Celebrating Diverse Love with this Filipino Chinese Couple

The LGBTQ+ community is now finding its strength to fight for equality. However, in the Philippines, there are still plenty of negative stereotypes that people need to unlearn and remove from our culture. 

That’s why we must promote healthy representation and give people the right platform to shed light on crucial issues in our country. This Valentine’s Day, CHiNOY TV highlights the story of a Filipino Chinese couple, Bridge Lee and Vince Go, who inspire people through their social media platforms. 

We believe their story is worth telling because it can positively influence and show why LGBTQ+ people deserve to be loved, respected, and accepted. In this article, you can read their love story to understand why love knows no gender. 

From Seatmates To Lovers 

Like Heartstopper’s Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, Bridge and Vince were seatmates. It all started when Bridge said a simple “Hi” to Vince and that the word would lead to a genuine and loving relationship. 

Bridge wanted to get closer to Vince when he asked who his crush was and answered: “Why should I tell you? We’re not even friends.” This challenged Bridge to grow closer to Vince. Despite their contrasting personalities, Bridge, an ambivert-leaning extrovert, and Vince, an introvert, collaborated on school projects, ate lunch together, and became inseparable.

Their love story started when Vince came out to his friends, and initially, Bridge was shocked but happy for him. Bridge also began to develop feelings for Vince, which confused him greatly as he had only liked girls. 

@thebridgelee

i’m lucky i’m in love with my best friend #outfitideas #fitcheck #boyfriends #mensstyle #fashioninspo #brince #gentlemonster

♬ original sound – KieToLife🌱

Confessing Their Feelings 

Bridge’s confusion would come to clarity after three signs. The first sign was when they had a group project about making a coffee table scrapbook. It’s normal for people to follow trends (black, white, or neutral aesthetic), but Vince wanted to stay true to himself by using different colors, which Bridge thought was innovative. The second sign is when Vince develops a crush on a guy who is the complete opposite of Bridge as a bubbly person, which makes Bridge jealous. 

The final sign is when Bridge plans to give yellow gummy bears to a girl but ends up being friends with her instead. In a turn of events, Vince requested the remaining gummy bears, and Bridge asked: what’s your favorite color of gummy bears? Vince then answered: “I like all gummy bears. I don’t discriminate.“ Bridge thought Vince had a beautiful mind, which made him like Vince even more. 

After months of leaving things unsaid, Vince, who also had a crush on Bridge, finally found the courage to ask him: “Do you want to kiss me?” on a Friday afternoon after school. Bridge was suddenly confused about his sexuality but still said yes because of his feelings towards Vince. 

The weekend passed, and they kissed again on a typical Monday, which led to the two boys becoming boyfriends and eventually inspiring multiple people about how same-sex couples can be genuine. Today, the couple also stands as an inspiring LGBT representation in media, inspiring multiple across different social media platforms.  

Breaking Stereotypes And Embracing Their True Selves

Entering into a relationship also means coming to terms with their true selves.

With the lack of representation, Bridge had a hard time understanding his sexuality. However, despite the lack of LGBT representation in the media, Bridge chose to be authentic and ignore negative stereotypes. 

“Bisexuality does not mean liking everyone and thirsting over anyone that comes your way, nor does it mean that you have to like both genders 50/50, and it has nothing to do with your self-expression,” shared Bridge.

Bridge shows that someone’s sexuality does not define their whole personality. They are also humans with complexity, stories, and backgrounds to tell. Luckily, Bridge has a supportive family, which helps him embrace his true self.

“My parents are fortunately very understanding even though they are both Chinese. They come from a different time when jokes were a little more controversial and there was less information about our community, so I am very happy that they love me and support Vince and me. They follow us on TikTok.”

Contrary to expectation, Vince found a safe space in the online world, where he found inspiring stories that helped him embrace his sexuality. 

“On the internet, however, which was full of BLs and coming out stories, I found a little comfort and helped figure out my feelings. Around the time I had come to terms with it, I told a handful of my friends (including Bridge) about my sexuality, and I told my parents about it later on.”

Fortunately, Vince has a supportive family, which has allowed him to become more comfortable with himself. 

“I’m aware that I’m privileged to live in a supportive household, but not everyone has a good environment for coming out or learning about themselves. Young people look to social media for support or inspiration, like I did. It is important that there not only be good representation and normalization of LGBTQ+ stories but also that there are safe spaces online that make the youth feel accepted and valid.”

Despite growing up in a Filipino-Chinese community, Bridge and Vince have found an accepting environment that has strengthened and increased their confidence. 

A Silver Lining For The LGBTQ+ Community 

The Philippines has yet to approve the SOGIE bill and same-sex marriage, but there’s still a silver lining that the LGBTQ community can hold onto for their future. People like Bridge Lee and Vince Go are LGBTQ+ role models from whom everyone can take inspiration. They are a beacon of hope, showing a beautiful story for the whole community. 

“All LGBTQ+ stories are unique. Not everyone has the same experiences, and our words are based on our experiences with our own circumstances,” Bridge tells how every LGBTQ+ person can also experience genuine love in their timelines, unique circumstances, and destiny.

As the community continues to fight for LGBT rights in the Philippines, Vince heartily hopes for a more inclusive country where everyone can express their sexual expressions without shame and fear. 

“Out of all the changes in the public perception regarding the LGBTQ+ community that I would love to see, I would most love that one day, being LGBTQ+ is so normalized that asking somebody’s sexual preference and gender identity would feel like asking for their favorite color,” Vince shared. 

Their love story is worth sharing as it provides a positive representation. Perhaps a young LGBTQ+ person is wondering whether he/she /they would find love, or maybe someone needs inspiration to embrace their true sexuality. Bridge and Vince are here to prove it’s possible, and that everyone deserves to live a life of love and respect. 

“But knowing that we are now looked up to by many audiences of different backgrounds and SOGIE, we want to show what it’s like to be an LGBTQ+ couple like us in the Philippines, shedding light on some LGBTQ+ topics, documenting our never-ending story, and taking our viewers with us along the way. We want to be the representation that Bridge never had,” a message for their followers. 

For more inspiring Chinoy stories like Bridge and Vince, you can follow us through our CHiNOY TV’s social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

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