Christian organizations in the Philippines have filed criminal complaints against a drag queen who dressed as Jesus Christ and performed a rock version of the Lord’s Prayer.
Pura Luka Vega, 33, is charged with “desecrating their religious faith and patron” in the complaints made to the prosecutors.
An uproar was caused last month when a video of a bearded Luka reciting the verse in Filipino went viral.
Luka defended their performance as artistic.
They have previously performed as Jesus, but Luka shared a video of their most recent act on X, formerly known as Twitter, which brought attention to it.
It infuriated the deeply religious nation, where some lawmakers and church leaders have referred to the performance as “blasphemous”.
The first criminal complaint was filed with the Manila Prosecutor’s Office by the Protestant church leaders who make up the Philippines for Jesus Movement at the end of July.
They charged Luka with breaking Article 201 of the country’s penal code, which sanctions obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows.
This week, the Catholic organization Nazarene Brotherhood filed a second complaint. The prosecution has not yet indicated whether it will file a case.
In the Philippines, a former Spanish colony, Roman Catholicism predominates; nearly 80% of the population self-identifies as such, according to the most recent poll conducted in February.
A number of cities, including the nation’s capital Manila, declared Luka “persona non grata” in the days following the video’s viral success, effectively declaring them no longer welcome in the city.
Although it doesn’t actually stop Luka from traveling to these cities, it has cost them work because some clubs had to cancel events. Luka and other drag queens primarily make their living by performing in nightclubs.
Drag queens in the nation have primarily performed as comedians for decades, assuming the roles of singers and actresses and delivering jokes during stand-up performances, frequently making fun of the audience.
Luka is a member of a new generation of drag queens who consider themselves artists and use their performances to push the boundaries of free speech.
However, Father Jerome Secillano, a representative of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, told the media that a religious expression should also include reverence.
“I know Pura Luka Vega said it was art… What they did was a mockery of our faith,” he said. “We’re calling the act itself offensive, whether it’s done by a man, woman, or a member of the LGBTQ community.”
Luka apologized to those who were offended by the Jesus act in response to the backlash, but he defended their right to express their faith.
Source-BBC
