The country’s first drag superstar expressed her love for a New York Times report that featured elderly members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
These senior members of the community are called the “Golden Gays.” They were formed to support each other in making ends meet in a largely conservative Catholic society.
Their story in the local drag scene was showcased in the report titled “The ‘Golden Gays’ Return to the Stage in the Philippines.” It was published on January 4.
The New York Times also posted this report on its social media channels.
A group of older gay men in the Philippines — who calls themselves the Golden Gays — was created to support and shelter people who had been cast aside by society. Decades later, they are still living together, hosting pageants to help make ends meet. https://t.co/t3bwNasBiI
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) January 5, 2023
Precious Paula Nicole, the winner of the country’s “Drag Race Philippines” Season 1, saw this tweet and reacted to it with five heart emojis.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/KGVVm7Ph2Y
— Precious Paula Nicole (@PreciousPaulaN) January 5, 2023
Precious has been vocal about her goal to represent this group since her time at the drag reality series.
When she was crowned as the winner of the competition, Precious dedicated her victory to drag queens who are already in their senior years.
The Bicolana drag queen described them as the “golden lolas.”
“Napakalaking bagay ‘to dahil nirerepresent ko yung mga senior queens— the golden lolas,” Precious said during her speech.
RELATED: Throwback: Highlights of Precious Paula Nicole’s ‘Drag Race Philippines’ journey
This goal eventually materialized in a foundation for these veteran performers.
Last November, Precious launched the Precious Foundation, a non-government organization dedicated to the Golden Gays.
“‘Yung pagkapanalo ko sa Drag Race, hindi lang ‘yun basta korona. Kayo ang korona kong lahat,” she was quoted in a report as saying.
“Hindi po nawala sa isip ko na tulungan kayo kapag meron na akong sapat na kakayanan,” she added.
Precious has long been a supporter of the Golden Gays even before she joined the “DPRH.”
With her victory, she expressed hope that she could build a home for them in 2023.
“Ngayon po, makakapagpatayo na tayo ng bahay para sa mga golden lolas soon,” she was quoted in a report as saying.
Precious is currently in the United Kingdom for “DragCon UK,” a massive convention for drag queens and their fans.
READ: Philippines’ Precious Paula Nicole to grace ‘DragCon UK’
