Former child star and singer-songwriter Ice Seguerra opened up about dealing with homophobia and bigotry as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Formerly known as Aiza Seguerra, he came out as a lesbian in 2007 and now identifies as a transgender man.
In an Instagram post, he shared his “late night thoughts” along with photos of his wife, Liza Diño and his loved ones. The former child star aired out his dejection at how society quickly judges the LGBTQ+ community by their sexual orientation instead of their ability to love.
Photo: @iceseguerra Instagram
“Coming out as a transman, I knew I would get a lot of hate. It’s as if my coming out also gave people a license to insult my character and, worse, the people I love,” he wrote.
Ice also recalled how long he has been dealing with bigotry and homophobic slurs, which have become part of his daily life. “One can never get used to it, but if that’s the price I have to pay to live my truth, then so be it. But when my family is dragged into this, it is painful.”
Despite all his struggles as a transman, he urged the LGBTQ+ community to constantly prove themselves and strive harder to show their worth in society.
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“People hate what they don’t understand, and it’s probably why it’s so easy for them to hate us. But we’re not backing down, and we will fight till we get our place in the sun,” he added.
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The 39-year-old thanked his wife, daughter, mama, brother, friends, and allies for loving him genuinely and withstanding the hurtful things they receive, calling them his “sanctuary.”
“You make me believe that love will always win,” he concluded.
In the comments section, members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies expressed their support and thanked Ice for speaking up about his struggles. Some wrote:
“Louder sobrang ganito talaga nangyayari. Lali dito sa Pilipinas nakakalungkot. Nevertheless, just be who your are at alam mo wala kang ginagawang masama sa ibang tao then go. Just love.”
“We are all wonderful creation of God.”
“Thank you for giving a voice to so many of our voiceless and invisible brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ+ community, Ice! Yes, we are fighting this till Equality is served to us all!”
Ice and Liza got married in 2014 in San Francisco, California.
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