Queen of Cebu

From the Business Mirror.com : a new Queen of Cebu will be crowned pretty soon. GGs, or genetic girls, need not apply. This a competition for pre-op or post-op ladies only, as long as she identifies herself as a transgender woman, a male by birth.

Being the only son of an affluent Cebuano family, one might think that the life of Bee Urgello (left)  was always about privileges and getting your way around without any hassle. It was a different story for her as she had a different life. Instead of being served by maids in their huge house with a helipad, the third winner of the Queen of Cebu crown lived independently. She describes her life as “a drama you see happening in movies.” It was not easy for her family to accept who she was. Her parents somehow understood that she is gay, but for her to dress like a woman was simply unacceptable for them. She decided to runaway and in order to support herself, she rented a small place and worked in a call center. She rode a jeepney, did her own laundry and prepared her own food. She candidly shared how tempted she was to go back home, but she just knew that the comfortable life would not make her happy at that time. In one of her interviews, Bee shared that her lowest point was probably when she was laid off from her work. With only a hundred pesos left in her wallet, she settled for one piece of bread per meal, which cost Php2 each. She called her mom but she was told that she can only go back home if she agrees to “stop dressing up like a woman.” This time, more determined, Bee found a new job and was once again accepted as call center agent.

Read more here.