Manila Gay Guy

The list of finalists for the 2008 Philippine Blog Awards has been released, and we’re nominated! The Fabcasters, led by our dear creative director, arranger, songwriter (choz!) and numero uno wit-machine McVie has been recognized as among the best video/podcasts in the Philippine Blogosphere! Congrats to my podcasting sisters, my co-fabcasters McVie, Gibbs, AJ, Tony, and CC! As I’m writing their names, I realize the intellectual, technical, and artistic prowess this group has. I’m so proud of the Fabcasters!

Another victory for us is the nomination of Gibbs Cadiz’s site for Best Blog in the Culture & Arts category. I have a feeling Gibbs will snag the trophy this year.

You go girls, good luck, and may the kapatids shine and shimmer more on- and off-line! World Peace!

PAHABOL (21 September 2008, 12 NN) — AJ is also nominated, with his BaklaAko.com; also Misterhubs (misterhubs.blogspot.com) — both for Best Blog – Personal Blog category. Mabuhay ang sangkabaklaan!

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Migs,

I want to give my reaction to your podcast entitled Homosexuality and Religion. I am a person struggling with same-sex attraction (SSA) but I don’t consider myself gay in the sense that I’m not into the gay lifestyle now. I may have been before but that was a totally different story. And oh yes I still struggle with chastity issues right now and that’s how real it can get.

I just want to reiterate that the Catholic Church does not condemn me or you for being “gay”. In fact, the Catholic Church has an apostolate catering to people with SSA and it is called Courage. You can visit www.couragerc.net for more details. And yes I am a member of that organization.

Our group is a support group and we help each other live a chaste life. We don’t claim that sooner or later we will all become heterosexuals, etc. Nothing of that sort. Instead, we are responding to God’s call to live a life of chastity and that means for many of us turning away from the gay lifestyle and confronting our deepest issues as courageously as we can be.

Honestly that is the most difficult part for us – renouncing our sinful ways and letting the Lord take control. It’s hard and it’s real. It’s not easy but it is possible Migs.
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I was not able to stop it. I was trying to hold the topic off as long as I could but it was no longer possible. I had to give in. The podcast has been recorded. The topic: “Religion and the Gay Guys” errr… maybe this title here is better: “Homosexuality and Religion — how do you reconcile them?”

This has got to be the the podcast with the most number of people in attendance. The whole Fabcaster gang was present (Gibbs, McVie, Tony, CC, AJ, and moi) plus guests Dennis, James, and Senan (AJ’s boyfriend). Nine folks gabbing so this is indeed a riot — but because of the topic, I’d say this one is among the most substantial podcast we’ve recorded. That being said, I invite you: listen to this podcast, reflect and genuflect, and comment away answering the million-dollar question: how do you reconcile your homosexuality and your religion?

Streaming podcast and MP3 downloads after the jump.
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Gibbs, McVie, and AJ have all written about it, and I am writing about it too, so you dear MGG readers can share your intelligent opinions here.

“Real issue in video is gay sex.” – Cebu Priest

The article (excerpt only, copied from McVie): For an official of the Roman Catholic Church, the commission of a homosexual act is the real issue behind the rectal surgery in Cebu City that exploded into a scandal on YouTube.

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Dahil kuwaresma naman, panahon ng pagmumuni-muni, naisipan kong isulat ito. Minsan kasi may mga bagay tayong ginagawa, na kapag nagkaroon tayo ng pagkakataong makapag-isip, tatanungin natin, “Bakit ko nga ba ginagawa ito? May kabuluhan nga ba ito?” Pakibasa, at sabihin ninyo naman sa akin kung may kabuluhan nga ba ang pagba-blog ko dito sa ManilaGayGuy.com (MGG). May saysay ba para sa inyo ang MGG?

Matagal-tagal na rin pala akong nagba-blog. Mahigit isa’t kalahating taon na rin. Tandang-tanda ko pa, nung una kong naapuhap yung ideyang magkaroon ng blog, sabi ko, ano kayang concept? Basta naisip ko nun, gagawa ako nung may mga litrato ng makikisig na lalaki, pero ayoko naman ng malalaswa. Naughty, not raunchy, sabi ko nga. Tapos, lalagyan ko ng kung anu-anong salaysay tungkol sa mga kaganapan, karanasan, at mga lugar na may kinalaman sa kabadingan. Di ko pa alam noon kung papatok, o kung mayroong magta-tiyagang magbasa. Di ko akalain umpisa pala yun ng mga pangyayaring ni sa panaginip eh di ko napagtanto.
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Mark G., an MGG habitué, sent in a heart-warming email today:

Hi Migs, I have been a loyal fan of your site for several months now. A gay friend introduced your site last year, and since then I have been going to your site almost everyday. It has become a daily routine together with my email checking. I sometimes leave comments on your featured stories. What I like about your articles is they are decent, not vulgar, and professional. I continue to promote your site to my friends.

Thank you, Mark. Yes, while MGG is a gay blog, I try my best to make it decent and respectable. I feature lots of men, sexy men, hunky men, sizzling hot men, but I make it a point to observe some limitations so that it won’t hurt the majority’s sensibilities. I always tell my friends who tease me about my features on half-naked men — MGG is sometimes naughty but never raunchy.

Recently, through the lead of Baklang AJ, I discovered a new but high-potential blog, which I believe has the same sensitivity as MGG. It is both well-designed and well-written by a gay blogger named Vince. He calls his blog the Discreet Manila Blog:

Discreet Manila is a discreet gay guy’s look into the various venues, outlets, activities in and around Metro Manila that people like him can check out. This includes a look at gay-oriented venues, blue film reviews, tips and stories in discreet cruising, and discussion about various issues facing the discreet gay person.

So MGG habitués, go visit Discreet Manila and spread your message of World Peace to our kapatid sa pananampalataya, Vince. More power to us gay bloggers and blog enthusiasts!

PLUS PAHABOL… (this is the chika part)

I was kinda quiet with recent developments in my lurve life, then “Foot in the Mouth Disease”-stricken CC, my dear CEO-blogger-friend so funnily spills the beans in his latest post. Go read the secret chika.

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Have you seen the movie, “Ang Lihim Ni Antonio”? It is reportedly the highest grossing gay indie in the history of Philippine Cinema. Congrats to the dynamic duo of Jay Altarejos and Lex Bonife — idol ko kayo! Various blogs have shared their own thoughts and opinions about the movie. Para maiba naman, let me do something a bit different…
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The Fabcasters (AJ of BaklaAko.com, McVie of The McVie Show, Tony of Lobster LJ, and myself) sit down with 2010 Senatoriable Danton Remoto to talk about the Anti-Discrimination efforts among the LGBT community, and many other chika. Thanks to McVie for the podcast production and to AJ for hosting the podcast in his server.

Listen in after the jump!
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Several people were asking me, “were you at the Pasko Na, Sinta Ketch event?”

Yes, dears, I was there, briefly.

Thank you to Butterly Bar who graciously allowed us to use their ground floor facilities exclusively; to McVie, Tony, AJ, CC, and Gibbs for helping me organize the party; to Janvier Daily (and his manager, Ihman Esturco) for coming over to greet and hobnob with us; and most especially to all MGG readers and fellow gay bloggers (hi Misterhubs! hi Mugen!) who graced the get-together. Maraming salamat sa inyo!

McVie has put together a podcast with interview clips from the party — wonderful production I must say, so don’t you miss it. The 20-minute podcast after the jump!
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AJ of BaklaAko.com hits it right on the spot in his post entitled “The Elusive Mr. Right“. The same exact thoughts I’ve been having the past days… errr…. weeks. And just to underline the same idea, I entitle this post, “The Elusive, Elusive Mr. Right.”

A lot of people say, to find Mr. Right, you should be Mr. Right yourself… so that when you finally meet him, you too is his Mr. Right. Yes, we do believe that right? But what the heck, why is it taking too long for our Mr. Right to come by?

We often ask ourselves, I’m presentable naman, smart, well-educated, may breeding, etcetera, etcetera… bakit wala pa rin?

Then we comfort ourselves with saying, “Good things come to those who wait.”

O eh di siya sige, eh di wait.

And in the mean time, for me, I will busy myself with matters of consequence. Like the pursuit of world peace. Hehehe! Hay buhay!

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