Philippines ‘Jesus’ drag queen arrested for obscenity

According to the indecency laws of the Christian majority nation, the 33-year-old, whose real name is Amadeus Fernando Pagente, could spend up to 12 years in prison.

Almost 80 % of people in the Philippines identify as Catholic.

According to a backup of the arrest warrant that Manila police shared, Pagente has been charged with the offense of” evil beliefs, vulgar magazines and events and indecent exhibits.”

The Lord’s Prayer is sung in Tagalog by a beard Pagente dressed as Jesus Christ in the picture. Since then, it has been removed.

At the end of July, the Philippines for Jesus Movement, which included Christian church leaders, filed the first legal complaint with the Manila Prosecutor’s Office. The Christian organization Nazarene Brotherhood subsequently filed a minute problem in August.

Pagente, a Latin word for an” unwelcome people,” was also declared” persona non grata” by several cities in the Philippines, including its money Manila.

bring queens have been well-liked performers in the Philippines for years, impersonating singers and actresses while delivering punchlines during stand-up performances.

Pagente, however, belongs to a new breed of drag queens who use their shows to advance their causes and put the boundaries of free speech to the test.

The collar, according to them,” demonstrates the level of homosexuality in the Philippines.” ” I am aware that some people find my performance to be profane, insulting, or unfortunate. They don’t, but, instruct me on how to discipline my faith or perform my drag.

Drag is not a crime, according to supporters who have been calling for Pagente’s release using the # FreePuraLukaVega hash tag. Some claimed that the actor’s situation was comparable to that of alleged assassins and sexual violence offenders who are still at large and who have never received fair treatment.

The charges against Pagente were also dropped by Ryan Thoreson, a specialist at the Human Rights Watch’s LGBT rights program. ” Creative expression that offends, satirized, or challenges religious ideas” is considered to be free expression.