Despite warnings from a military official over her affiliations with Gabriela, our queen Catriona Gray refuses to stay silent.
Last Oct. 21, Liza Soberano and Catriona Gray were warned and red-tagged by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) official and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. on a Facebook post for their connections with the women’s alliance Gabriela and their vocal support for women’s rights.
Gray took to Instagram on Oct. 25 to talk about how important and powerful your voice can be, posting video of hands uncovering her mouth and writing, “Please don’t ever allow your voice to be silenced. You never know who’s life may be impacted by your words. You never know who you’ll help feel seen, courageous or comforted. When you speak up for yourself, know that in sharing your stories, you’re speaking up for others too.”
Prior to that, On Oct. 23, Gray’s lawyer, Joji Alonso released a statement on Facebook addressing the red-tagging made against her client, saying “Dragging Catriona’s name, when all she has endeavored to do as an advocate for women’s rights, is completely uncalled for. Catriona will not waiver in continuously championing social causes that uplift women’s lives.” Catriona 1, the patriarchy 0.
Gray and Soberano weren’t alone in standing up to the injustices of mindless red-tagging. Several women online posted close-up shots of themselves wearing red lipstick with the hashtags, “#NoToRedTagging and #YesToRedLipstick.”
Angel Locin, herself a victim of red-tagging, started the chain last Friday, Oct. 23. She posted her photo along with a caption saying “By being vocal about my opinions and advocacies, I have always been attacked. Those I could ignore but this is a different level altogether. And so I have to speak up once again because this baseless and reckless red-tagging jeopardizes not only my safety, but also the safety of my sister and our family.” Let it be known we’re standing with all of these queens.
In these hard and confusing times, what Catriona Gray says is true: Your voice matters. In a political climate that tries to silence the voice of marginalized sectors, including women, every voice is a voice we need. We’re with you, Catriona.
Photo courtesy of Catriona Gray’s Instagram
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