By Dhel Sue Cabiara and Lealina Evangeline A. Reyes
June, the month of love when streets are filled with loud and vibrant colors, symbolizes a celebration of love and for love. Rainbow flags are raised to wave in freedom, resistance, and most of all, personal rights in defense and freedom—for Pride.
Over the past decade, the Pride Month celebration has been a symbol of acceptance, diversity, and solidarity in Dumaguete City. However, Pride is not only rainbows. It is a symbol of resistance, protest, and the demand for equality. Behind the spectrum of color is an initiative rooted in making platforms visible for the LGBTQIA+ advocacy.
The city’s celebration traces its roots in December 2011 with the parade for World AIDS Day. This event was organized by the Dumaguete City Health Office and volunteers from Silliman University (SU) to bring awareness on HIV/AIDS.
A turning point came with the “6200 Pride” event in 2016. The celebration primarily focused on queer activism, transforming Dumaguete’s pride into an expression of the community’s advocacies.
The festivity was organized by a network of student and local organizations in the city, including the Illuminates of the Spectra of SU, and PETALS Dumaguete, an LGBTQIA+ group led by Prof. Carlou Bernaldez of the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU).
From a simple parade 15 years ago, Pride in Dumaguete is now a week-long series of activities that puts education, health, community engagement, and visibility at its core. With the celebration’s growth came the growing partnerships among local government agencies, student organizations, and community.
Among these is Ang Sandigan, a socio-civic organization in SU, which became one of the main organizers and partner organizations for Dumaguete Pride in the past five years.
Ang Sandigan External Vice-President Althea Lyzza Tabiliran said that Pride Month has turned from a celebration contained within and intimate for the community to “an expansive and bold festivity which places queer advocacy on a wider platform.”
“There’s also been a conscious shift toward making Pride more educational and intersectional, inviting conversations about mental health, gender identity, and allyship. It’s no longer just a celebration, but a platform for advocacy and empowerment,” she said.
This year’s celebration, titled “Pride Express 2026,” mirrors the desire for inclusivity, empowerment, and solidarity through its theme, “Dare to Love. Reach the Infinite.’’ It included a lineup of activities on queer expression and visibility, beginning with a Pride march last June 27.
The festivities included a podcast that tackles deep issues within the community, and the “Bading Bazaar” which showcased the craftsmanship of local queer entrepreneurs. One of the event’s highlights was the mainstage drag event, “UnkaVogueGable: A Super Mega Ultra Intergalactic Showdown,” where queens performed with pure, unapologetic artistry.
Preparations for the activities started last April with Ang Sandigan partnering with City Government of Dumaguete, the Local Youth Development Council and Office, the Gender Watch Against Violence Exploitation, and student organizations including the SU Medical Technology Society, the Renaissance Youth Leaders Forum, SU Student Government, NORSU’s IT Society, and Girls’ Congress.
These partnerships among local government offices and student organizations reflect how Pride has evolved into a broader civic movement.
Dumaguete Pride has long grown, sprouted, and bloomed into a widespread and diverse celebration of resilience and resistance. Looking into the future, Tabiliran dreams to see a Dumaguete where queer people can stand proudly in truth without fear, and for Pride to become inseparable from local culture.
“I want Pride to become so ingrained in Dumaguete’s identity that it feels natural and unshakeable. […] I hope it becomes a lasting legacy of courage, compassion, and unwavering self-acceptance,” she said.
In June, love becomes activism and advocacy when people actively carve a future where everyone is embraced and accepted for who they are. Through this celebration, queer voices are not just simply heard but amplified, and the flags of their identities are raised for love, in resistance, and with Pride.
