Claim: Daughter of Kiko and Sharon comes out as a lesbian
Rating: FALSE
Miel Pangilinan, the daughter of outgoing Sen. Kiko Pangilinan and movie superstar Sharon Cuneta came out as queer, not lesbian.
Miel recently came out this Pride month through Instagram saying, “This June, i am celebrating my first pride month as openly and publicly queer…”
But several stories immediately assumed that she came out as a lesbian.
In her recent Instagram story, Miel specified that calling her a Lesbian would be incorrect. She was clear that people should not assume that she is lesbian unless she says otherwise.
By definition, “Queer” is an umbrella term used to describe someone who does not conform to society’s cultural norms on gender roles, sexuality, and sexual attraction. Meanwhile, “Lebian” refers to a much narrower definition that describes a woman who has romantic and or sexual feelings towards other women.
Therefore, to label Miel Pangilingan as “Lesbian” would be invalidating her experiences and identity as a Queer Individual.
On a similar note, Vice President-elect Sara Duterte once claimed to be part of the LGBTQ+ community during her campaign, stating that she would cut her hair short whenever she felt like a man. She states that she changes her hairstyle depending on whether she feels like a man or a woman.
Progressive LGBTQ+ groups were quick to react to this statement with calls of “my gender is not a costume”. Claiming that regardless of Duterte-Carpio’s SOGIE, being part of the LGBTQ+ should also mean recognizing the struggle of being in a marginalized group.