Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
A Filipino drag queen’s arrest after a public outcry in the Catholic-majority country over the depiction of Jesus Christ reciting the Lord’s Prayer during a performance sparked outrage on social media on Thursday.
Amadeus Fernando Pagente, whose drag name is Pura Luka Vega, was widely accused of blasphemy and declared “persona non grata” by several local governments after a video of their July show was shared online.
Pagente has been charged with the offense of “immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows,” according to a copy of the arrest warrant shared by Manila police.
Pagente told AFP from behind bars in the capital they had “done nothing wrong” and that their arrest highlighted “the degree of homophobia” in the Philippines.
The 33-year-old was accused of committing “offensive acts” that involved dancing, singing and twerking to the religious song among partygoers in one of two criminal complaints filed by Christian groups.
Before their arrest, Pagente had defended the performance as “art” and argued “drag is not a crime.” Karl Philip Michael Westerberg, or known as Manila Luzon, the producer of the show Drag Den, where Pagente was a contestant, confirmed the former contestant’s arrest and called it an attack on the “art of drag” in the Philippines.
“[Wednesday], October 4, 2023, @puralukavega from @dragdenph was arrested by the Philippine National Police for violating Article 201 — “immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows.” Drag is NOT a crime! Swipe to donate for their bail!” Westerberg wrote on Instagram on Thursday, accompanied by the hashtag #FreePuraLukaVega and with bank accounts to fund Pagente’s bail, which is set at P72,000.
In an X post, Drag Den winner Brian “Naia” Black visited his fellow contestant at the Sta. Cruz Police Station in Manila and in another post, called for a fundraising event for his friend.
“Who wants to do a fundraising show for @puralukavega’s bail?!” Black wrote on X, suggesting it to be held on Friday, October 6. “We need a venue and drag artists! We have to come together for our persecuted sister.
“How absurd and blatant oppressive it is na months after that video they are still coming for Luka?!?” tweeted Jan “Eva Le Queen” Lamban. “This isn’t right in the eyes of God Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Carlos Conde said Pagente’s arrest was “an outrage.” “No one should be arrested, let alone detained, for expressing themselves,” Conde said, calling for the charges to be dropped.
Reyna Valmores of the LGBTQ alliance Bahaghari accused authorities of double standards for pursuing Pagente when “straight performers” had also mocked Jesus Christ.
“We see that this is very much a form of abuse specifically against members of the LGBTQ plus community. We are no strangers to this,” Valmores said.
Pastor Eyriche Cortez, however, warned that if Filipinos are not careful, the same laws against the drag artist can be used against them.
“When we proclaim what we believe, we end up offending the religious feelings of others. Yet in a democratic society like ours, such disagreements and offense are to be expected,” he wrote on Thursday via Facebook.
“We just have to make the most of the free marketplace of ideas we have and not lose by default because we chose to be silent or passive.” Father Jerome Secillano, of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, has described Pagente’s performance as “blasphemous” and “really disrespectful.” Apart from his arrest, Pagente was also declared persona non grata in 17 localities and cities, including the city of Manila, where he lives.
The Philippines is a deeply conservative society. Nearly 80 percent of the population are Catholic and same-sex marriage, divorce and abortion are outlawed. — Aric John Sy Cua and Agence France-Presse
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Credit belongs to: www.manilatimes.net
