The LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex) community and supporters asserted that they are not immoral, as the Commission on Elections put it, in the two videos of the "I Am Not Immoral" campaign.
Filmed on the same day as the Manila Pride March, December 5, the video campaign gathered comedians John Lapus and Diego Llorico, Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, photographer Niccolo Cosme, singer-songwriter Tao Aves and editor JR Isaac, among others.
"How dare you call us immoral?" Lapus passionately asked. "Kung ang mga bakla tinawag na imoral paano pa 'yung mga pumatay sa massacre sa Mindanao? It is only god who can actually judge me and actually say if I am or if I am not immoral."
Hontiveros said, "[The COMELEC] uses religious garb as their disguise but it's a twisted way of expressing their faith. Bakit, marami sa LGBT community ay people of faith din. This is the real clash of civilization, this idea that one group is inferior to another."
Jethro Cuenca Patalinghug, the writer, director and producer of the videos, told Spot.ph, "My vision is for this video to become viral in the Internet and encourage those who will see it to take action upon themselves whether they are LGBTI or not. I hope to open minds and contribute to the change of consciousness about the LGBTI community."
The campaign spawned a video response from Tony, an openly gay detective in New York City. Patalinghug said, "I am very ecstatic about this. In fact, Tony is already helping us promote the campaign; he is contacting various LGBTI organizations in New York and asking them to promote the video in their websites."
"A part two is a possibility. There are talks of bringing it regionally in the country or maybe even outside the country depending on how big an impact this campaign will have," Patalinghug added. He is also working on a concept for his second project targeting the "alarming HIV and AIDS situation in the Philippines."
The "I Am Not Immoral" campaign is a project of the Philippine Forum on Sports, Culture, Sexuality and Human Rights (TEAM PILIPINAS), headed by gay activist Bruce Portugal Amoroto.



