Rustom rules out sex change

Life has changed for Rustom Padilla since declaring he’s gay on a reality television show but the actor has ruled out a sex change. "Being gay is an orientation. Either you act straight or you’re bisexual. I’m very, very happy with my body. I don’t want to change anything," said Rustom when asked on S-Files on Sunday if he’d consider a sex change, the Philippine Entertainment Portal reported on its website. At one point, referring to the genitalia, Rustom said: "Can I say this (on TV)? They say you lose the ‘sensation’ if you have a sex change." "I hope trans-sexuals don’t get mad at me, I understand where they’re coming from. It’s just that being a woman goes beyond much more than the physical. Even if you have a sex change, if you have the heart of a man, you’re still a man. It’s what’s in the heart that’s most important," the actor added. Rustom, who comes from a brood of on- and off-cam toughies, also said he actually feels relieved now that people know he’s gay. "Anywhere I go, I no longer care what other people think. I’m not afraid anymore that when I go out, I’m second-guessing what other people think about me," he said. Asked if his most famous brother, action star Robin, deliberately keeps mum about his being gay, Rustom said: "That’s his right. It’s my own business anyway… I’m responsible for my own decision, the same with Robin." Robin, soon after Rustom’s revelation earlier this year, openly came out in support of his brother. Rustom was also once married to actress Carmina Villaroel. -GMANews.TV