Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — Amid religious uproar, Pura Luka Vega, the drag queen behind the viral “Ama Namin” video, said her performance was not meant to disrespect or blaspheme but instead challenge the notions of praise and worship.
The video depicts Vega in a drag outfit meant to resemble Jesus Christ performing to a rock rendition of \”Ama Namin,\” the Filipino translation of the Lord’s Prayer.
According to Vega, her intention was not to mock or demean religion. \”In my mind, queerness has always been there naman, I feel like it’s my way of actually praising God.\”
\”If you would ask naman me what my religion is, it’s really Roman Catholic – not a devout one – but I respect and I know how it is. Then again, I also did that intentionally to challenge our notions of how we worship or how we sing our praise,\” Vega said on Twitter Spaces.
Vega added that she felt she was careful in rendering her performance, and questioned why so many had taken offense.
\”Was it offensive because I am a queer individual or was it of other factors?\” she posed.
The drag queen argued the Bible had been weaponized to deprive the LGBTQIA+ community of basic human rights.
\”I just want to create a narrative that despite all of these, Jesus, as the embodiment of God’s love for all, does not forget about the oppressed, including the LGBTQIA+ community,\” she said.
Addressing those offended, Vega on Thursday said \”the performance was not for you to begin with.\”
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I understand that people call my performance blasphemous, offensive or regrettable. However, they shouldn’t tell me how I practice my faith or how I do my drag. That performance was not for you to begin with. It is my experience and my expression, of having been denied my rights.
— Pura Luka Vega 🙃 (@ama_survivah) July 13, 2023
