Yassified Worship? Here's What Religious Leaders Think About the "Ama Namin" Drag Act

(SPOT.ph) Several members of the Catholic Church have spoken up about Pura Luka Vega’s drag performance in a Jesus Christ costume jamming to a punk remix of the religious hymn “Ama Namin.”

Vega is a former Drag Den Philippines contestant who is now a lip-synch entertainer for bars, clubs, and even corporate events. While this isn't the first time they used religious imagery and motifs in a performance, it's one that caught the attention of the religious sector.

Vega told GMA News Online that the whole performance was meant to “embody a version of Christ that is one with the queer audience.”

“When I put it on social media, it kinda had a different reception which understandably so kasi in social media of course, iba-iba na ang tao doon, so hindi ko na kontrolado on how people received the performance. But to me and specifically to the people at that night and during that time, they understood eh. We had fun and it was kind of like I reiterated before, it was a yassified version of worshipping.”

As of writing, their “Ama Namin” performance posted on their Twitter account has over 18.5 million views.

Also read: Can Catholics Practice Religion Through Livestreaming?

What religious leaders have to say on Pura Luka Vega's "Ama Namin" performance

On July 12, Father Jerome Secillano of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in a statement that faith is “not for entertainment purposes,” Philippine News Agency reported.

“People should be extremely prudent in their actions, especially with regard to using elements of religion and faith for secular purposes. If not used properly, such actions border on mockery and profanity,” Secillao said.

“Dancing to the tune of a sacred and biblical prayer, with matching sacred costume to boot, is completely disrespectful not only of people and institutions practicing such faith but of God Himself.”

Reverend Joseph San Jose of the Metropolitan Community Church, which describes itself as a church for the LGBT+ community, offered a different point of view: It is “not for me to judge or condemn,” especially since it was held “within their space and their event.”

“If I was in the event, if I felt negatively strong against the performance of Jesus in drag, I could just leave the bar and go somewhere else,” San Jose said in a Facebook post.

“If Jesus was here, he would also laugh at it. I don’t think Jesus will take offense. There are far greater and serious things like corruption, injustices, and inequality that he will be offended by than a mere lip sync of his prayer and him being impersonated in drag.”

Jesus Christ is not in need of defending from Catholics because His power and holiness remain unchanged in this controversy, San Jose said. Religion has always been ridiculed, especially since Jesus Christ is a public figure, he said, but he believes that Vega was not being ill-intent with her drag expression.

“No matter what anyone says or does even in the most disrespectful way inside a gay bar, an art exhibit, or in a television series or movie, not a single one of those nor all of them together can make God or Jesus any less."

Also read: Losing Your Religion: Imagery, Ritualism, and How It All May Drive You Away

Pura Luka Vega: "It's my queer way of praising God"

It wasn’t just the religious folks who came after Vega. 

Senate President Miguel Zubiri said it “the height of misuse and abuse of our freedom expression that borders on criminal activity” that can allegedly be penalized for obscene shows under Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code. Lawyer and De La Salle University College of Law founding dean Chel Diokno refutes this claim, saying that it cannot be counted as a crime since the act was not committed in an actual place of worship.

Senators JV Ejercito called it “blasphemy,” Sherwin Gatchalian said it is “what will destroy our society.” Even staunch LGBT+ supporter Risa Hontiveros found it “regrettable,” but still cautioned religious members to “use this incident to deny rights and protections to a community that has long been marginalized and excluded.”

Breaking their silence on Twitter Space on July 11, Vega clarified that it wasn’t their intention to mock Catholics.

“I feel like it’s my queer way of actually praising God... I did that intentionally to challenge our notion of how we worship or sing our praises. It’s me trying to reclaim me as a Catholic, what I think can be considered as an acceptable form of worship,” they said. "Was it offensive because I am queer individual or was it for other factors? It was in no way trying to demean naman."

Vega followed up on their take on the issue in another tweet on July 13: “I understand that people call my performance blasphemous, offensive or regrettable. However, they shouldn’t tell me how I practice my faith or how I do my drag. That performance was not for you to begin with. It is my experience and my expression, of having been denied my rights.”