A 2022 presidential candidate on Monday cracked a joke to his LGBTQ+ supporters present at the campaign sortie, saying that they can “book” one of his sons for free.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, more commonly known as Moreno, went to Butuan City where his “Team Bilis Kilos” conducted a concert rally with his running mate and senatorial bets.
Moreno is running alongside vice presidential bet physician Willie Ong. His senate slate consists of former agrarian reform chief John Castriciones, civic leader Samira Gutoc, entrepreneur Carl Balita, and former “Ipaglaban Mo” host Jopet Sison.
The Manila mayor was accompanied by his third child, actor Joaquin Domagoso, at the campaign event.
Reports note that the father and son tandem pumped up the crowd by flashing the “two joints” hand gesture at some point in the rally.
Moreno also showed some dance steps and cracked jokes before eventually delivering his campaign promises such as improved internet and basic services.
One of his jokes, however, caught some of the online community’s attention.
Among those Moreno greeted in the sortie were his LGBTQ+ supporters who waved the Pride flag when he acknowledged them.
“Sa aming mga LGBT! Mamaya ireregalo ko sa inyo si Joaquin!” he joked with a matching expression.
At that point, his 20-year-old son went near the corner of the stage to acknowledge the presidential bet’s supporters.
“Libre ang booking! Pero tikim lang, ‘wag kakainin!” Moreno joked.
“Booking” is a slang commonly used among Filipino LGBTQ+ who refer to it as a date that involves sex, or a hookup. The term is also used by non-LGBTQ+ people.
A clip of the incident alarmed some Filipinos, including those who identify themselves as LGBTQ+, who disagreed with his perception that homosexuals are promiscuous or are always into sex.
“May gusto akong sabihin at ito ay hot take na paninindigan ko: Walang judgment sa booking… pero bilang LGBT+, ang tunay na hanap ko ay pagtanggap at pagmamahal,” dermatologist Winlove Mojica tweeted.
“Sana maunawaan ng mga LGBT+ na more than booking, karapatdapat silang mahalin at kaya nilang magmahal,” he added.
“Nakakalungkot na patuloy lang na kumakalat ang idea na ‘pag LGBT+, booking/hada /sex lang ang gusto. Maraming batang LGBT+ ang na-re-rape dahil sa idea na ito. ‘Ito naman gusto mo ‘di ba?'” Mojica added.
“Ilang tayong LGBT+ ang napahamak at nasaktan dahil sa mga salitang ‘Ito naman gusto mo ‘di ba?’ Hindi ‘yan ang gusto ko. Dahil paulit-ulit na sinasabing sex lang ang gusto ng LGBT+, ‘yun na rin ang natatatak sa ating isip. ‘Yung itinutulak sa atin na sex, napagkakamalan nating love and acceptance. Pero walang nagsasabi sa atin na magkaiba sila,” he further said.
Another Filipino LGBTQ+ questioned Moreno’s joke to his supporters.
“Sa mga LGBTQ+ members, tingin gusto palagi ng booking or sex sex lang ganun? What kind of behavior is that ‘YORME’?? Kung ito po ay isang joke, hindi siya nakakatuwa para sa akin na miyembro ng LGBTQ Community,” the Twitter user wrote with an eyeroll emoji.
A different Filipino also called out the presidential bet for “sexualizing” his own son.
“Hanep,” the Twitter user commented with irony.
One of the long-standing myths about homosexuals is that they always “sleep around a lot more than” their straight peers.
“It is important to note that gay men are no hornier than their heterosexual counterparts. Research has found that the sex drives of gay and heterosexual men are equally high,” social psychologist Justin Lehmiller said in a blog post.
“This tells us that any difference in number of partners is not due to gay men having increased sexual urges; rather, it is probably a reflection of the fact that men are generally more interested in casual sex than are women,” he added.
