More gay teens open up to peers

By Bernard Rivera
MV teen Reporter

Despite a new U.S. study revealing that gay teens are three to four times more likely to report being bullied than straight teens, more gay teens on the islands are opening up to their peers.
According to a recent news release from Children’s Hospital Boston, the new study was conducted by researchers at its Division of Adolescent Medicine.
“It’s clear that sexual-minority youth is a population vulnerable to bullying,” researcher Dr. Elise Berlan said Friday. “This needs to be addressed, particularly in schools.”
The study, which analyzed data of 7,500 adolescents age 14 to 22, has been described as the most comprehensive study of bullying and sexual orientation to date.
“Hey, we need to look hot and fabulous, while fighting the impossible fight,” said one teen, not wanting to be named.
With brazen attitudes and feminine looks, two teens that live and breathe a sometimes harsh but complex world, share their individual stories with MV Teen.
“Oh girl, I am a woman,” says Jesus ‘Suzy” Rocha, waiving her hands with a snap, an 18-year-old student of Advance Development Institute.
“There’s no male hormones in this body of mine. I am completely a W-O-M-A-N,” he spells out in a phone interview.
Joey Sison from Marianas High School similarly lives up to such sentiments.
“Every time I look at the mirror, I feel like I look like a girl. I get conceited sometimes and I take a long time to fix my hair and myself before I go to school,” Sison laughs. “I can’t help myself.”
Finding acceptance from the public, friends and family is a challenge for many young gay teens.
“When I first realized who I truly was in the first grade, my family was completely okay with everything. It just felt like my life with my family was a nice flow, but in school,” Sison pauses. “Well, school was different.”
“The boys would ask me why I talked so girly. In junior high, it kind of went alright from there. The only problem was for me to go to the boy’s restroom,” Sison laughs. “I have to make sure there are no boys in there. Although in the public restrooms, it is okay for me to go into the girl’s restrooms, thank God. But in high school, oh man, that is completely a different story. I would get suspended if I went inside the girl’s restroom.”
Rocha had to endure much hatred in the early years of his teen life. “I remember that I used to get teased a lot. Some would call me ‘Chewbacca’ and that I looked like a pig. You know, it truly did hurt,” said Rocha.
“My family was pretty okay with it, except my dad. You have to understand that my family and I are Christians, so it’s a bit difficult with me. My brother and my mom were okay with it, but they asked me to change,” he whispered.
“Truly, I tell myself that I should just follow my heart. I’m human and I’m in the middle of everyone. People tell me what to do and now I‘m really living my life. I listen to only myself. But before, my parents told me that if I’m going to be like this, they said that I shouldn’t have any boyfriends,” Rocha laughs. “But honestly, you know, I am Christian and I do believe in God. I am so scared to die because I don’t know what will happen. That is my fear, that’s what I think about too. It’s hard to change. I just look up and believe that God loves me and that he believes in me.”
Both Rocha and Sison want to pursue their dreams after high school.
“I want to start my career as a model, and become a Marine! I know that’s hard to believe but I want to do it. My brother did it and it seems easy,” said Rocha.
Sison is more on the artistic side. “I want to be a choreographer. I look up to people who live out their lives, mostly my brother James,” he said.
“When people look at me, to tell you the truth is that I love the attention. And if people don’t like me without not even knowing me, I just tell them to take a picture, it’ll last longer,” says Rocha. “I just want peace. People deserve to be equal and accept others for who they are. You ask me if I feel fabulous, oh honey, I feel glamorous. I am happy to be alive with all the things I’ve gone through. This is my life and I live it myself.”

MISA awards top female basketball players

By Jacqueline Dela Cruz
MV teen Reporter

(Second in a Series)

If you were dribbling the ball down court and had hoped to score, you wouldn’t want any of these top players in your way.
Ten male and female athletes stood out this year as the All-Conference Team, or the top five players for their division in the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Association High School Basketball League.
This second part of a series looks at the top female players of the basketball league.
Chosen out of dozens of athletes from private and public high school teams, these five girls charged up the court with their creative plays.
Although the MISA High School Basketball League champions for the female division are the Kagman High School Basketball Team, these players come from different school teams.
TRICIA FALIG, 17, a senior at KHS, feels happy and relieved to earn both the top player and the girl’s championship awards. “I’m happy that I got the medals because I’ve been playing basketball since my freshman year and only now, was the first time KHS girls had won in a long time and I received the medals,” says Falig. As a veteran, she always presses on her teammates if she sees them not practicing. “I want them to strive harder because I don’t want that what we are all doing to go to a waste,” she added. After she graduates next year, she plans to take Criminal Justice at the University of Guam.
CHELSEA RULUKED, 14, a KHS freshman, has been playing basketball since her elementary school years. She had joined CNMI National teams in the past and is currently joining the G-Rollers team and the Mobil League under the Aqua team. She will also be going to Tinian for a Youth Tournament. She would like to thank her father, Leo, for all the support he gives for the team.
NICOLE LEBRIA, 14, a freshman student at Mt. Carmel High School, says “I was surprised and really happy to receive the top player award because all my hard work paid off.” Being new in the league, she really enjoys it and finds the experience “to be cool” as she plays against a lot of girls who love to play basketball just like her.
LALAINE PAGARAO, 16, a sophomore at MHS, won the top player for their team even though it is her first time to join the league. Born and raised in the Philippines, she came to Saipan while in junior high where she started to play basketball. “My top opponent is Chelsea from Kagman High, she was really good and no one can stop her, although I tried my best and it was all worth it,” she said. By playing basketball, she is also learning responsibility as she was recently selected as the team leader.
MINERVA CABRERA, 17, a senior at SSHS, was very happy and honored to receive the award. Cabrera is not only into basketball but also swimming. She had been playing basketball for two years now, and this season was her first and last time to join the MISA high school basketball league. After graduating from high school, she plans to major in History or Education.