S1E25: Poor, elderly drag queens in conservative Philippines get a lifeline
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Many are ostracised by families and live in slums, but a younger generation is coming to their aid.
\\nSynopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST\\u2019s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe, about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.\\xa0
\\nIn this 25th episode, ST\\u2019s new foreign editor Li Xueying takes over the hosting duties from our previous show presenter Bhagyashree Garekar, who will be the incoming US bureau chief for ST in Washington.
\\nXueying chats with ST\\u2019s Philippines correspondent Mara Cepeda about the country\\u2019s \\u2018Golden Gays\\u2019.
\\nThey are a community of elderly people of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other sexualities (LGBTQ+) in their 60s to 80s, who have been living together and doing pageant shows to help make ends meet. They also belong to the non-profit organisation, The Home for the Golden Gays, established in 2002 by the late Aids activist and politician Justo Justo to provide permanent shelter for ageing LGBTQ+ members.
\\nBut when Mr Justo died in 2012, his family evicted the Golden Gays, who affectionately call themselves \\u2018lolas\\u2019 or grandmothers. Nine of them ended up living in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment in the slums of Pasay City, also near Manila, while the rest rented rooms with the same squalid living conditions.
\\nHighlights (click/tap above):
\\n2:55 What it was like to visit the Golden Gays\\u2019 rented house in the slums of Pasay City, Philippines
\\n4:55 The unique challenges that they face (as opposed to other needy elderly Filipinos?); social safety net for such demographics
\\n7:45 Shifts in attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community; how pop culture is driving the change
\\n12:13 Concerns that this new heightened profile of the drag queens could lead to a backlash from more conservative elements in society?
\\nRead more here: https://str.sg/icBd
\\nProduced by: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Fa\\u2019izah Sani
\\nEdited by: Fa\\u2019izah Sani
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