Original Title: My Child, Happy 18th Birthday!
You are and will always be the best person you can ever be. Do not resent yourself if people stare at you differently. You have your will to live the life you know better than anyone else does. Be fearless. You represent your true vision, and people can be demeaning in different forms. Although those who truly care will never doubt your goodness—believe me, a lot of people came into my life with noble intentions and stood for my own belief and thinking, and the bond we've shared turned a thousandfold, even our genders and identities can be quite confusing to them at times. Ha-ha!—many more people will shun you with words you don't want to hear and put you through paranoia. They will never lose something to say or mock about either when you're around or not. Your presence will always be as fragile as shelved ceramics but do not lose faith. We are more than the labels we tag into ourselves. Nobody owns this world; you stand your own ground and glow like an ember in an open sky. You are great and will always be great with a sheer talent to make a change. Right now, we are tremendously fighting an uphill battle of our equal rights and liberties; you are one of our reasons why we never cease away. One day, we will not have to prove ourselves against all odds. One day, you will see the value of your own worth. One day, you will be raising the rainbow flag with pride not only because we have served a good rally, but because you believe in what you can do just as much as we do. I will be closing this letter with a good night's thought. I believe in you. You must believe in your self. I am rooting for you, and I cannot wait to see you blossom with much love and confidence. I will be your Number 1 fan! P.S. Oh! I may be your Tita of Manila when we see each other, but I like to remind you to (1) educate yourself of the Stonewall Riot, the plus sign in LGBTQ+, the myths and myriads of queer culture, and everything in between; (2) be an ally of goodwill; (3) DON'T VOTE FOR THE APOLOGISTS, REVISIONISTS, PLUNDERERS, CORRUPT AND MURDERERS, AND THOSE SELF-SERVING PUBLIC OFFICIALS who claim to be on our team but are only using the name in vain—do your research, be knowledgeable of their backgrounds and platforms; (4) be pro-people, pro-Philippines; (5) your body, your business!; (6) protect yourself from any harm; (7) that we are here to take care of you. WE ARE FAMILY!
-C, a non-binary female writer/graphic designer