Mela Habijan, a transgender beauty queen and actress, has written an open letter to Ellen Adarna, a popular actress and model, after the latter made a comment about non-binary pronouns in a recent video.
In the video, Adarna was answering questions from her fans on Instagram, when she was asked about her opinion on “situationships” – a term used to describe a relationship that is not clearly defined. Adarna said that she does not like situationships, and compared them to the “confusing” non-binary pronouns that are “out right now”.
Non-binary pronouns are used by people who do not identify as exclusively male or female, and prefer to use terms such as they/them, ze/zir, or ey/em. Some languages, such as Filipino, also have non-binary pronouns, such as ako, ikaw, and siya.
Habijan, who is also a writer and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, took to Twitter to address Adarna’s remark, and urged her to be more respectful and compassionate of people who are different from her.
“While it is confusing, a true compassionate and respectful person will try to learn and understand. You don’t have to agree with it, but at least respect it,” Habijan wrote.
Habijan also pointed out that Adarna’s son, Elias, might someday come out as non-binary, and asked her how she would react then.
“Would you still say that it is confusing? Or would you take time to learn about it, because you love your son?” Habijan asked.
Habijan ended her letter by reminding Adarna that ako, ikaw, and siya are non-binary pronouns in Filipino, and added a rainbow emoji to signify the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
“PS. AKO, IKAW, AT SIYA are non-binary pronouns, ” Habijan wrote.
Adarna has not yet responded to Habijan’s letter, as of this writing.
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Source: 12/24/2023
(1) imdb.com. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4347777/.