Paolo Benjamin Guico, 1/9 of the OPM band Ben&Ben, has said netizens got it all wrong when they assumed his gender after he posted snaps wearing knee-length and ankle-length dresses recently.
Because of his styling, netizens assumed Paolo as "gay" or "out."
Paolo said that it is wrong to assume someone's gender.
He encouraged the youth to be themselves and don't let anybody down.
Paolo's full post:
"Sometimes, I post about challenging gender stereotypes, by wearing my mom's clothes. then, he was reported on the Philippine Star. There. The comments are full of * surprise!* gender stereotypes. Hahaha
"Do you know, it's wrong to assume someone's gender based on the clothes they wear? because gender, that's a very personal thing for someone. no one else has the right to define this. further than this, it is wrong to assume that a thing or activity is male or female only. Oh, Philippines, we are still far away. help us
"Lastly, hopefully we as a country can move on to using ′′ gay ′′ as an insult. As a heterosexual male, I may not be in the place to speak for them, but I will fiercely fight for our LGBT friends and listeners. Let's grow up!!
"Kids, be free to be yourselves. don't let anyone bring you down."