#Allyship: Mela Habijan's greatest allies are her siblings
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In her vlog All Things T, actress and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Mela Habijan talked about the importance of having allies.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, allyship is "the state of being associated with the members of a marginalized or mistreated group to which one does not belong." In the case of the LGBTQIA+ community, it's their family and friends who are not members of the community but are very supportive of them.
In her vlog All Things T, actress and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Mela Habijan talked about the importance of having allies.
"Mahalaga ang suporta ng mga ally kasi they strengthen our battle for equality, for respect. Sa tingin ko, the strongest ally that we have is, of course, our family.
She adds, "I'm very blessed because my sisters and my brother have always accepted me for who I am, from their kuya to now being their ate, kaya naman thankful ako sa kanila."
Her sisters Mariae and Reina and brother Airick then shared their reaction when Mela revealed that she is transitioning.
"Parang hindi mo naman kailangang sabihin, kasi 'ay nagpapahaba na siya ng buhok.' Parang gets ko lang, hindi ako sad. Excited ako na makitang mahaba ang buhok mo, mas maliit ang katawan mo. Siyempre alam ko na ang itsura mo dati, at kapag nagta-transition nagiging soft ang features mo, nakakatuwa," shares Reina.
"Masaya ako para sa 'yo, kasi mahal kita. Basta masaya ako para sa 'yo kasi alam kong 'yun ang gusto mo, saka alam kong ikaw 'yun, magagawa mo na ang gusto mo," says Mariae.
Meanwhile, Airick shared that he wasn't surprised with Mela's decision. "Hindi na ako nagulat, parang nangyari na lang. Hindi ko ini-expect na magta-transition, pero bigla na lang nangyari."
They went on by discussing the transition that the family had to go through -- from addressing her as Kuya to their Sis Mela.
Reina explains, "'Yung biggest challenge kasi 'yung kuya, special term na 'yun eh. Hindi lang siya tawag mo sa nakakatandang lalaking kapatid, parang term of endearment na siya, may ibig sabihin na siya sa akin."
The siblings still sometimes call Mela Kuya at home, but they make it an effort to address her as Sis Mela when they're in public places.
They also discussed the changes in their relationship, and why it was easy for the three younger Habijans to accept Mela.
"Siguro kasi sina Mama at Papa, pinakita nila sa amin na okay lang. So doon mo rin makikita na okay lang naman pala. Kaya ganito ang pagtanggap namin dahil din kay Mama't Papa, kasi hindi nila ginawang big deal," says Reina.
