The candidates of the 2026 Binibining Pilipinas pageant painted the town with the colors of the rainbow at a public running event held to celebrate Pride Month.
In their chicest sports apparel, the 36 ladies gamely traded their stilettos for sneakers at the ‘Free To Be HUE Pride Run’ at the Araneta City in Quezon City on Sunday morning, June 7.
Bb. Pilipinas posted photos of the event on social media, and said the run was ‘in celebration of an advocacy that reminds us all to embrace our authentic selves and champion a more diverse, inclusive world for everyone.’
The ladies waved the rainbow pride flag and the other flags representing the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and others) community, while the others added their own flair and carried rainbow fans to the run.
In many parts of the world, International Pride Month is celebrated every June to recognize the struggles that the LGBTQIA+ community has faced, and continues to face, as well as to celebrate their significant contributions to society.
Pageantry is one of the industries that greatly benefit from the community, with many gay men and transgender women running their own competitions, or participating in them.
Members of the community have also been the life force of pageantry, serving as staunch supporters of the platforms and the titleholders that walk the stage of national, international, and even local competitions.
Throughout the years, members of the community have scouted the fairest maidens to field to the competitions, train them, dress them, glam them up, and provide all the support that they can give.
The pageant industry also heavily supports sectors dominated by members of the community, such as the creative field, fashion, hair and makeup artistry, and the performing arts.
Many of the country’s most-loved queens, including Bb. Pilipinas alumnae Pia Wurtzbach, Kylie Verzosa, and Catriona Gray, are staunch allies of the LGBTQIA+ community who have used their voice for the welfare of the sector.
The 2026 Bb. Pilipinas Grand Coronation Night will take place at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on July 18. Reigning queens Katrina Anne Johnson and Annabelle McDonnell will relinquish their crowns to their successors at the end of the competition.