Model and former actress Ellen Adarna stressed that her confusion about the usage of LGBTQ+ pronouns does not mean she’s against them.
“I’m not anti; I love them. Na-confuse lang ako sa pronouns, anti na?” Ellen said in a now-expired question-and-answer session on her Instagram account when one of her followers said, “Didn’t know you were anti-lgbt. Omg, I am unfollowing.”
Ellen also said she also has close friends in the queer community.
“My best friend since high school is a lesbian. I have a lot of close friends who are gay,” she explained.
The local star recently drew flak from social media users after sharing her thoughts on “situationship,” saying that “it is as confusing as the non-binary gender [and] pronouns that are out right now.”
“So confusing. Ang sakit sa bangs,” she said.
Miss Trans Global and LGBTQ+ advocate Mela Habijan called out Ellen via an open letter on her social media accounts. While the former welcomed the latter’s thought, she said that a “compassionate person and respectful person will try to learn and understand” the matter.
“Parang Math. It is confusing, but we try to learn it because it will teach us the value of logic. It also allows us how to embrace problems and find solutions. Above all, Appreciating Math, no matter how confusing it is, let’s us discover that there’s no single or absolute solution to a problem,” she wrote.
“Understanding that there is gender diversity—kahit gaano man ito kasakit sa bangs mo—won’t hurt you. But it will help you gain a deeper appreciation of human life,” she said, expressing her hope that Ellen can learn to be “open, patient, and compassionate” to those who aren’t like her.
“I hope you become more open, be patient, and be compassionate of people who are not like you. Because if your kid happens to tell you that they are non-binary, I think you will try your best to learn,” she continued. “PS. AKO, IKAW, AT SIYA are non-binary pronouns.”
In a previous interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, trans advocate Matt Reyno said using one’s preferred pronouns is a “very simple way to affirm [their] gender identity.”
“One of the most common triggers of dysphoria for trans people is getting misgendered,” shared Reyno. “It validates a lot of people when they’re addressed by their preferred pronouns.”
