How Esnyr Ranollo Found Freedom to Be Himself
ESNYR RANOLLO – Before he became a PBB Celebrity Collab Edition finalist, Esnyr Ranollo endured years of hiding his true self just to feel accepted.
Content creator and Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition third placer Esnyr Ranollo recently opened up about the struggles he faced growing up gay in an unaccepting environment. In an interview on Karen Davila’s vlog, Esnyr candidly reflected on his younger years, admitting he constantly felt the need to prove himself.
“Sobrang hirap,” he said. “Sa probinsya po kasi, sa amin, super konti lang po ng mga gays. Mali siya para sa kanila kaya doon nalang po ako bumabawi sa mga academics. Pino-prove ko ‘yung sarili ko kahit hindi ko alam kung bakit pine-pressure ko ‘yung sarili ko.”
He revealed that he never officially came out to his parents due to fear of rejection. “Feeling ko hindi nila ako matatanggap ‘pag sinabi ko po mismo sa kanila na bakla ako kaya medyo wala po talagang confirmation sa pamilya na ‘Ma, Pa bakla ako.’ Parang go with the flow lang. Parang recently nalang po ako nakapag-spread my wings kasi takot po talaga ako,” he said.
Trying to fit in, Esnyr recalled hiding his true identity. “Kumbaga paminta-minta po ako before kaya lahat po ng mga throwback pictures ko palalaki talaga,” he shared.
Even in his early content creation days, he worked discreetly. “Pag nag-sho-shoot po ako ng TikTok, dun po ako sa kwarto,” he said. “Nung pandemic po ako nag-start, may mga times na kailangan po nila [parents] lumabas-labas so sinasakto ko po na ‘pag lumabas sila, doon na po ako patagong nag-sho-shoot.”
Fortunately, his fears eased when his parents discovered his videos and showed full support. A touching moment with his father left a lasting mark: “Actually, nagulat nga po ako ng pinost po ako ng papa ko na naka-long hair po ako,” he recalled, noting it happened right before he flew to Manila to join ABS-CBN.
For Esnyr, that gesture meant freedom. “Nakatulong po talaga siya sa craft ko sa pagiging content creator ko kasi wala na akong tinatago kumbaga spread my wings na ako at mas nailalabas ko na po ang creativity ko,” he said.
Ultimately, acceptance from his parents empowered him. “Sobrang laking impact po ang nagawa ng pagpost niya [father] po sa akin kasi wala na po akong kinakatakutan kumbaga. Kasi pag tanggap na po ako ng father ko, ng parents ko po, hindi na mag-ma-matter po sa akin ‘yung sasabihin ng ibang tao,” he concluded.
Inside the PBB house, Esnyr proudly waved the rainbow flag, finishing third alongside partner Charlie Fleming.
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