A candidate of Mutya ng Davao is proud to represent the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in this year's Mutya ng Davao pageant. Louise Ann Canalija, candidate number 21, opened up publicly about being a lesbian and she hopes to promote equality as part of the pageant.
"This might be the first time that I’ll be coming out publicly as member of the LGBT. I may not look like a stereotypical lesbian but I am and I’m proud of it and I want that everyone in the LGBT community will get to enjoy all their rights and benefits same as how men and women enjoy their rights,” she said in an interview with SunStar Davao.
Meanwhile in an interview with ABS-CBN News, Louis admitted that she initially had second thoughts of joining the pageant for fear of being judged because of her sexual orientation.
"Before I joined Mutya ng Davao, I almost didn't sleep for a week," she told ABS-CBN News.
The fear did not stop her. She became honest about who she is and successfully made it to the official candidates of the pageant. "When I come out as who I am, I must say that I'm a lesbian because I don't get attracted to guys, [I] only get attracted to girls. I'm just really honest and straightforward," she stated.
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