ng panlilinlang at ginagawa na lamang nating katatawanan. Sa maraming bahagi ng ating lalawigan, lantaran nang humahanay ang ating mga kababayan upang tanggapin ang kanilang bayad sa botong dapat sana ay banal at walang kasing halaga.

   Nagsimula na rin nating maranasan ang matalim na sungay ng karahasan sa ilang bahagi ng ating lalawigan na nagdulot ng takot sa ilan sa atin. Masugpo na sana ang mga binhing ito ng karahasan at huwag nang lumala pa sa susunod na halalan.

   Ano ang nangyari sa atin at humantong tayo sa ganitong kababang moralidad? Para sa isang lalawigang halos lahat ay naniniwala sa Diyos, paano natin nagawa na hamakin ang sarili nang dahil lamang sa tukso ng madaliang salapi? Para sa isang lalawigang kung saan ang lahat ng simbahan ay napupuno sa dami ng nagsisimba linggu-linggo, paano natin nagawang itapon ang ating dangal bilang mga anak ng Diyos at makipag-ulayaw sa mga manlilinlang at buktot na gawi ng ihahalal na pinuno ng bayan? May malaking bangin na naghihiwalay sa buhay pansimbahan at buhay panlipunan.

   Kung walang pandaraya sa bilangan ng balota, ang sinumang makatanggap ng pinakamaraming boto ang siyang ituturing na nagwagi ayon sa batas ng pamahalaan. Subalit ayon sa pamantayang moral, ang sinumang manungkulan batay sa panlalamang, panlilinlang o pagbabayad ay may mabigat na kasalanan sa harap ng Diyos. Ang panulukang bato ng kanyang panunungkulan ay hindi Diyos kundi kasalanan. Ang pagbebenta ng balota na dapat ay banal at walang kasing halaga ay mabigat ding kasalanan sa Diyos.

   Alam natin ang nangyaring panlilinlang, pagsasamantala sa mga dukha at pagpapagamit natin sa mga buktot na kandidato. Tayo lang ba ang nakakaalam? Hindi natutulog ang Diyos. Ang bayang walang takot sa Diyos ay isinumpa na sa pagdurusa dito pa lamang sa mundong ito. Sa mga kandidato na walang kahihiyang nagtataguyod ng kabuktutan ay mayroon ding nakaumang na kaparusahan. Ang kanyang panunungkulan ay siya na ring sumpa sa bayang nagbili ng boto. Tiyak na babawiin niya ang kanyang pinuhunan mula rin sa kaban ng bayan o kaya ay sa pagtataguyod at pagpapalaganap ng jueteng o iba pang bisyo.
   Matahimik nga ang ating halalan subalit ang katahimikang ito ay hindi maka-Diyos. Walang namatay sa Bataan nang dahil sa halalan. Salamat sa Diyos. Subalit maraming konsiyensya ang namatay, maraming utos ng Diyos ang sinuway at maraming kaluluwa ang nawasak. Bumalik tayo sa Diyos at pagsisihan ang katatapos na halalan. Ito ang pinakamarumi sa lahat ng halalang naganap sa Bataan at walang kapantay sa bilihan ng boto, panlalamang at panlilinglang sa mga mahihirap. Ang talunan at ang nagwagi ay kapwa may kasalanan. Ang naghalal at ang nahalal ay kapwa may bahid ng maruming halalan. Ang simbahan at lipunan ay nagluluksa sa ganitong katayuan ng Bataan.

   May pag-asa pa ba tayo?

   Mayroong pa tayong pag-asa at dapat pa rin tayong umasa. Ang mga bumoto nang ayon sa kanilang konsiyensya at tumangging ipagbili ang kanilang boto ay mga tanda ng pag-asa. Dagdag pa rito ang mga masisigasig na PPCRV volunteers. Sila ang pinagkatiwalaan ng maraming mamamayang maka-Diyos pa rin ang pangarap. Mayroon ding ilang mga kandidato ang nanindigan para sa malinis na kampanya. Ang mga tapat at masisipag na guro sa ating paaralan na nagtiis ng gutom at puyat, pagod at init ng panahon upang makapaglingkod sa Inang bayan. Silang lahat ay mga bayaning tunay.

   Pag-alabin natin ang pag-asa ng Bataan. Wakasan na natin ang makasalanan at maruming halalan at ibabalik natin ang paghahari ng Diyos sa ating pamahalaan at lipunan.

   Mula sa Katedral ng San Jose, Lungsod ng Balanga, ikalabing anim ng Mayo, 2007

   ANG OBISPO AT KAPARIAN NG DIYOSESIS NG BALANGA