Rundown: How brands are celebrating Pride Month in the Philippines

June 21, 2023 - 7:23 PM
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Composite photo of Home Credit Philippines' Pride Club, Felicia the drag queen as featured in Moonleaf and Levi's Pride bucket hat (All press released)

From workplace inclusivity to a queer collection, brands launched initiatives to raise awareness about the LGBTQIA movement this Pride Month.

June marks the annual month-long celebration and campaign for the rights of the LGBTQIA community in different parts of the world.

Pride Club for work

In 2022, Home Credit Philippines launched an inclusive group called the Home Credit Pride or Pride Club as part of the company’s commitment to supporting the LGBTQIA movement.

Pride Club members are expected to lead and champion the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) among the Home Credit employees.

There are now over 200 member employees of this collective in offices of Home Credit Philippines across the country.

A photo of some of the members of Home Credit Philippines’ Pride Club (Released)

This year, Pride club created a manifesto video called #AtHomeKaDito. This was uploaded to Home Credit’s social media accounts.

“This Pride Month, we are one with the LGBTQ+ community in celebrating PRIDE,” the post reads.

“Sino ka man, ano ka man, saan ka man: #AtHomeKaDito,” it added.

In a statement, Janna De Castro, a Collections Project specialist and president of the HCPH Pride Club, said that this pride video offered a glimpse into the diversity of their employees in terms of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE).

“Our pride video is a glimpse of how diverse our employees are in terms of SOGIE and how we are celebrated for our contributions regardless of our gender orientation and identity. As a proud trans woman, I have always felt at home in my 5 years of being a Home Credit employee,” De Castro said.

Drag queen series, Pride menu

Moonleaf Tea Shop, commonly known as Moonleaf, gives spotlight to talented Filipino drag queens in its video series called “Moonleaf Stories” in celebration of Pride Month.

In the pilot episode, the stories of drag queens Felicia and Salmo Nella were featured.

These videos are uploaded on Moonleaf’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.

“The video series features these drag icons and their candid conversations about experiences and inspirations on all things pride, love, and equality, and are set to spill more tea in future episodes airing soon,” the description of this project reads.

To encourage participation from its customers, Moonleaf also launched a TikTok contest using the brand’s exclusive Moonleaf Pride Filter on the video-sharing service.

This contest will run until June 30.

Moreover, Moonleaf is also offering exciting milk tea options for its “Pride Menu.” Check out the drinks in the photo here:

Pride Menu of Moonleaf Tea Shop (Released)

In a statement, Mike Magallanes, creative director of Moonleaf, said that the brand’s Pride campaign is its way of saying thank you to the community.

“Moonleaf’s Pride initiative is our way of giving a big, warm ‘thank you’ to the community, who have been our rock since day one. We also aim to educate the public about discrimination, equality, and the different ways we can show support for each person’s right to become their most fabulous, authentic self,” Magallanes said.

The #EveryHueInYou campaign in Araneta City

This month, a rainbow-colored #PRIDEstrian crossing was painted at the intersection between General Aguinaldo and General Malvar Streets to kick start the festivities in Araneta City in Quezon City.

Two art exhibits will also be mounted on different dates inside Farmer’s Plaza, Gateway Mall and other public areas in the commercial complex. These are:

  • #ForestOfHue – an installation of colorful trees where Filipinos can take photos and videos at
  • Tanggulan Exhibit – an art exhibit by photographer Niccolo Cosme that promotes HIV awareness

The latter comprises portraits of the following beauty queens who are painted using HIV-positive blood:

  • Miss Universe 2015 Universe Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey
  • Pilipinas Intercontinental 2022 Gabrielle Basiano
  • Pilipinas International 2022 Nicole Borromeo

Moreover, to promote these activities, the Araneta City management also launched a TikTok contest called #RampaSaAraneta.

Entry videos have to showcase and “slay” strutting on the Pride pedestrian and the colorful trees exhibit.

Prizes include an overnight stay at Novotel Manila and P5,000.

This competition runs from June 5 to 30.

Pride Collection

Levi’s dropped its collection of clothing with designs and a color palette that champions the LGBTQIA community’s strength, history and creativity.

The clothes are in a lavender-hued color palette. This “salutes LGBTQIA+ activist groups of the ’70s and ’90s whose energy brought an explosive fearlessness to the gay rights movement and mirrors the cultural push forward by queer and trans youth today.”

The collection comprises:

  • The 501® ‘93 Straight Jeans
  • The Pride Muscle Tank
  • The Liberation Trucker Vest
  • The Liberation Trucker Jacket
  • The Pride Bucket Hat in Deep Purple
  • Pride Unisex Community Graphic T-Shirt
  • Pride Women’s Graphic T-Shirt

Here are some of the photos of Levi’s 2023 Pride attire.