‘I will never doubt myself for being gay ever again.’ Beatrice Gomez’s resurfaced Pride Month post sparks hope
Even before she won the coveted Miss Universe Philippines crown, Beatrice Luigi Gomez has been a staunch supporter of LGBT rights.
The MUPH 2020 queen has been in a relationship with DJ/entrepreneur Kate Jagdon since 2015, proving that one's sexuality is no quantifier when it comes to going after what you want.
Despite this, there's still the issue of the Philippines being a predominantly conservative country, with the likes of Beatrice going through their fair share of judgment.
She addressed this very thought in a June 21, 2020 post shortly after winning the Binibining Cebu crown.
In the Pride Month-centered status, the then-25-year-old began by saying that “I’ve been criticized a lot for winning the Binibining Cebu crown for being gay."
She furthered that she felt like she didn't owe anyone her identity, but decided to speak up on the issue at hand.
"When people condemn me because they say it is not what it says in the Bible somehow I’m always reminded that being able to say who I am on stage in front of thousands of people was what God wanted me to do because again, I would like to share what happened on that day before the coronation."
"I went to the Carmelites Monastery early in the morning to ask for guidance. I only asked God to show me who I was meant to be. I didn’t ask Him to make me go home that night with a crown on my head. I only asked Him to make me change even just one life in the audience."
She shared that she studied hard for Binibing Cebu's Q&A portion, and was shocked to discover that the question given to her was one that she had read up on.
"The day after that, I was overwhelmed with a lot of congratulatory messages but what mattered to me the most were messages of others, even strangers who opened up themselves to me and how I inspired them and since then if I were hurt because of criticisms, those words brought to me by strangers, now friends became my source of strength and better judgment."
"I will never doubt myself for being gay ever again."
She concluded that "If being gay didn’t make God happy why then does He continue to bless me and give me the strength to overcome life’s every challenge? I only truly became happy and lived life to the full when I started becoming honest to myself."
Beatrice's 2020 post has since garnered over 51,000 reactions and 19,000 shares on Faceboo.
In a similar vein, she also commemorated Pride Month this year with a subtle rainbow face mask post with the caption: “I can’t think straight…”
