Tag Archives: Philippines

‘The Rich Man’s Daughter’ Is the Philippines’ New Lesbian TV Show

We very rarely get to see  in the lead role of television shows. There are a handful of examples (e.g The Fosters and Pretty Little Liars) but most of the time, queer female characters are sidelined, killed off or only wheeled out when the plot was looking a little barebones that week – or worse, when it’s sweeps week and the producers need to up the ratings. Rarer still is this in Asia, where attitudes towards LGBT people are improving but are still not at an acceptable level.

That’s why it was such a big surprise this week when a new show from Philippines called ‘The Rich Man’s Daughter’ popped up on our radar. This is the country’s first ever lesbian-themed show and it’s being brought to the Philippines channel GMA Pinoy TV by head writer Suzette Severo Doctolero, who also worked on the country’s first gay-themed show, My Husband’s Lover.

According to some overly dramatic promos for the show, The Rich Man’s Daughter stars Rhian Ramos as Jade Tanchingco who is an incredibly wealthy Filipino-Chinese heiress. As an attractive woman of ‘marrying age’, Jade is expecting to find a male suitor to marry and settle down with and, being an only child, her father only wants the best for her which is why he offers millions to the man who can win Jade’s affections.

The gay panic and the drama sets in as although male love interest David Limjoco (played by Luis Alandy) is around, looking to become Jade’s husband, Jade soon falls for a woman named Althea Guevarra (played by Glaiza de Castro), which complicates things to say the least. Unfortunately The Rich Man’s Daughter has only just started airing so we don’t yet know if it’ll turn out happily like Imagine Me & You or if it will end up in a total, identity shunning disaster. However, it could be one to watch if you’re into soaps.

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The Rich Man’s Daughter airs every Monday and Tuesday on GMA Pinoy TV in the Philippines.

 

‘League of Legends’ Tournament Organisers Attempt To Limit Lesbian & Trans* Participants In The Philippines

An eSports gaming league based in the Philippines has withdrawn a ruling that sought to limit the number of gay and transgender female participants in its all-female gaming tournaments.

Garena eSports runs competitive events throughout Southeast Asia, and one very popular game is the multiplayer battle game League of Legends. This game is one of the most popular titles in professional gaming, with around 30m active players a day. Last year, 27m fans watched the game’s world championship tournament via online streams.

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In a post that opened with “Greetings, ladies of the league,” an unnamed site moderator at Garena explained that the company planned to “experiment” with participation rules for its February 22 League of Legends tournament. The new rule would limit each five-person LoL team to having “a maximum of one (1) gay/transgendered woman for the entirety of the tournament day,” and the rules clarified that a team cannot go so far as to swap a gay or transgender player for another between matches.

As an explanation, the post described Garena’s aims “to have an inclusive environment where no one feels left out,” but then went on to claim that gay and transgender players “may probably have some unfair advantage.”

“… there are arguments and concerns from other participants who disputes that Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered Women members may probably have some unfair advantage.”

Garena eSports

The blogpost was quickly shared across social media and specialist gaming sites, with dozens of furious gamers questioning the decision.

“In what universe would somebody’s sexual preferences, gender identity, or current genital load-out have any impact on their ability to compete in a digital medium?”

Anonymous

On Tuesday evening, League of Legends developer Riot Games provided a short response to the escalating controversy via Twitter, stating,

“LGBT players are welcome at official LoL tourneys. We’re working with partners to ensure consistency with our values across all regions.”

Riot Games

By Wednesday morning, Garena eSports had posted an update to its ruling, and a statement:

“Our initial ruling on LGBT player restrictions within the Iron Solari League has created a lot of good discussion and debate over the past 24 hours. After discussing the ruling with our partners and re-examining our approach, we have decided to remove these restrictions completely. This means that any player who self-identifies as female will be allowed to participate. We sincerely apologise for any offence we caused to the LGBT and gaming communities.”

Garena eSports

This is not the first controversy to affect gender-segregated events in the eSports scene. Last year, a Finnish tournament based around the card-trading game Hearthstone was criticised for inviting only male competitors. The organisers claimed that they were acting in compliance with International e-Sports Federation rules, and in response to an internet outcry, the South Korea-based body changed its position on gender segregated tournaments, offering both “open for all” and women only events.

Similarly, professional eSports is overwhelmingly dominated by male players and organisers are actively looking at ways to encourage more women and LGBTQ competitors. Riot Games is supporting university and school leagues, hoping to bring in a more diverse user-base at an earlier stage, while the Electronic Sports League has pointed toward the need for more women in leadership roles.