The annual Pride March in Manila this year marked the most number of lesbians, bisexuals, and queer women who marched for equality, diversity, solidarity, and visibility. Together with gays and transgenders, they jointly re-claimed and protected the LGBT space they have created in the Philippines.

“Got pride”—the theme of this year's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride March—served as both a statement and a question among the more than 200 participants from around 20 LGBT organisations, women's groups, political parties, and some local government units who marched as one last December 8 in Manila, Philippines. The Pride March aims to promote LGBT solidarity and visibility as well as to define and claim the LGBT space in the Philippines.

“Pride March intends to show the diversity among lesbians and gays [in the Philippines]. The march is also a way to protect the space that we have created so far. It also serves as a platform to work with other members of the community—the gays, the transgenders, the bisexuals—in pushing for anti-discrimination,” said  Rhona Montebon, coordinator of Women Supporting Women Centre (WSWC), an organisation that assists women in a process of self-insight and growth through supportive group gatherings, training and practice in leadership skills and professional counselling.

Recognising the urgent need of queer women's voices to be heard, this year's Pride March had the most number of lesbian and women's organisations that participated in the march, jointly calling for equality and respect for diversity.

“In the LGBT community, lesbians like us are almost always invisible because we’re not as flamboyant... With the theme for this year, 'Got pride,' we are jointly making lesbians more visible.” said Natividad Dominique Manauay, vice president of Lesbian Advocates Philippines (LeAP!), one of the organising teams of the Pride March. LeAP! is an NGO committed to bring lesbian rights advocacy and visibility work in the agenda of various local, national and international arenas.

“Coming out is like a revolving door; it is not like a closet. Once you've come out, you have to keep on doing it again and again. It's more than overcoming the external homophobia; sometimes it’s overcoming internal homophobia as well,” said Manauay.

LeAP! has recently completed three books: two on lesbian sexual health and one on discrimination against lesbians, which will be disseminated to their networks as a way of advancing their call for lesbian rights visibility.