One can say that in this day and age of equal opportunities and empowerment to everyone, especially members of the LGBT (lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community, we don’t need shows like Queer Eye or Will and Grace or the more controversial Queer as Folk. What we don’t realize is that these shows are exactly what the world needs. For the past years, gay-themed shows and movies have been the pink community’s best cure against a moralistic and less-tolerant conservative society. Although a big percentage of the pink population are still hiding inside the closet, the condition has somehow improved over time.

So it is but natural for the gay community—whether closeted or not—to find the Fab 5, whose members Carson Kressley, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Jai Rodriguez and Ted Allen, all out and proud, their modern-day heroes. The gay community has long been in search of personalities who can best carry their sentiments, or at the very least, represent them.

It’s been quite a long while, since we last heard of Queer Eye. Last year, grooming guru Kyan Douglas and design doctor Thom Filicia was in Manila to share a couple of their “queer” thoughts to Filipinos on how to improve their looks and ultimately, their lives. But the reception the Fab 5 got from the media at a conference at Makati Shangri-la and shows at Ayala Malls recently, was proof that they haven’t lost their touch. People still came in droves, girls still shrieked with excitement.

Queer Eye, indeed, is more than just a makeover show. Beyond the friendly banter and campy humor, it’s a piece of gem that touches the heart and soul.

During a one-on-one interview with the Standard Today, wine and food connoisseur Ted Allen said the best thing that’s ever happened in his life since joining the phenomenal Bravo TV show was how the Fab 5 affected and improved the lives of others. “I am proud to say that we get thousands and thousands of letters and e-mailed from gay people and teenagers from all over the world saying the show has made them feel better about themselves,” he narrated. “I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Not that we deserve credit for that, not that we’ve done something important. We know there are activists out there who work much harder than we do, for much less money than we make, trying to make the world better for gay people or people with disabilities or whatever.”

Allen added that a show like Queer Eye is a big help for gay people, especially the young who have yet to discover their true selves. “The show means a lot to me, because nobody was doing it when I was 16 or 18 or 24 years old. And that’s the best thing by far,” Allen shared.

According to Kenjie Nuñez, editor in chief of Generation Pink, a lifestyle magazine for the LGBT community, Queer Eye got the ball rolling for all other gay-oriented shows, whose aim is to place the community in a better, much clearer light. “In a way the show broadened people’s perspective about the pink community and somehow removed the barricade between the straight people and the gays. Some of the straight people used to be judgmental, unable to understand and appreciate our contribution to society,” Nuñez said. “I think Queer Eye changed all that. It paved the way for more opportunities for us to voice out our opinions and our feelings, and I think it’s doing our world good.”

Although the Philippines is not ready to have a local show catering to the gay community just yet (a fact loosely based on the failure of GMA-7’s Out! to draw advertisers and viewers), Queer Eye has served as one big shining beacon of hope for a crowd that has always essayed wobbly steps toward acceptance and belonging. “The show actually created a wonderful platform for gay men all over the world for their opinions to be heard. I think the Fab Five has revolutionized the modern straight men and in the process empowered and brought out the creative capabilities of the pink community,” Nuñez added.

The Fab Five also expressed their gratitude for all the wonderful opportunities that the fans let them experience. If anything, Queer Eye opened their eyes and made them realize how one show can be a powerful tool in affecting the lives of many and getting their message across. “We’re very grateful for the success the show has had. So many different people have embraced us. Not just the gay people, not just young urban people, but people all over the world,” Allen said. “The show may look superficial—with all our talk about clothes, food, wine, etc. I think if there’s something important that Queer Eye has been very lucky enough to do, it’s that we’re five out gay people on TV, being ourselves.”

Allen was also thrilled of the fact that not many people can do what they’ve been doing. “A lot of famous Hollywood actors are gay who won’t admit it or acknowledge it or be proud of it. That I think sends a negative message to young gay people. It tells them they should hide and think it’s a shameful secret, which is not at all,” he stressed. “We’re privileged enough to have had the opportunity to be honest and be ourselves. Now my conservative relatives in the south of the US never ask my mom when I’m getting married anymore. It really makes things easier.”

Now that the message is out, maybe it’s time we listened.