Same Love

"And I can't change even if I try, even if I wanted to."

Such a striking line from one of my favorite songs Same Love by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert. If you've heard this song, you'll hear a battle cry for gender equality.

Well, you might wonder why I'm sharing this to you. A few weeks ago, Atenews, the official publication of Ateneo de Davao University tapped me for a photo shoot together with my co-model, Patricia Regino. This shoot was for their upcoming literary folio Banaag Diwa 2014 that will feature a collection of poems and other literary works contributed by different students.

We had to portray a very familiar role (especially to me): an LGBT love affair with a fashionable twist. Bizarre and extremely rare, the photos speak of an unconventional love that two people share--a kind of love that up to today society cannot fully understand and accept.

This was one of the shoots closest to my heart since no else could portray the role better but me. Being part of the “tribe” that I belong to has been a rollercoaster ride. Several times reality hits you hard in the face. An ocean of insecurities wakes you up each day. If you’re not strong enough, you will sink in bitterness and drown.

But  someday, there will be this one person who will swim down to the ocean bed and pick you up. So release the anchors and let go because in the end, our hearts cannot choose whom to love.

Special thanks to Neil Jimlani for the blazer, Meki D'lonsod for the shorts, Mae Bornillo for the stockings and Paula Bravo for the heels.

Photos by Atenews