A gender sensitivity and human rights training on LGBT issues

Rainbow Rights Project has organized a gender sensitivity and human rights training on LGBT issues entitled, “If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed?” to be held from March 18 to 19, 2010.

Details of the training were sent out to the invited participants.

Below are the letters that won prizes and some of the other submissions. While we weren’t able to read all the letters on air, we have them here in a special podcast episode. Simply click the player below and to listen to Rainbow Radio Pilipinas’ Ooh La Love episode and your letters! Enjoy!

Prize Winners

Congratulations to our three winners! We hope you enjoyed your dinner date, movie date, and Closet shirts!

First Prize – Romantic dinner date for two!

Love letter for Ani Diaz:

I want to kiss you.

I want to kiss you the way one wants to be kissed. The kind of kiss most people can only ever dream about. The kind that I’m hoping YOU dream about. I want to part your lips, not with mine at first, but I want to part them with longing, with the burning desire for contact. I want to savor your breath, linger in it, in the same way that I want to take it away. I want you to want the kiss that I so want to give you. I want you to feel a charge so powerful, that at the moment our lips meet, you would’ve felt slapped, loved, choked, desired and assaulted all at the same time. I want to explore your mouth with the wonder, ardor and tenacity of a traveler setting foot on virgin land. As my tongue tentatively seeks the pleasure of knowing who you are, a fleeting thought becomes oh so concrete. I want to kiss you, Ani, and kiss you, I will.

-Keisha

Second Prize – Movie date for two!

Dear Ms. X,

I have long admired you for a number of reasons. Your ability to engage us in intelligent conversations even when we were in high school, opening us up to so many points of view by just giving us free reign of the school paper and, of course, your boundless love for your anaks.:)

You never made us uncomfortable about allowing us to use the school paper in pushing the envelope when tackling [our] sexuality and many other issues deemed taboo by the rigid Catholic school discipline. And while you were never privy to our conversations about lesbianism, I still give you most of the credit for my love for good writing, my open-mindedness, my resistance to bigotry and my love for love in all its forms.

I write you now to tell you that I congratulate you: for finding a love that you truly deserve and for it being true enough that you are carving a solid future for yourselves. While I would advise against holding your breath for the legalization of same-sex marriages in the Philippines, I do believe that with people like you rallying for this right in the name of love and all that is decent, it isn’t at all an impossibility.

I also write to thank you. You have mentioned once before that you admire my passion for the LGBT advocacy, but it is you I should thank for introducing me to passion itself. Your passion for education, a good read and good writing is infectious as I am sure you have intended it to be. It is because of you that I have forged on ahead to what I am passionate about. And I am glad that it is this passion you have taught me to hone that has let you evolve from someone who asked me “Is there even an LGBT movement?” to someone who makes ample use of exclamation points when texting about how idiotic the reasons the Church has for not passing the ADB.

I wish that all the children in the world could have educators as wonderful as you are. This way we can populate the world with individuals who are as committed to the importance of a true education, to the freedom of open-mindedness and social accountability, and to fire-stoking passion as all your anaks are.

You have forever changed our intellectual landscape.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Nay.:)

Love,

Your Fire Department

Third Prize – 2 shirts from Closet.tk!

Ma,

Kung mabigyan ko ba kayo ni Papa ng surprise trip to Boracay eh matatanggap mo na ako? Haha! Akalain mong halos 11 years na pala ang lumipas mula nung nag-out ako sa inyo na isa akong lesbiyana. At hindi pala sa labas ang magiging pinakamatinding pagsubok ko, kundi sa mismong loob pala ng pamilya natin — ang nag-iisang Ikaw.

Pinagtataka ko nga bakit hindi gumana sa mga masasakit na salita mo ang selective amnesia ko. Hehe!

Tandang-tanda ko pa ang reaction mo, ang disappointment at galit sa mukha mo tuwing nakikita mo ko. Tiyak kong tumatak din sa iyo kung paano ko pinaglaban ang sariling pagkatao at silang mga nagpatibok ng aking puso. Naks! May ganun?

Naku, kung uso na siguro noon ang cellphone na may video, hit tayo sa Youtube kung nagkataon. Baka nagkaroon na ng kauna-unahang LESerye sa balat ng lupa. Nyahaha!

Pero nagpapasalamat pa din ako na na-challenge mo ko ng todo kasi mas nakilala ko pa ang sarili ko at natuto akong manindigan. Siyempre, masakit na hanggang ngayon ang laking issue pa din sa iyo ng pagiging lesbyana ko. Ohwver na!

Pero wag kang mag-alala kasi alam ko naman na deep inside ay mahal mo pa din ako kahit ilang beses mo na sinabing itinakwil mo na ko bilang anak. Weh, di nga? Eh kung talagang ayaw mo na sa akin, bakit tuwing may videoke session sa bahay o sa mga party eh panay ang request mo na kumanta ako? Aminin! Haha!

Alam mo yan na mahal na mahal kita sa kabila ng lahat ng pinagdadaanan natin. Happy Valentine’s Day! Smile!

Love,

Pipoy

Your love notes!

Your smell makes me weak, your smile makes me shiver but your eyes, your eyes… always reminds me of my crazy love for you.

by RAF Salazar

—-

To Jomsis ng g2g thread,

Mahal ko kayong lahat! Maraming Salamat sa pagkakaibigan at pagkakapatiran!

Magmahal. Magsaya. Magpakatotoo.

Sappho

—-

Carina,

Sa panahong marahil nagmamantika na ang mga araw dahil sa nalalapit na pagdiriwang ng mga puso, hayaan mong sa mata ng nakararami ay iwagayway ko ang bandila ng pagsinta sa maliit na mundo. Sa mga hindi pa marahil nakakaalam, hayaan mong ipahayag ko ang aking matamis na anunsyo: “Kapiling ko ang Lunang matagal kong inabangan sa gabi, at tiningala sa mga sandaling nakatanaw ako sa dilim ng langit.”

Oo, ikaw yun. Huwag mo nang pagdudahan. Ikaw yung tiniklupan ng mga tuhod ko sa tuwing tutulaan at ihahambing kita sa lahat ng maganda, malalim at ma-emosyong bagay na aking mahawakan o makita. Hindi ako pa-bibo, sadyang nakuha mo lang talaga ako sa unang “What’s up?” na bati mo, akalain mong pinalundag mo nang hindi sadya ang mga daga sa dibdib ko?

Isang taon. Kung may 500 Days of Summer, tayo may 365 Days After, pero hindi sing-chummy nuong kagaya ng pelikula, sing pait-tamis lang ng Rome and Juliet, naaalala mo yun? Hangga’t nasa tama ang katwiran ng puso, ipaglalaban rin kung ano ang isinisigaw ng isip—isang taong buong (libog) nating tinawid ang daang kinukupkop lamang ng iilan.

Ngunit katulad nang nabanggit ko noon, nabuhay tayo marahil sa huling singhap ni Kupido bago pa man siya magretiro sa aking paningin. Sadya man o hindi ang pagtatagpo, agaw-buhay man ang paraan ng pagsimula, alalahanin mong iisa tayo: paandap-andap man ang tagos ng liwanag na magkasabay nating sinasayawan sa malasadong lipunang ginagalawan.

Mahal kita, mahal kita at ang malalantik mong daliring unang nag-ugnay sa ating dalawa.

Iyo lang,

Jen

—-

Remember:

You and I stood on cliffs’ edges, hair braided together and hands intertwined. We wore blue dresses and our feet were bare, and everywhere we walked, violets sprung up from the soft, crumbling earth. We willed the wind to dance, remember? We wailed and ladies with tails and silver sage hair left the deep, swam up the surface on giant golden squid and sang back at us.

Remember:

You and I stood on borders; one side war-torn, the other bountiful of great humming trees. Wild women watched us from the tree tops and we watched the war. We wore only leaf skirts and our feet were the roots that reached the core of the earth. We could hear only the roaring wind and an old woman howling at the blood crossing the border. This old woman was La Huesera, the Bone Woman, and when she sang Hambre de Alma, our root feet drank of the blood of the war. I looked at your abundant hair, then, and you looked at my still, brown bosom; and when our eyes met, we never looked away again.

Remember:

You and I stood on pyramids; tall like pharaohs and magnificent as the sand that eat against us. This was a time when sharks swam in the desert. This was a time when men worshipped the jackals they rode and spoke in the thunder-tongue of the dunes. This was a time when cities were found in one place this day, in another, in the next, or in many places at once. In this land, it was from our breath that people heaved. It was from our eyes that people dreamt. It was from our whispering that men groaned from their sleep and women danced ’til it rained upon the drying Nile. We were guardians of this shifting land. We were Gods.

From Tao Aves

—-

Dear Marlon

Sa mag aapat na taon na nating magkasama, nakilala na kita ng lubusan, inibig na kitang lubusan. Lagi kong sasabihin sa iyo na kapag dumating ang araw na makahanap ka ng iba, tandaan mo, sa laki kong ito, kakaladkarin kita pabalik sa akin. Ganun kita kamahal, ganun kita iibigin magpakailanman man.

Nagmamahal ng lubos,

Ceejay

—-

My Dearest Leo,

You are truly a Godsend …  You love me unconditionally even during those times I was not at my best.

It is your undying faith that keeps the flames of our love alive, and it is your love that tells my heart that the best is yet to come.

I Love You.  I thank you for giving me Danica.  Thank you for being a responsible father to our daughter.  I will forever cherish our wonderful milestones built on love, friendship and mutual respect.  And I will look forward to spending valentine with you the whole year through once again.

Sincerely,

Your wife Emiliana “Millette” Sison

—-

Congratulations on the launch of Rainbow Radio Pilipinas. This initiative opened a very significant avenue for all of us! =)

This message is for Ros de Vera for our 42^nd month celebration last February 10:

“May we continue to share this love, though not forever, and bring the best from ourselves and to the people around us, in this short span of life we are given to live through and love, love.”

Sincerely,

Tin Derafera or Hero of U.P. Babaylan

—–

I would just like to greet this girl a Happy Valentine’s Day, at itago na lang po natin siya sa pangalang Karmen…

So Karmen, Happy Valentine’s Day!!!..

Since we almost lost our communication today, I simply grabbed this opportunity to let you know these little stuff that I failed to let you know before…

Karmen, though bigla mo akong hindi pinansin at binura sa lahat ng online accounts mo for unknown reasons, I still want to THANK YOU for all the learnings that you have imparted to me. Isa na jan ang pag-introduce sa akin ng radio show ng rainbow rights. Even though we just had a small period of time being together, I super treasure every minute I had with you and I believe that you’re such a wonderful person worth keeping… I’m still hoping na mag-cross ang landas natin soon..

Wherevere you are right now, nasa school man o bahay, may GF man o wala, may yosi man o alak, I hope you’re happy and fine, and if ever you’ll be needing me again.. I’m just here. Tawag ka lang anytime!:)

Ayun lang…and I hope this simple message from me can reach you…

From Nobita

—-

This letter is from Lesley Anne Go, for her partner. They will be celebrating their 3^rd year anniversary this February 16. Sabi ni Lesley sa email niya to Rainbow Radio Pilipinas, “I will be leaving again for my work abroad. I want to ask my girlfriend if we can live together and if I can take her with me. In Australia, I know legal marriage is possible.”

Here’s Lesley’s message for her love:

It’s been a while and now I know

That I can never let you go.

From the first time we met and your first hello,

I knew you’re the one where my heart will grow.

You are my dream…the angel from the sky

Who showed me what life is and how I can cry;

How I can have someone who I can always rely

To be there forever and never say good bye;

The one I can hug when I am in need,

The one who give love that no one can exceed,

The one who’ll shed tears if my heart ever bleeds,

The one I have wanted to share my life with.

So now I ask you this: Will you please take my hand

And be the person who will always understand?

I wanna grow old with you, I’m down on one knee.

You’re the only one I’ll ask, “Will you marry me?”

—

Hurry, send your love letters, notes and greetings until February 7!

For Rainbow Radio Pilipinas’ special valentine episode, we are on the lookout for the best love notes, letters and shout outs!

Send us yours for a chance to win a romantic dinner, movie date or Cl♀set shirts for two!

Feel free to repost! Kindly link your post back here.

Visit our supporter, Cl♀set at www.closet-ph.tk.

]]> http://rainbowrightsproject.org/2010/valentine-contest-extended-send-your-love-letters-now/feed/ 0 http://rainbowrightsproject.org/2010/rainbow-radio-valentine-email-your-love-letters-for-a-chance-to-win-prizes/ http://rainbowrightsproject.org/2010/rainbow-radio-valentine-email-your-love-letters-for-a-chance-to-win-prizes/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:04:35 +0000 Rainbow Radio Pilipinas Team http://rainbowrightsproject.org/?p=294 For Rainbow Radio Pilipinas’ special valentine episode, we are on the lookout for the best love notes, letters and shout outs!

Send us yours for a chance to win a romantic dinner for two and other prizes!

Feel free to repost! Kindly link your post back here.

Just click on the link to start listening: Rainbow Radio Pilipinas – DWBL-AM 1242 live streaming

I’m so Gay: A Forum on Identity and Politics

9 to 12 AM, December 8, 2009 (Tuesday)

Malcolm Hall Theater, College of Law, University of the Philippines-Diliman

Join us this Tuesday as Rainbow Rights Project unite with College of Law, Libertas, and UP Center for Women’s Studies for a timely discussion exploring identity politics.

Speakers:

Dr. Sylvia  Estrada Claudio: Framing the discussion on identity politics: What is it, what are the struggles of  the marginalized and does  postmodern politics present a better approach to identity politics
Atty. Germaine Leonin: Women, LGBTs and identity politics
Dean Marvic Leonen: Indigenous peoples and identity
Prof. Ibarra Guitierrez: Marginalization, identity and the party list law

Reactors:

Atty. Louie Guia (Libertas)
Karen Dumpit (CHR)

We hope to see you there!

Join Rainbow Rights Project and Rainbow Radio Pilipinas as we march with the rest of the LGBT community to celebrate pride!

We hope to see you this Saturday, December 5, 2009, 4PM at Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila. Come dressed in silver, Manila Pride March’s official theme color, and flaunt your pride by waving rainbow flags and banners.

Walk with us to show the world that you dare and you care to promote unity, diversity and equal human rights for LGBTs. Just send us a message expressing your intention at r_rightsproject@yahoo.com and we will fill you in with the details.

See you there!

For your convenience, here are also a wide variety of sizes that you can use.

Just please link back to http://rainbowrightsproject.org so more members of the LGBT community can be updated too.

Cheers!

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We’re hard at work with production, research and recording in full steam currently and we hope everything will be ready by the 21st of November. That’s a Saturday. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our maiden episode – tune in to DWBL AM 1242 kHz, 2:30 to 3:30 pm!

In the meantime, keep coming back to this website as we slowly unroll surprises for you future listeners!