Social media users in the Philippines, including some members of the LGBT+ community, have criticized the drag queen Pura Luka Vega for dressing up as Jesus and using a musical arrangement of the Lord's Prayer commonly used in Catholic services in the country. The act also sparked intense debates regarding blasphemy and religious expression.
In posts on both Twitter and Instagram this week, Vega, whose real name is Amadeus Fernando Pagente, was seen dressing up as Jesus while performing with a punk rock version of a musical arrangement of "Ama Namin" (Tagalog for "Our Father").
"Thank you for coming to church!" the caption read.
Blasphemy Vs. Expression
The performance elicited mixed reactions from Filipinos on social media. Some say the act was an "expression of art" while others asserted it already crossed the border into being "offensive" and "blasphemous."
A certain @_nickdeocampo emphasized how art was meant to "comfort the [disturbed] and disturb the comfortable," as well as pointed out how religious groups spread discriminatory messages against the broad LGBT+ community.
"'It's not okay,' you say? Come back to me when you can say the same to your church who does not preach love, who does not see beyond gender," the user said.
A certain Joshua Ronett added while being a Christian worship leader who attends weekly services, he still noticed the LGBT+ community was "literally being killed out there.
"Besides, our relationship with God will not be affected by what others do," he added.
However, some of the comments about Vega's drag act being done in bad faith or poor taste came from the Filipino LGBT+ community.
"Prayer is not entertainment. The mass is not a costume party. The church is not a club," one Twitter user commented.
Another criticized the supposed "hypocrisy" of the act, saying that while some sectors of religious groups in the country have offended the LGBT+ community, especially the Catholic Church, Pagente's act was no different. "Those people will hate us more, instead of them listening to us," the user explained.
A certain Hailey Tootsies also suggested on twitter to "set limits" on what can or cannot be done for the sake of the LGBT+ community. "Yes, drag is art, but if we offend others because we are offended by them, we are being lower than them," the user added.
Additionally, a certain Emjee said it was not the music accompanying the performance that lost its dignity but the doer who mocked it. "It is clearly offensive for the Catholics knowing that someone we adore and worship became an icon for entertainment," he added. Emjee, a member of the LGBT+ community from the Visayas region, has asked SunStar Cebu to withhold his last name.
Using Elements Of Religion As Entertainment Is Blasphemy, Priest Says
In an interview with CNN's Philippine bureau Friday (July 14), the Rev. Jerome Secillano, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said Vega's drag act was not a way to worship. "As I saw it in the video, it's a way of entertaining people, it's not even a worship thing," he added.
The priest emphasized that sacred elements in a religion, such as the person of Jesus and his "Our Father" prayer, become a mockery and blasphemy if used for entertainment purposes, even if the motive was not to disrespect such a religion.
Secillano added in a statement earlier this week that the public should be "extremely prudent in their actions, especially with regard to using elements of religion and faith for secular purposes."
Meanwhile, a Facebook page called "The Pinoy Catholic" criticized the comedic style of a certain Romar Chuca for his supposedly distasteful way of evangelizing the Catholic faith while also criticizing Filipino Catholic clergy for focusing on Pagente's drag act.
In one of his TikTok videos, Chuca was seen playing clackers, which Filipinos call "lato-lato", while singing the Latin liturgical hymn "Tantum ergo Sacramentum."
"A clout-chaser's life is hard," the page said.
Vega On Jesus Drag Act: Sorry, Not Sorry
Later in the interview, Pagente, a former contestant of a televised local drag show in the country, apologized to those who felt uncomfortable with the performance but also stressed he would not be deterred from continuing expressing art and practicing the faith the way he has done.
"I really did that performance as a way for me to kind of heal the exclusion I have experienced as a Catholic, as a queer person being somewhat being made to feel that I don't really belong," Vega added.
Pagente explained the act did not intend to garner national attention, saying the way it became a public discussion made the drag queen's family worry about his safety. "I hope that they also understand it from my point of view," Vega added.
Offensive Religious Expression Can Be Criminalized, Lawmakers Say
On the other hand, Bataan representative Geraldine Roman, the first Filipino transgender lawmaker, has criticized Pagente for using the "gender card" in addressing issues about religion and discrimination against LGBT+ people.
"Pura, please, do not use the gender card again because you are giving the community a bad name," she appealed to the drag queen.
Roman added the incident was "simply a case of disrespect for religious feelings of other people," citing Article 133 of the Philippines' Revised Penal Code. Anyone found guilty of offending the religious feelings of an individual or a group of people could face up to six months in jail.
The trans legislator, who also professed to be a Catholic during the interview, was also surprised Vega did not expect the negative reaction from a predominantly Catholic population. She also dared Pagente to attempt to do a similar show using the articles of faith of other religions that are not as tolerant as Christianity.
"You cannot call art something that will hurt the feelings of other people," she added. "I find that attitude very selfish, irresponsible, and inconsiderate."
Roman also urged Vega to consider approaching a Catholic priest who could be comfortable in dealing with issues such as his.
Separately, Philippine Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri cited Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code. The article punishes those who spread "[i]mmoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions, and indecent shows." Any person found guilty of the act would be sentenced to either six to 12 years in prison, a fine between PHP 6,000 ($110) and PHP 12,000 ($220), or both.
"In my opinion, this is the height of the misuse and abuse of our freedom of expression that borders on criminal activity," Zubiri said.
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