A DAY after her triumph as the new Miss Universe Philippines 2021, Beatrice Luigi Gomez gained widespread (though not universal) adulation as the first openly gay winner of the country’s top beauty title. But the humble Cebu City athlete and navy reservist, 26, said in an interview:
“Honestly, I haven’t been highlighting my LGBTQI+ advocacy kasi for me it’s something na we should normalize…’Yung idea na we exist. So to be the first-ever crowned LGTQIA+ member, for me, it’s not a big deal. People should appreciate and learn from it.”
She’s got a point. She’s an icon. She’s a legend. She is the moment.
BEAUTY IN BRAVERY
BEA has been playing sweet music with her girlfriend, DJ Kate Jagdon, her “Happy Pill,” since 2015. On April 25, 2019, she gave a glimpse of her gender expression and identity on Instagram: “Non-binary…sometimes I’m Beatrice/Bea, other days I feel like being Luigi. It’s about being feminine and masculine at the same time.” On her way to winning Binibining Cebu 2020, over 50-plus candidates, Bea was asked: What makes you beautiful? Without batting an extended eyelash, she replied, “I guess what makes me beautiful is my bravery, and being true to myself. To tell you guys honestly, I have a girlfriend, I have tattoos, and I’m very proud of my imperfections, and I guess that is what makes me beautiful.”
Our country being a bastion of Christianity (and bigotry), of conservatism (and hypocrisy) and closed-mindedness (and ignorance), Bea faced tremendous backlash for her unapologetic candor.
“I’ve been criticized a lot for winning the Binibining Cebu crown for being gay. I just didn’t feel like I owe anyone my identity because the people who know me personally love me just the way I am, especially my family whose opinions matter to me the most, and so I decided to always be true to myself,” she posted on her Facebook account on June 20, 2020. “If being gay didn’t make God happy, why then does He continue to bless me and give me the strength to overcome life’s every challenge? I only truly became happy and lived life to the full when I started becoming honest to myself.”
In a feature on www.preview.ph on September 2, Bea said: “As beauty queens, our No. 1 job is to be [ambassadors] of the things that we believe in. As a representative of the LGBTQIA+ community, the goal here is for people to see us, to notice us, and [to] know that we have a lot to offer to our communities. At the end of the day, I just want everyone [to be] accepting of who we are and what we can do.”
At the Top 10 casual interview portion at Miss Universe Philippines, she was asked: Do you think the Philippines is ready to send a member from your community to the Miss Universe pageant?
“I honestly believe that our country has definitely been [come] a long way in battling for equality, especially for the LGBTQIA+ community. Our country has been very supportive and I think we are definitely ready to send someone, an LGBTQIA+ member, to the Miss Universe.”
UNDER-THE-RADAR BEAUTY
I ASKED fashion designer Jojie Lloren, who was one of the judges on the Miss Universe Philippines finals night on September 30 at the Henann Resort Alona Beach in Panglao, Bohol, what made Bea the unanimous choice of the judges.
He replied: “The final Q&A placed Cebu City and Taguig on top. Beauty-wise, Cebu City was the top choice for all the judges. Personally, her being gay was a plus point for me as this can stir up interest in her during Miss Universe [run].”
As the reigning Binibining Cebu, Bea has the privilege of being under the tutelage of couturier Cary Santiago. Her national costume was created by upcoming designer Axel Que. She was scintillating in her Albert Andrada LuxeSport swimwear, and was a glamazon in her Amato Couture by Furne One evening gown.
QUEER QUEENS
STILL, it is distressing, but hardly surprising, how steeped internalized homophobia is within the LGBTQ+ community. I just wish we should all be happy that Bea won. To be dismissive of her chances at the international finals is a great disservice to us.
That a lesbian/nonbinary will be competing at Miss Universe is not unique, but Bea being open and proud makes her instantly iconic.
The Audrey-like Miss Kosovo Marigona Dragusha, second runner-up at Miss Universe 2009; and Spain’s Patricia Rodriguez, first runner-up at Miss Universe 2013, and Sofia del Prado, Top 10 at Miss Universe 2017, all came out after their pageants. The most high-profile LGBT former queen, Miss USSR 1991 Julia Legimova, second runner-up at Miss Universe 1991, is married to the Czech-American tennis legend Martina Navratilova.
Israel is the best country in the intolerant Middle East for LGBTs. Gays can serve openly in the Israeli military, and Bea’s being a Philippine Navy reservist can work to her advantage. In the beauty-pageant front, Talleen Abu Hannah was the first transgender contender at Miss Universe Israel, placing in the Top 4 in 2018. Incidentally, Fil-Am transgender Kataluna Enriquez, Miss Nevada, will compete at Miss USA 2021.
Being LGBT isn’t a hindrance to performing well at Miss Universe. For the LGBTQ struggle, representation is important. So let us revel in this victory. Never take visibility for granted.