National Museum of the Philippines Strives to be a Safe Space, Celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Month

A rainbow appeared over the National Museum of Fine Arts as the National Museum of the Philippines unfurled a Progress Pride Flag and lit the facade with rainbow colors (Photo by Roel Hoang Manipon)

The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), one of the country’s premiere cultural institutions, was one of the few cultural agencies of the state that proudly celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June 2024, expressed solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and recognized the diversity of gender identities.

            NMP unfurled large Progress Pride Flags at the façade of its buildings in the complex—the National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of Natural History—on June 26. Moreover, the façade of the National Museum of Fine Arts was lit up with colors of the rainbow, signifying their “commitment to making our spaces safe for a diverse spectrum of identities, not only during Pride Month but throughout the rest of the year too!”

            The Progress Pride Flag is a variation of the rainbow or Pride flag conceptualized by American artists Gilbert Baker, Lynn Segerblom, James McNamara and other activists, and launched in 1978. It was designed by American non-binary artist and designer Daniel Quasar in 2018, incorporating the six bands of colors of the common Pride flag and adding five chevrons to emphasize the inclusion of marginalized people of color, transgender people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and those who have been lost.

“The display of these flags is a gesture of the NMP’s strong commitment to promoting gender equality and allyship with our LGBTQI+ brothers and sisters—not just in the Philippines—but also around the world!” NMP further said. 

            Many component museums of NMP around the country also displayed Pride flags and held Pride events including those in Vigan City in Ilocos Sur, Bohol, Iloilo, Cebu, Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, and Butuan City in Agusan del Norte. These included Colorful Fridays, for which NMP Central and Regional Office employees wore vibrant colors during all Fridays of June, a symbolic act of allyship through fashion to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

The main NMP complex in Manila also had several Pride activities. It offered free guided tours for members of the LGBTQ+ community all Saturdays of June, wherein guests were encouraged to wear colorful outfits during their visit. Through its Gender and Development Focal Point System, it launched a Freedom Wall on June 21, allowing “participants from both the NMP and the public to share their thoughts and express their imagination through a colorful display of collaborative art,” with a short lecture by artist Marko Sarmiento.

On the other hand, the NM Employees' Multi-Purpose Cooperative held a poem-writing contest called Tula ng Bahaghari.

According to NMP, the Republic Act No. 11333 or NMP Act “ensures the LGBTQ+ community of equal access and opportunity to cultural education activities and museum experience.” 

“Pride Month is a commemoration and celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, an integral cultural concept representing solidarity, collectivity, and identity as well as resistance to discrimination and violence,” the museum said. 

The institution added: “The NMP, in its brand-new vision of shaping a progressive and sustainable future, prides itself as a safe and accessible space for all folks in the identity spectrum!”