Blacklist International captain Johnmar “OhMyV33NUS” Villaluna finally broke his silence after being on the receiving end of homophobic slurs from fans.
The beloved support veteran, who is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, received hate comments from a number of Mobile Legends fans after Blacklist International’s 1-2 loss against Bren Esports on Thursday night.
OhMyV33NUS, before anything else, thanked everyone who stood behind him after the incident in a lengthy Facebook post.
He also explained that he made the post not because he was affected, but because he believes that there are far more people who was struggling with the same problem and that’s why it should be addressed.
“First, I would like to give my utmost respect and thanks sa lahat ng mga nakshieeszz ko and other people na patuloy sumuporta at nagsilbing mga Athena’s Shield at Bruteforce Breastplate during and after our matches sa game regarding the issue,” opened the former ONIC PH support, who also used Mobile Legends references on his post to make light of the situation. “As I type this, alam kong nagpapatuloy pa rin yung mga ganong eksena and I know we can’t stop it in just a snap of a finger or a Feathered Air Strike.
“As a member of LGBTQ+ Community, and a pro player of MPL-PH, I do stand to fight hindi lang para manalo, kundi maging inspiration to each member of my community. To open up the minds hindi lang ng bawat mga taong nanunuod kundi pati na rin ang mga kagaya ko na nangangarap pumasok sa ganitong industry.”
Despite the unfortunate incident, OhMyV33NUS still vowed to remain strong and become the voice of the voiceless and the representative of the underrepresented.
He also promised to use his platform to educate people and spread awareness regarding the issue.
“Yes, mahirap at talagang marami kang pagdadaanan kagaya ng mga nangyare but I’m telling you nakshieeeszzz, it’s the challenge that refines us to become great a person,” said V33NUS.
“Lastly, I will use any platforms that I can to spread awareness about how homophobic slurs affect a member of LGBTQ+ and how to turn that negativity into inspiration to keep moving forward. Let this be a healing galing movement not only limited to the LGBTQ+ community, but also to everyone.”
Blacklist International will be going up against Execration at 5:00 pm later today.
OhMyV33NUS is also expected to address the issue in Blacklist International’s post-match press conference.
