Recap: Singers Darren Espanto and Juan Karlos were engaged in a lengthy and bitter Twitter feud
The issue began when Darren called out the ‘Buwan’ singer for allegedly mentioning him in a now-deleted tweet which read ‘gayness at its finest.’
Timing ‘no? Dinelete ng “hacker” mo yung tweet na ‘to after kang kausapin ng management. Pag nahanap mo yung hacker mo puntahan niyo ako para malaman niyo kung sino yung totoong BAKLA. @KarlosLabajo pic.twitter.com/HhVsMVhrSH
— Darren Espanto (@Espanto2001) October 22, 2018
Juan Karlos, for his part, completely denied that it was him who tweeted, and instead, supposedly blamed it on a ‘hacker.’
and di ko lang kayang gawin ay humingi ng patawad sa mga bagay na hindi ko ginawa. mamatay man lahat ng tao na mahal ko at nagmamahal sakin per once and for all, hindi ako ang nag tweet nun at hindi siya ang pinaguusapan namin sa pbb dati. yun lang yun.
— juan karlos (@KarlosLabajo) October 22, 2018
While the entire thing was a mess filled with now-deleted tweets and publicized private Instagram DMs, it was the controversial use of the gay slurs that earned the pvblic’s ire.
'GAY' 👏🏼 IS 👏🏼 NOT 👏🏼 AN 👏🏼 INSULT
— Juan Miguel Severo (@TheRainBro) October 22, 2018
They both used “bakla” as a negative qualifier, so they both lose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ https://t.co/niV8XiACQy
— Mikhail Quijano (@mikhailquijano) October 22, 2018
really, are you people incapable of fighting without resorting to homophobic slurs? paka-fragile and toxic ng masculinity nyo e https://t.co/pHQpE30PcB
— jared vincent? (@jaredlacaran) October 22, 2018
Some see the use of the gay slur as a reflection of our society
Petty, “childish” quarrels reflect the kind of culture we all grew up in—which virtues and principles have made their way into our unconscious. So yeah, this is all “away-bata,” but also a snapshot of how our culture still sees homosexuality. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
— Mikhail Quijano (@mikhailquijano) October 22, 2018
On str8 men feeling insulted when called 'gay':
Sigurado ba kayong kaya sila naiinsulto ay dahil sa malicious accusation, o dahil sa tingin nila ay being gay is inherently wrong?
One thing's for sure: kung talagang secure sila sa masculinity nila, hindi sila maaapektuhan.
— SPOOKY SERNA (@Punongbayan_) October 22, 2018
But others also chose to see the issue in a different light
Being called gay when you’re not is an insult. Intent is always key.
Straight people can be offended when they are called gay, not because they hate gay ppl, but simply because they are not. Para lang ding pagpilit sating mga bakla na may chance pa tayong mambabae. Respeto.— Universal Rodina (@iamrodafrog) October 22, 2018
Their Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression is as valid as ours. Let’s not burn bridges with our straight ally. Kumportable man silang tawaging babaeng bakla, f*g hag, patola, or kung ano pa man yan, as long as they are one with the LGBTQ Community, join lang.
— Universal Rodina (@iamrodafrog) October 22, 2018
