Pura Luka Vega seeks financial help for court hearings

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25) — Drag queen Pura Luka Vega is asking the public for donations ahead of court hearings in September, weeks after being sued for the viral “Ama Namin” performance which religious groups have denounced as blasphemous.

“WE’RE GOING TO COURT," read a post on the Instagram page for the podcast hosted by Vega. "And we need your help more than ever,”

“Our donations will go to Luka’s family and transpo/food for their court dates this September,” it added.

Vega told CNN Philippines in a message on Friday that they have yet to meet their lawyers and that they have no idea how much they will need for legal expenses.

“Hindi pa sure how much ang costs [We’re still uncertain of the costs] but more on incidental expenses because of the court hearings, and kasi baka mag-absent ako sa day job ko [because I might take a leave of absence from my day job],” said the drag queen, who uses the pronoun they/them.

Inquirer.net earlier reported that leaders of Christian churches under the Philippines for Jesus Movement filed complaints against Vega for the controversial performance, where the drag artist — wearing an outfit meant to resemble Jesus Christ — sang and danced to a rock rendition of "Ama Namin," the Filipino translation of the Lord's Prayer.

READ: Pura Luka Vega sorry but stands by controversial ‘Ama Namin’ performance

The Christian leaders individually filed complaints against Vega, citing alleged violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code provides the penalty for "immoral doctrines, obscene publications and exhibitions and indecent shows."

It said the penalty of prison mayor or a fine ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 pesos, or both, shall be imposed

Several localities nationwide have also declared Vega “persona non grata” following the uproar over the video.