End the year the passion, pageantry and (bowling) pins.

We invite you to join TFP’s Post-Pride Party at Club Government on December 15, 2007 at 10 PM and seal this year’s pride season with the first ever LGBT kiss fest.

On Sunday, December 16, 2007, join TLF Share’s Miss U Bowling Pageant, the only bowling competition that ends with a coronation. It will take place at Bowling Inn, Taft Ave., Malate, Manila (near Avon). Pre-pageant events start at 5 PM. For details, visit www.tlfmanila.org.

Thank you very much for supporting the 2007 Pride March! Check out the links below for pictures of the Pride Parade.

• Tonyo Cruz
• Ilokano@Flickr
• Ed Cruz
• Libay Cantor

Many thanks to those who supported the Erotica party. Task Force Pride was able to raise enough funds to increase the participation for the Pride March, especially coming from communities that badly need your support. Many thanks, too, for the performers during TFP’s program.

After LGBT bloggers started blogging about TFP’s need for kindred spirits who could help us organize the march, we got emails from individuals who want to volunteer during the parade. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat!

Tomorrow’s the big day. Please don’t forget the following:

• Bring your Lola’s colorful, vibrant, and humungous umbrellas. A little trivia – one of the reasons why the Pride March was moved from June to December is to avoid the rainy season (the main reason is that we want it to be part of the December commemoration of the human rights week). But it never fails to rain during our parade, so if you’re not really after that wet look, bring umbrellas.
• Bring your friends, LGBT or not. The march is an inclusive expression of diversity and solidarity. The more, the manyer, the happier! Don’t forget to register, and ask for assistance should you wish to take part in a contingent. There will be marshals during the parade to assist you.
• Make sure that you would feel comfortable during the march. Check the route of the March. Wear comfortable clothes. While it is your choice to wear high heels, please remember that a true beauty queen understands that the price of beauty is poverty and a little suffering. As for your hairdo, consider a friend’s motto: the higher the hair, the closer to God.
• The media will be there. While we need their help to convey our message to a broader audience, please remember that journalists have the obligation to practice ethical coverage of our event. If you don’t wish to be interviewed, SAY NO. Ask the assistance of the marshals to bring them to the designated spokespersons for the parade. If they ask you to kiss your partner but you feel you don’t want to, then DON’T DO IT! It’s your prerogative. Use your better judgment!
• There will be a cultural program after the Pride March. We have performances for you, from poetry reading to drag shows. There also post-parade activities: A Pride Mass organized by the Metropolitan Community Church Philippines on December 9, 2007 at 5 PM. Club Government is also organizing the official post-parade party on December 15, 2007. The Ms. U! Bowling Pageant, which is regularly organized by TLF Share Collective (and its non-profit partner, the Bowlibining Charities), will take place on December 16, 2007. More details here.

Got pride? Then we’ll see you tomorrow!

Please support the fund-raising party for the 2007 Pride March. Tickets are at P170 each. For details, email tfpmanila@yahoo.com.

Pride like any other virtues is inborn to all of us. Like love it is everywhere. Like kindness it can be cultivated. Like passion it can be motivated. Like dignity and integrity it can be claimed and be protected.

Pride has many colors, variations and expressions. Like a butterfly, it undergoes a process. It has no limits and boundaries for developments. Most importantly, pride is not for sale because it is about valuing one’s concept of dignified self.

JOIN THE 2007 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MARCH
December 8, 2007
Assembly: 3:00 PM, Rajah Sulayman Park, Malate Manila