From 50 to 200,000: A look back at Philippines’ first Pride march

By Bobbie Ysabelle Matias 

Last year, 220,000 people joined the “Love Laban 2 Everyone” Pride festival in Quezon City, breaking the event’s previous records.

But in 1994, Asia witnessed its first ever Pride march in the Philippines, with only around 50 attendees.

Filipino Pride history 

Let us go back to where it all began. The date: June 28, 1969, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community in New York City, United States of America decided to go out on the streets and begin what would later be known as the Stonewall Riots to fight for their right to exist peacefully and without prejudice.

Twenty-five years later, on June 26, 1994, the Filipino LGBTQ+ community and allies braved the heat and threats of arrest to march in Quezon City to commemorate the Riots.

More than that, the 1994 “Stonewall Manila” was not merely a celebration, but rather a call for equality and a protest against the government’s anti-people and anti-LGBTQ+ policies.

Organised by the Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (Pro-Gay Philippines) and the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), the participants marched from Quezon Avenue to Quezon City Memorial Circle, carrying placards and banners condemning the country’s value-added tax, oil price hike and the discrimination against Filipino LGBTQ+ individuals, among other social issues.

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Edgardo Tolosa, one of Stonewall Manila’s organisers, recalled in a 2020 Facebook post how the protest surprised the public, with the Philippine National Police even threatening to arrest those who would join the march.

The Philippines has a predominantly Catholic population, and such an event was unprecedented at the time.

The activists remained unfazed, however, and conducted the mobilisation, alongside MCC pastor Richard Mickley, who led a mass during the event’s main program.

In a Facebook post in 2019, Stonewall Manila organiser Murphy Red explained that they also protested against the government’s pro-capitalist and anti-people policies because the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community are not separate from the struggles of the masses.

Contemporary Pride celebrations

Decades have passed since then, and the current iterations of the parade have become more festive, with attendees reaching tens of thousands and thus making it the biggest Pride event in Southeast Asia.

This year’s Pride festival, LoveLaban, will be held at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City on June 28, and organiser Pride PH Coalition is already expecting participation of over 250,000 members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.

The progress gained by the community over the years has made such positive changes possible. But the true essence of Pride shown by the 1969 Stonewall Riots and the 1994 Stonewall Manila remains – Pride is more than just a party or a parade, it is a moment to fight for the rights of all people, whether they be queer or otherwise.

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