The heavy downpour might as well not happened last June 8 as music and words overflowed at White Wall Poetry's In or Out: Wala Namang Mali. Despite the rain, over a hundred attendees made their way to B-side in Makati to help raise funds for this year's Pride March and show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

The night was all about having stories to tell, and having people to tell it to in the way they choose to. Art has always been a weapon against gender discrimination and inequality and a way to empower those who have yearned for a safe space. The melodic tunes of Junicz Madrid, Jegs Benedict, Gian Bernal, DJ Joey Santos, suchdumb, Keayi, Meleena, Shepherdess, and Fourplay MNL put everyone on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but it was lines and lines of expressions from the spoken word poets that made our hearts bleed.

Here are words that prove that while approximately 25,000 people came and paraded for equal rights at the recently concluded Metro Manila Pride March and Festival, love has already won much earlier in the month of June.

May tapang na naghihintay sa dulo na nagsasabing mas handa ka na." - Cheryl Salvador 

You will always be beautifully broken. You do not need an armor to say that you’re strong. - Hannah Pabilonia

Pa'no magladlad? Pano humingi ng pagtanggap? Kailangan ba?" - Shine Bennet

For her, there are no alternates. There are no understudies. […] For the two of us growing old together in a universe that I didn’t invent is something to be ashamed of.” - Rachel Coates

I am more than top or bottom. I can reach insurmountable heights." - Albert Hojas

When you tell your story of how your first love is a girl, you will hurt yourself. Your first love is a person." - Jamie Delos Reyes

I have found my safe haven. Here. Step out." - Jesh Alberto