At three years old, most little boys are told to pick up toy trucks, wear blue, and act “like a man” before they’ve even learned to spell their names. But not Finong.
In a world where queer children are too often silenced before they can even speak, one Filipino gay boy walked into the streets of Abucay, Bataan—wrapped in a yellow gown, his head held high, and his spirit unashamed.
Behind him was not judgment, but something far more powerful: a father who refused to let his child walk alone.
When 26-year-old Jordan Salvador posted a photo of his son, Finong, dressed in a sagayla—a celebration often reserved for women—it wasn’t meant to spark a movement. It was just a parent doing what love asked of him.
But the internet responded with something rare and beautiful: acceptance. In just days, his post gathered over 30,000 reactions, 757 comments, and 6,700 shares. Strangers applauded, celebrated, and cried for a boy who didn’t need to come out—because his father had already opened the door.
The Unexpected Path of Raising a Gay Kid
You probably didn’t grow up seeing this kind of parenting. Neither did Jordan.
Source: Facebook/Jordan Paule Salvador
He’s a tattooed rap artist and tattooist—someone you’d likely describe as hyper-masculine. But when his second-born child, Josiah Theodore Salvador, started choosing dresses over toy trucks at age two, he didn’t shame or scold. He adapted.
“Anak ko po ito, ako ang dapat na unang nagtatanggol sa kanya,” he said, when asked about his reaction to Finong’s preferences. “’Yun po ang gusto niya, suportahan ko na lang.”
What made it easier? Perhaps having a daughter first—7-year-old Jieara Serefina, or “Finang”—whose clothes and toys became part of Finong’s early world. Perhaps their home, where most of the kids he plays with are girls. Perhaps his favorite movie, Frozen, gave him the permission he needed to imagine a world where he could twirl, shine and let it all go.
But more than all that, what mattered was that his dad saw him. And chose love.
The Yellow Gown That Changed Everything
Jordan remembers how it started: “Naiinggit po siya kapag may mga nagsasagala. Gusto po niyang sumali kaya ngayong taon, isinali namin siya.”
That yellow gown? It wasn’t brand new or expensive. It was once worn by his sister Finang. Still, with some help from Tricia’s LGBTQ+ circle—her friends sponsored the hair and makeup—Finong walked tall and proud in the Sagayla, a cultural event inspired by the traditional Santacruzan but celebrated by the LGBTQIA+ community.
And while others his age were still learning to ride bicycles, Finong became the youngest participant in the lineup. The next youngest was 18.
What Happens When You Let a Gay Kid Be Themselves?
What happens is… the world watches. And, sometimes, it claps.
Jordan was caught off guard by the overwhelming wave of support. He thought he’d face backlash for letting his son join a Sagayla, wearing what some still wrongly consider “only for girls.” But he didn’t.
“Wala naman po,” he said when asked about negative comments.
Instead, the response was so positive, they were quickly booked for two more Sagayla events—one the following day, one the following week, another in the first week of June. From unsure to fully booked in days. That’s how fast things can change when you let your gay kid take up space in the world.
Parents Like You Are the First Line of Defense
Jordan’s words echo what every Filipino parent needs to remember: “Ang bakla po kasi, karaniwan binabastos ng mga lalaki.”
And he refuses to be one of them.
In the Philippines, nearly two-thirds (63%) of LGBTQ+ youth see their identity as a burden, and more than half (58%) don’t feel safe being their true selves. These struggles are closely linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm.
Source: Facebook/Jordan Paule Salvador
That’s why Jordan’s support for Finong matters. He’s not just accepting his son—he’s protecting him. He’s showing that real strength lies in compassion, not control. That masculinity can mean safety, not silence.
He’s teaching his son that he is safe. That he is loved. That he is seen.
Behind the Viral Post Is a Whole Family of Courage
Jordan and Tricia are not living a fairytale. They left their parents’ homes when they were just teenagers, navigating parenthood without a safety net. They’re now raising three kids on their own—7-year-old Finang, 3-year-old Finong, and baby Jaiory.
Source: Facebook/Jordan Paule Salvador
Tricia is a lash artist. Jordan juggles rap, tattoos, and fatherhood. Life hasn’t been easy, but one thing’s certain: they have chosen love, over and over again.
And maybe that’s why this post, this moment, resonated with so many parents online. Because in a country where queerness is often hidden, punished, or “waited out,” here was a gay kid simply allowed to be himself.
What Will You Do When Your Child Shows You Who They Are?
It may not be a yellow gown or a Sagayla, but one day your child will ask for something that challenges what you expect. And when that day comes, will you shut the door—or open it wider?
Jordan opened it. He even held it wide open so his gay kid could walk through with pride, glitter, and joy.
And as Filipino parents, we have the power to do the same. To change the script. To teach our kids that they don’t have to earn love by hiding parts of who they are.
They deserve love exactly as they are.
Show Up for Your Child
You might still worry what the world will say if your child, too, starts leaning into queerness this early. And honestly, that fear is real—because in the Philippines, being queer still means living in a country where equality is debated instead of delivered.
It has been more than two decades since the SOGIE Equality Bill was first filed. And still, no law. Still, no nationwide protection. Still, senators and lawmakers shamelessly blocking a basic human right—choosing tradition, ignorance, and prejudice over dignity, safety, and truth.
In a country that refuses to pass a law that simply says LGBTQIA+ Filipinos deserve to live without fear, it is nothing short of revolutionary to witness a father walking proudly beside his gay kid—not in shame, not in secrecy, but in full, radiant daylight in the streets of Abucay, Bataan.
When the state refuses to protect, families must rise. When policies fail, parenting must fight back.
Because love like Jordan’s? It isn’t just parenting. It’s protest. It’s resistance. It’s the future knocking on a country’s closed doors, demanding to be let in.
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