CNN — A drag queen who dressed as Jesus Christ and carried out a rock rendition of The Lord’s Prayer has been arrested within the Philippines beneath the nation’s obscenity legal guidelines, sparking a fierce debate about free speech and protections for members of the LGBTQ group. The Philippines is a deeply Christian nation and the Catholic Church maintains important affect each in every day life and politics. Amadeus Fernando Pagente, 33, whose drag identify is Pura Luka Vega and who makes use of the pronoun they/them, was extensively accused of blasphemy by officers with the Catholic church and others after movies of their efficiency singing “Ama Namin,” the Tagalog model of the prayer, went viral in July. The performer was taken into police custody on Wednesday beneath a legislation that prohibits “immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions, and indecent reveals” by “offending any faith,” in response to a press release from their authorized group on X, previously Twitter. The allegations say in addition they violated a cybercrime legislation as a result of the video was shared on-line to allegedly “perpetrate the acknowledged crime.” The authorized group vowed to contest the fees and focus initially on securing Pagente’s bail. On-line movies of the drag artist belting out the Tagalog model of The Lord’s Prayer alongside revellers in a bar sparked a major backlash from spiritual organizations. The present, by which Pagente could possibly be seen wearing robes imitating Catholic vestments with a golden halo, provoked a furor and have become headline information for weeks within the Philippines whereas greater than a dozen cities, together with the capital Manila the place the performer resides, declared Pagente “persona non grata,” a symbolic transfer declaring them now not welcome. Pagente’s arrest got here after a legal grievance was filed in August by the Hijos Del Nazareno Central, a bunch representing devotees of the Black Nazarene, a darkish wooden sculpture of Jesus delivered to the Philippines in 1606 from Mexico and regarded miraculous by its devotees. The group famously organizes an enormous annual spiritual parade in Quezon Metropolis which attracts a whole bunch of hundreds of devotees. In a Fb publish after Pagente’s arrest, Hijos Del Nazareno Central mentioned its “devotees is not going to enable the defamation of the identify of the Lord Jesus of the Nazarene.” CNN has reached out to the group for additional remark. A number of politicians, together with senators, additionally went on Philippine tv reveals to criticize the drag artist’s efficiency, calling it blasphemous, disrespectful and offensive. The drag artist has beforehand apologized to those that “felt uncomfortable” about their efficiency. However in addition they defended the act as a type of artwork, telling CNN affiliate CNN Philippines in an interview that the efficiency was an expression of the sensation of exclusion as a queer particular person in a deeply Catholic nation. “I perceive that individuals name my efficiency blasphemous, offensive or regrettable. Nevertheless, they shouldn’t inform me how I apply my religion or how I do my drag. That efficiency was not so that you can start with. It’s my expertise and my expression, of getting been denied my rights,” the performer wrote in a publish on July 13 on X. Father Jerome Secillano, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops’ Convention of the Philippines, informed CNN on Thursday that the efficiency was deemed offensive by the church for what it seen as an absence of reverence. “[The performance] was a mockery of our religion, and parts of our religion shouldn’t be used for secular functions, particularly for leisure,” he mentioned. However Secillano stopped wanting commenting whether or not the church seen Pagente’s arrest as the proper factor to do to defend the religion. Practically 80% of Filipinos establish as Roman Catholic and the church nonetheless wields quite a lot of energy and affect. The Philippines is the one nation on this planet, except for Vatican Metropolis, the place divorce continues to be not allowed. Identical-sex marriage and abortion are additionally banned. An anti-discrimination invoice that may do extra to guard minorities has additionally made little headway in congress in recent times in opposition to opposition from conservatives. Human Rights Watch senior researcher Carlos Conde described Pagente’s arrest as “an outrage” and “an overreaction on the a part of those that felt offended.” “This case is pushed by a couple of people who Pura Luka [Vega] supposedly offended – not by Filipinos at giant – who determined to weaponize present legal guidelines … in opposition to LGBT folks,” Conde informed CNN in an emailed assertion. Pagente was a contestant on the fact pageantry present “Drag Den,” which launched in December 2022 on Amazon Prime. The sequence, directed by Rod Singh, a transgender Filipino, was set in an underground den, juxtaposing the drag queens’ flamboyant personalities with the fixed want to stay subversive amidst socially conservative Philippine norms. Following the arrest, Singh has defended Pagente, whom she describes as a buddy and colleague, saying on X that “this challenge is now not a few drag efficiency, your supposed god, or your skinny religion. Whether or not you admit it or not, your prejudice in opposition to our group and the rights we demand is on the middle of it.” “Along with your eyes broad open, you imagine and worship a God you may’t see, however shut your eyes to the issues of life and human rights which might be at stake. You realized to hope however you didn’t be taught to know. Don’t ask us for one thing you may’t give,” Singh added.