‘Ang Pamilya ay Pamilya’ campaign supports Filipino families with LGBT children

Filipino mom Carol Mannion, who has a gay son, has a message for the community: ‘Ang Pamilya ay Pamilya’ translated as Family is Still Family.

In this public service video produced by the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), Mannion shares her story about her son and how she has always been proud of him.

Too often, she says, gay Asian American children are “shunned, ostracized and discriminated against” in their own community.

“I am proud of my son, have always been proud of my son from the time he was born,” says Mannion, a member of the Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc. (PFLAG). “He’s always enriched me, always challenged me. He is free now and he can be who he is.”

NQAPIA is inviting parents of Asian parents with LGBT children to take a stand, support their children, and share their “stories of love and acceptance.”

NQAPIA is a federation of LGBT organizations in the Asian American community. Its website says it seeks to “build the organizational capacity of local LGBT AAPI groups, develop leadership, promote visibility, expand collaborations, and challenge homophobia and racism.”

Mannion’s video is part of NQAPIA’s Asian Pride Project (APP) campaign to promote greater visibility, pride, acceptance for all LGBT Asians & Pacific Islander (API) people in their families, cultural communities and beyond. APP believes in the power of “sharing, connecting, and relating to give API families and communities the support they need when struggling with the challenges of our sexual and gender identities in the API cultural context.”

The campaign also supports LGBTQ youth who aim to come out to their parents.