Filipino drag queen fights for freedom to express faith

MANILA, Philippines — When Filipino drag queen Amadeus Fernando Pagente dressed up as Jesus Christ and sang the Lord's Prayer in a Manila show, he considered it an expression of his Catholic faith.

But then a video of the performance went viral in July 2023 and ignited outrage among the country's many devout, who saw it as a blasphemous act deserving of jail or even death.

Pagente was charged with the offence of "immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows" that "offend any race or religion", and could face up to 12 years in jail.

The 33-year-old, who uses he, she and they pronouns, was declared persona non grata in multiple cities and was flooded with hate messages and death threats on social media.

While the Philippines has a reputation for being LGBTQ-friendly, it remains a conservative country where nearly 80 percent of people are Catholic.

Same-sex marriage, abortion and divorce are banned, and advocates have been fighting for decades for a nationwide law to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination.

Pagente, who describes himself as pansexual, gender fluid and a devout Catholic, said the reaction to his show left him shaken, but not surprised.

He told AFP that hatred towards LGBTQ people "has always been there", but his performance gave critics "an excuse to express it".

Pagente said he chose to perform the Lord's Prayer to "reignite" a sense of faith among LGBTQ people who have felt shunned by the Church.

For many Filipinos, however, his portrayal of Jesus singing the religious prayer in a drag show was offensive.

Two Christian groups are among those that filed seven criminal complaints against Pagente.

Harry Serrano of the LGBTQ advocacy group UP Babaylan said the backlash was about Pagente's sexuality.

"We have seen instances where straight people imitate religious figures and they don't get flak for it. But because PLV is queer, they are getting hate," she said, using the initials for Pagente's drag name, Pura Luka Vega.

"We see religion and queerness as something that's separate in the Philippines. It's either you're queer or you're religious."

Since taking office in 2013, Pope Francis has repeatedly said the Church