In a recent interview, volleyball superstar Deanna Wong opened up on loving who she loves and being part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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As we celebrate Pride Month this June, we are remembered that people’s journey to discovering themselves is exactly that, a journey. Coming out and accepting who you are isn’t as simple as slapping on a label and calling it a day. Everyone deserves their own time to know who they are and come out when and if they want to. Recently, Miel Pangilinan came out and identified as queer, sharing her many thoughts towards her identity and feeling that she was confident enough to let the world know who she truly was. And volleyball superstar Deanna Wong is another personality who has had a journey when it comes to understanding herself and who she loves. In an interview with Karen Davila, the sports star opened up about what it means to love and how she herself navigates the space she finds herself in.
LOVING WHO SHE LOVES
For the record, Deanna hasn’t put a label on herself. And when speaking with Karen Davila, she saw it more as just her living her life. “Well, I haven’t really being straight to the point, being direct with it but siyempre siguro it says something na parang ito ako, this is who I am.” She left it up to the people to interpret what she meant by that. Deanna did say though that she does identify with the LBGTQIA+ community, especially on the “LGB” side. But for Deanna, it just boils down to just loving the person, no matter who that person is, which helped her come to terms with who she was. “It was me kasi believing na nagustohan ko naman ‘yung tao eh. Parang minamahal ko lang naman siya.”
As the gospel truth states, love is love. To that end, she said that what’s important for her is that she likes the person. “Nothing’s impossible. I don’t have a type, if I like the person, I like the person. If I love the person, I love the person as long as that person will treat me right, is kind, is God-fearing.”
OUT AND LIVING HER LIFE
While being open like this, even without concrete labels, is a freeing experience for many. But Deanna, like so many others, also had to deal with parents who didn’t understand her. As she shared, “Lalo na them coming from a different generation, they have their own personal beliefs, opinions, perspectives. Hindi kami agad nagsundo when it came to that point.”
She specifically singles out her father as the one in her family who got hurt by Deanna’s open preferences, which wasn’t easy for her given her close bond with her dad and that she’s a self described daddy’s girl. “He didn’t go for it. His beliefs were saying something different.” But over time, her parents have learned to accept her for who she with the relationship between she and her father remaining tight as ever.
And despite the fact that she’s a public figure, she isn’t afraid of the backlash her beliefs and identity might bring her. She understands that it comes with the territory and is just looking to surround herself with people that love her. “Ang iniisip ko lang lagi is people can really say or will really say a lot about certain things. If the people really see me for who I am, that’s the people who are true to me.”
For anyone still struggling to find themselves or coming to terms with their identity, take it from Deanna Wong and know that what most matters is what your heart is telling you. She summed up her experience as just loving who she wanted to love regardless of who they may be. She believed in herself and what she knew was right for her. This is something we can all take to heart.
Coming out or even just accepting who you are is a personal journey of profound understanding, love, and growth. You yourself can only know what your true colors are. There’s no need to rush this and it’s ok to take your time. This is not a race and your destination doesn’t have to be what people expect it to be. For Deanna, while she doesn’t put a hard label to it, she is living her truth. Wherever you may end up in on your personal journey, may you be most happy with it.
Watch Deanna’s interview with Karen Davila where the two even do a few serves of volleyball below.
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