Ian Veneracion on daughter’s coming out: “You can be whoever you want to be”
In an interview with Magandang Buhay, actor Ian Veneracion shared the heartwarming coming out story of his daughter Deirdre, or “Dids” to her family and friends. The 45-year-old Block Z actor recalled how Dids confessed to him that she is attracted to girls at the age of 16.
“Nandoon lang ako, kinukulit ko ‘yung mga motor ko. So dumating siya, medyo teary eyed. Sabi niya, ‘Daddy, I’ll tell you something.’ Sabi ko, ‘What? Sit down.’ Tapos sabi niya, ‘I like girls.’ Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Me also, I like girls.’ Tapos nagtataka siya. Sabi ko, ‘What? Yeah.’ Sabi niya, ‘It’s okay?’
Sabi ko, ‘Yes. Just don’t ever be apologetic about it, not even to me. You can be whoever you want to be, and I have full support,” Ian said.
A Father’s Love
Ian also revealed that he always knew about her daughter’s gender identity.
“Umatras ‘yung luha niya. Tapos sabi niya, ‘You know?’ ‘Oo naman, bata ka pa, ang macho mo na,’” he added.
The forever handsome actor then emphasized that we should never feel apologetic in expressing our our true selves. “Nakakapang-hinayang lang. Isa lang ang buhay natin tapos apologetic ka pa, nahihiya ka sa sarili mo na ilabas ang pagkatao mo. Parang, what a waste of life.”
Dids, on the other hand, shared how she felt after coming out to her father.
“Kasi nung time na ‘yun, I didn’t tell anybody pa. I wasn’t super open. So, it felt weird, since we’re very close.’”
Supportive Parents
Ian also revealed that his wife, Pam Gallardo, has always been supportive to Dids.
“’Di pa niya alam. Hindi ko pa pwedeng sabihin. Kasi hinihilot ko pa. Kasi hindi ko alam kung anong [magiging] reaction niya. Tapos eventually, sinabi ko sa kanya, ‘Paano kapag nagka-boyfriend si Dids, okay lang?’ Sabi niya, ‘Okay lang.’ Sabi ko, paano kapag nagka-girlfriend siya, okay lang?’ Sabi niya, ‘Kung saan siya masaya, masaya ako,’” he said.
“She has the full support of the family,” he added.
