‘God loves all genders’: Queer friends show faith to Jesus Nazareno
MANILA, Philippines — Four queer friends endured 15 hours of waiting together in a long queue at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila to show their faith and devotion to Jesus, the Nazarene.
They carry their strong belief that God loves everyone—including the LGBTQIA+ like them.
READ: Nazareno 2026: ‘Pahalik’ begins Wednesday evening, Jan. 7
Christian Ragadio, 46, who identifies himself as a gay man, was the one who encouraged his transwomen friends—Daniela Geronimo Cariquitan (20), Nicksy Go (23) and Trisha Deasis (20)—to take part in the traditional ‘Pahalik (kissing).’
Riding their motorcycles from Malabon City, they arrived at the grandstand at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, and got to offer their prayers and touch the Nazareno’s image at around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8.
“I asked them to join because I wanted to bring them closer to the Jesus Nazarene,” Ragadio said in an interview with the INQUIRER after they were able to finally touch the foot of the Nazareno’s replica.
Ragadio has been a Nazarene devotee since 2018 or for eight years now. He was raised in a family that accepted him as gay and taught him how God loves everyone.
His faith in God as he was growing up enabled him to handle every judgment and discrimination he got from other people, who sometimes even told him that “being gay is a sin.”
“The Lord does not discriminate. As long as you accept him and repent, do things that are in harmony with His will,” he said.
READ: Church volunteer says yes in marriage proposal during ‘Pahalik’
As for the first-timers of the Nazareno feast, Daniela, Nicksy and Trisha told the INQUIRER that joining the Pahalik became a huge blessing for them as it reinvigorated their faith in God.
“I came to experience His words and His love more. It feels like my tiredness has gone away. It’s true that He loves us all,” Daniela said.
“The tiredness I felt for 15 hours, when I got here, disappeared. I want Him to be my vow,” Nicksy added. /apl
