Showing posts with label makeup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label makeup. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Gift of Acceptance by Debbie R. Babali



Gift - the gift of acceptance! This is a glimpse of hope and inspiration in a world that is often filled with confusion and rejection. There are just some points in life when we get confused about whether this life is a gift or a curse. Now, you will read about a person’s story of love and acceptance from his loved ones as well as the people around him.

He is a member of a LGBTQ community. LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning. This community has expanded to embrace all other genders and is also known as LGBTQIA to include Queer, Intersexual, and Asexual. Another name for the community is QUILTBAG which means Queer and Questioning, Intersex, Lesbian, Transgender and Two-spirit, Bisexual, Asexual and Ally, and Gay and Genderqueer. Get to know him more and get to know his story in this rare opportunity.

Mr. JP Traje Saligumba who is lovingly called “Jopay” by those who are close to him, is a thirty two year-old resident of Jawili, Tangalan, Aklan. A true-blooded Jawilinon, he was born on June 21, 1986 and raised in ur beloved barangay. His loving parents are Danilo Saligumba and Luvis Saligumba. His siblings are Janny, Ariel, Kathryn and Cheryl. He completed his elementary education at Caticlan Elementary School and he graduated from high school at Western Aklan Academy in Nabas. He went to Aklan State University in Ibajay Aklan, taking up Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM), but he was not able to finish it. He got busy with work and because of that, he can’t focus on his studies.
“I took up HRM but I need to work and I don’t really like it. I’m just not interested, so I kept in my mind that I will find work based on my skills,” JP explained.
On being a member of the LGBT community, JP realized his true identity since he was in grade 3. He just accepted that it is what he is. Being a member of the LGBTQ community is definitely not a walk in the park.  It is far from a life of fun and enjoyment. No. There are challenges to take on too. Mr. Saligumba took the opportunity to work as a make-up artist.

His mother was so proud of him and she accepted him as a normal person. However, this acceptance of her mother is different from his father’s reaction.
“My father did not accept my gender at first. He told me that I am to become a policeman or a priest someday but I destroyed his dreams for me. He knew that I won’t be like that, because I am different now, he said”.
Because of his father’s disappointment, JP tried his best to make his father proud of him in a way that he can and that is through his achievements as a makeup artist. These achievements help him earn his father’s acceptance little by little.

 “Even though I am a member of the LGBTQ community, my loved ones have become proud of me because I am talented and they said that I am a gift to them. I am always overjoyed to hear those words,” JP said. “Aside from my loved ones being proud of me, I am also proud of being a member of the LGBTQ community because I am able to show who I really am,” he added.
“Be a role model to everyone, live freely as who you really are, be kind, be helpful to your loved ones and use your experience in a good way,” he left a message for everyone to live by.
It is easy to pass judgement by what our eyes see but it takes time, an open mind, and an open heart to get to know the real story behind the smiles, the laughter, and the fabulous lifestyle of a person. The LGBTQ community is a usual victim of judgements. While there are many issues that make them controversial, we can never go wrong with kindness. The gift of love should never discriminate and its foundation is the gift of acceptance.