Deaf transpinay Disney Aguila started getting involved in the LGBTQIA community in the Philippines as a member of the Deaf Pink Club in 2010, eventually leading the organization when it became Deaf Rainbow Philippines, and then Pinoy Deaf Rainbow, until 2022. From the very start, her push has always been to mainstream minority voices in the LGBTQIA community, particularly those traversing various identities – e.g. transgender, PWD and, yes, LGBTQIA. As the concurrent head of TransDeaf Philippines, she pushes for a pro-active approach to effecting changes for LGBTQIA Filipinos – e.g. she has been giving SOGIE 101 and HIV 101 lectures to Deaf LGBTQIA and ally communities; and Filipino Sign Language (FSL) lessons that eye to “make our Deaf culture – with the help of promoting our language – better understood.” Certified in community-based HIV screening, she has been a go-to person for Deaf people who want to get tested, or are in need of help re HIV. “The LGBT community inspires me because of its constant push for equal rights for all,” Disney says. “It is our community that highlights the need to value a person for who he/she/they truly is/are.”