It’s Gayving!: Mabuhey Productions oust stereotypes in trad Pinoy holidays with MareQueerxmas

FEU Advocate
December 12, 2023 10:34


The yuletide season holds a lot of stories, including those among queers that are most likely left unsaid given the traditions that the Filipinos are used to having. Mare Queerxmas, a talk show organized by Mabuheyyy Productions, will delve more into experiences of queers during Christmas in their live broadcast via Far Eastern University (FEU) Studios today, December 12.

Celebrating the holidays with your families is one of the common things done during Christmas. Family reunions with good food, and fun games have been nostalgic for a Filipino. 

Queers, however, have their fair share of reasons why they ought to spend the season with their chosen families.

Fourth-year BA Communication student and the show’s Executive Producer David Barbacena wanted to create a platform for the queers to share their stories.

“It focuses on the different Christmas stories of queer individuals na tingin namin [ng production team] na hindi masyadong naeemphasize ‘yung storya ng queer individuals sa media (that we [the production team] think are not fully emphasized about the stories of queer individuals in the media), particularly on what they have been experiencing during Christmas,” he said.

The production was not only in line with the upcoming holidays, but it also gave light to the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

As the LGBTQIA+ community continue to strive for their position in society, Mare Queerxmas served to pioneer and initiate more discussions about the various discriminations they receive.

Mare Queerxmas also tackled the differences and generation gaps between individuals that may serve as points of reflection for its viewers.

“It will be a discussion, it will be a heartwarming storytelling of what are the things that happened in the past that we can actually reflect upon and be able to do something out of it,” Barbacena added. 

The show was done in fulfillment of the Multimedia Production class under the FEU Institute of Arts and Sciences Department of Communication.

Though Filipinos have always looked forward to the joy of Christmas, the production intends to champion a brighter holiday spirit where everyone is involved in the gift-giving season.

(Photo courtesy of Mare Queerxmas)