AC Soriano dresses as Amihan for Pride March: 'Siya naging closet ko nung baby beks pa ako'
After channeling his inner Sang'gre and dressing up as the queenly Amihan during Pride Month 2022, social media star Allan "AC" Soriano took to Instagram to share that he was always a fan of the character ever since he was young.
Soriano served as one of the hosts of the annual Pride Month Festival held at the Quezon City Memorial Circle on June 25, along with other prominent personalities such as Sassa Gurl, Pipay, and KaladKaren.
As a way to flaunt their LGBT pride, the content creator donned the silver and blue costume of Amihan, one of the four royal-blooded sisters portrayed by Iza Calzado in the 2005 television fantasy series, Encantadia.
In their June 26 Instagram post, Soriano shared that Amihan was his "closet" idol when he was a child and always wanted to be her, unbeknownst to his father.
"Si Sang’gre Amihan ang naging 'closet' ko nung baby beks pa ako. Nagpabili ako ng espada noon sa tatay ko at natuwa siya na, shet, gusto ng anak ko ng espada, lalaki siya! Hindi niya lang alam kaputukan ng Encantadia noon at sa isip ko ako si Amihan," Soriano wrote.
Soriano then said they felt "validated" when they learned the reason why Calzado's costume wore a costume that concealed most of her body in the teleserye.
"Years later, nung nalaman ko ang story ni Ate @missizacalzado, a gay icon to be honest, kung bakit siya ang pinaka-balot sa lahat ng mga Sang’gre, dahil sa insecurities niya sa stretch marks niya, dahil sa dati niyang timbang, shet, I felt validated!" he wrote.
This is what led him to transform as the enchanting wind manipulator during his first Pride Month festival.
"Kaya naman sa unang Pride ko, nararapat lamang na ilabas ko ang karakter na pinanghawakan ko nung nagtatago ako—kahit na halata naman atang baklang-bakla ako," he added.
In response to the post, Calzado commented that she is very happy that she and Soriano met and that she helped him feel recognized.
"Sobrang happy ko na pinagtagpo ng tadhana ang landas natin. I am so happy I made you feel seen. Lahat ng laban worth it pag alam mo na may natulungan ka sa sarili nilang laban. Salamat, Panginoon! E corre diu, AC!!! 💙💙💙 Happy Pride!!! 🌈🌈🌈" the actress wrote.
Soriano is knows for their humorous TikTok posts. They gained immense popularity for his impersonation of Jodi Sta. Maria's character, Dr. Jill Ilustre, from the television drama series The Broken Marriage Vow.