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MANILA, Philippines – To many, turning 60 becomes a moment to come to terms with themselves going into the so-called sunset years. More than finally snagging discounts from having a senior citizen card, it calls for a reflection on the years that have gone by, and eventually, a time for people to reflect on what legacy they’d like to leave behind.
But for Jose Bayani Baylon, 60 marked a different milestone. It was the year he checked off what he described as the last item off his bucket list: stepping completely out of the closet.
“It is in honor of such an accepting mother that I’ve chosen to go public with this piece in which I will admit that I am 60 and I am happy,” Baylon wrote in his column in the newspaper Malaya, back in 2023. “Well, in other cultures you can substitute the word happy with gay. But gay is such a broad term covering the LGBTQ+ community, and if I am asked which of those letters apply to me then I will say it is the middle one—the B.”
Nearly three years since publicly coming out, Baylon says not much has changed in his day-to-day life. But within him, he knew it was a step he needed to take for himself.
