This shampoo ad about transgender women is so beautiful and liberating, it will make you cry

In 2013, the Philippines was ranked as one of the few gay-friendly countries in the world. But, this is not entirely true. Being “gay-friendly” in the Philippines means we are only tolerant but not really accepting of the LGBTQA+ community. 

Sadly, despite a number of gender equality movements, including the passage of the SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression) Equality bill, news about transgenders being discriminated, rejected and abused are still happening every day.

Although the battle for gender equality may seem not yet over for us, the paradigm shift in media portrayals of LGBTQA+ people is really helping in challenging stereotypes and breaking typical misconceptions about gender and sexuality. 

And in honor of the transgender awareness week, this shampoo brand recently released a poignant television commercial about a journey to being accepted as a transgender woman in the Philippines.

The video started with an emotional line: “To you who are feeling the world is against you.”

https://twitter.com/horribleached/status/1071015929046216704

Twitter user @horriblebleached pointed out how this commercial is important in changing the way we view gender and sexuality.

https://twitter.com/horribleached/status/1071272967965822977

And some people, who saw the shampoo ad, couldn’t help but be emotional about it.

https://twitter.com/watermelon_dude/status/1071260122037530624

https://twitter.com/Kileen15/status/1071301491078643713

Even Twitter users across the globe commended the Philippines for taking this progressive step towards LGBTQA+ acceptance.

https://twitter.com/niggligg/status/1071912483772862469

And that ~liberating~ feeling upon watching the ad.

https://twitter.com/puppystew42/status/1071860183314325504

Kylie Celebre, one of the commercial talents, mentioned how grateful she is to be part of this beautiful and inspirational campaign.

The “coming out” process is always the hardest part for the LGBTQA+ people. With campaigns like this, we sure hope that people no longer feel the need to lie about their gender identity or sexuality. And that they feel more confident about their sexual orientation without worrying about being discriminated or rejected.

via GIPHY

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