Dreams know no age limit nor gender expression. 

Crispina Salvador, a 75-year-old lesbian from Tondo, Manila, proved this last Saturday when she saw her dream fulfilled after she marched on stage during the Quezon City Rainbow Ceremony held at Quezon Memorial Circle on Saturday morning. With a bright smile and unmatched energy, Salvador proudly attended the parade, declaring her identity as a lesbian and meeting cheers from onlookers.

But behind her smiles and contagious laughs, Salvador didn’t have a “rainbow” childhood.

Born on December 5, 1948 as the fifth of 10 siblings in her family in Calumpit, Bulacan, Salvador had to work for a living at an early age.

“Mahirap ang buhay noon [Life was hard back then],” she said when asked why she wasn’t able to prioritize her studies.

“Nananahi ako, pinag-aral ko [ang mga kapatid ko], natutulog ako sa ilalim ng makina [I was sewing, putting my siblings through school and sleeping under the machine],” she recalled.

Salvador also reflected on how she discovered her true gender identity, now able to laugh at those tougher years when she had to hide who she really was. As early as elementary, Salvador already knew she was a lesbian. 

“Itinago ko ang aking nararamdaman. Itinago ko sa tatay ko [I hid my feelings. I hid them from my father],” Crispina uttered, explaining that her father didn’t even want to see her wearing pants.

The turning point for her came when her father passed away, and she moved to Tondo in Metro Manila at the age of 17.

An enthusiastic Salvador mentioned she never had a boyfriend but had many girlfriends, whom she’d often date simultaneously. “Ngayon, meron dalawa [Now I have two],” Salvador giggled.

Reflecting on her educational journey, Salvador said it took a lifetime for her to finally graduate. She expressed gratitude to Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, who made the Rainbow Graduation Rights possible for every member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Kung kelan ako tumanda, saka ako naka-graduate. Dahil kay Mayor Joy [Belmonte], nandito na kami ngayon [When I got older, that’s when I graduated. Because of Mayor Joy Belmonte, we are here now],” Crispina happily announced.

Salvador’s story is one of the 394 graduates that joined the rainbow graduation rights held as part of Pride March held in Quezon City on June 22. 

The special ceremonial graduation celebrates students’ right to graduate and march freely according to their own presentation. The event is part of the special activities in celebration of the 85th anniversary of Quezon City.