Gary Valenciano and Anne Curtis share their messages for Pride Month. Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News
MANILA -- Gary Valenciano and Anne Curtis on Thursday shared messages of support for the LGBTQIA+ community in celebration of Pride Month.
The two Kapamilya celebrities got together as they renewed their contract with the child rights agency UNICEF Philippines as national ambassadors.
"I celebrate with you, you guys know that. And looking forward to listening to your stories as we celebrate your month," Curtis said during an interview with ABS-CBN News.
The "It's Showtime" host, who is also a first-time mom, hopes that more members of the LGBTQIA+ will be heard and accepted by their parents.
She pointed out how "coming out" takes a lot of courage, and that they all need all the help and support they can get from their families.
"I think as a parent, take time to listen, take the extra consideration of being patient and listening to your child. Because it takes a lot of courage [to come out]," Curtis said.
"And I would say that there's nothing more meaningful than having a parent sit down, understand, and listen to what your child has to say. It will help so much with their development, feelings, and mental state," she added.
Valenciano, for his part, hopes that God will bless the LGBTQIA+ community, and similarly encouraged their parents to "go through the journey with them."
"God bless to the entire community. I know that many of you -- if not majority of you -- really love the Lord, and He loves you, too," he said.
"So I'm just praying and hoping that, especially the parents who may have someone in the family that [is part of the community]… It's not really something that the whole world has accepted just yet, but remember that it pays to talk with them. It pays to listen to them. It pays to go through the journey with them," he stressed.
"Because then they'll see the best in you, and that's the kind of impact that lasts."
Valenciano went on to remind parents to not aim to be "perfect," but to show their children that they are always there for them.
"There's always going to be something that the child can come back to because you took time to be with them. Talk to them, [but] not to discourage them [and] put them down," he said.