Jethro Patalinghug: The Fabulous Life of a Filipinx Filmmaker
■ PAOI EULALIA
Cover shot on location in San Francisco’s Mission District. Director of Photography D. Maurice Gil adelantetv.com Production Assistant David Robson
“Hey, sexy” is something I’m sure a lot of people greet you with. Do you feel lucky being good-looking? Kaloka! (Crazy!) How presumptive! I would rather think that people think that I’m way younger than my real age. I’m 42. But that doesn’t come without any disadvantage. Because I look young, I’m always trying to prove myself in any given situation.
“No fats. No femmes. No Asians.” How do you respond to that in gay apps? No idiots. Seriously.
How long since you moved to the US from the Philippines? What was it like settling in? Seven years. I was so scared to be treated like a second-class citizen. But I just flipped my middle finger and crushed them all. It wasn’t an easy transition. I had to start all over again since I didn’t know anyone. I spent my first two years back in college and had to deal with 15-year-olds who had yet to develop work ethic. It was humbling considering I left a career as a TV producer back in the Philippines.
Have you hidden your age on gay dating apps? I’m 25 in Hornet. I really don’t seek equality online. I just want to get laid. That being said, hiding my real age is a revelation of ageism, one of many social problems in our community.
You’ve been reportedly sticky and into kaikai. What makes being engaged to a hot Asian man who cross-dresses more appealing to you than the white Abercrombie & Fitch type? First of all, the A&F type is a lie. It’s a disgrace to compare it to the concept of drag. Drag is about empowerment, the other is about the supposed supremacy of the white gay persona. Second, what’s kinkier than kaikai?
Young men of color do not have a lot of personalities of color in mainstream media to look up to. What can you tell young men of color to empower them to feel just as sexy as today’s standards? We don’t need to look up to those standards because the other side of those are the substandard that it perpetuates. The only way to empower yourself as a queer person of color is to embrace the intersectionality of your experience. Embrace your queerness, your ethnicity, your sexuality, your physicality, your love and all that you are. You’ll find that in the midst of all the inequalities that you encounter, accepting who you are is your most reliable power.
Congratulations with 50 Years of Fabulous. What prompted you to produce this riveting film? What is the relevance of documenting the history of SF’s Imperial Council? I was at the right place at the right time when 50 Years of Fabulous landed on my hands. Nothing special in the arrangement. But as someone who is very active in the community, it was very important for me to know about the history of my community, and directing 50 Years of Fabulous gave me just that. The film is really a chronicle of the gay liberation movement through a very specific lens of an organization that is a support system of our entire community for 50 years. It is the oldest surviving LGBTQ charity organization in the world founded by the very first openly gay man to run for public office in the US, Jose Sarria.
POCs tend to lean towards self-sufficiency than ask white people for help to achieve racial equality. Do we need white people? Communities formed through racial, cultural, or religious affinity promote solidarity in those communities but can also be isolating. We need to remain open to white allies, especially those who are willing to share the privilege they already have. We need to take hold of the powers that currently are with white folks in order for us to implement equality that we yearn for.
