In The Global Divide on Homosexuality survey by the Pew Research Center, 73 percent of adult Filipinos agree that homosexuality should be accepted by society. The Philippines is also ranked 2nd most gay-friendly country in Asia-Pacific, with the Metro Manila Pride March being the largest and oldest Pride demonstration in Southeast Asia.
Some local governments in the Philippines already have ordinances that protect the LGBT community.
The Department of Education (DepEd) also issued the Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy, which commits to integrating the principles of gender equality, gender equity, gender sensitivity, anti-discrimination, and human rights.
Amid all these, the Philippines is only more tolerant than accepting of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community.
A study by the United Nations (UN) reveals that 30 percent of the LGBT community in the Philippines reported being harassed, bullied, or discriminated against at the workplace. In comparison, 21 percent reported being denied a job because of their sexual orientation.
The Philippines also ranked 95th in the SPARTACUS Gay Travel Index 2019, which informs travelers about the situation of the LGBT community in 202 countries in terms of measures such as transgender rights, marriage equality, and anti-discrimination legislation, among others.
The SOGIE Equality Bill
In the Philippines, lawmakers have long passed a bill that seeks to end gender-based discrimination—the Anti-Discrimination Bill or the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill.
The bill recognizes the fundamental right of every person to be free from any form of discrimination regardless of sex, age, class, status, ethnicity, color, disability, religious and political beliefs, and sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill contains a comprehensive list of discriminatory practices on the basis of SOGIE. It seeks to protect individuals and communities that experience human rights violations that are based on their SOGIE.
The SOGIE Bill is not exclusive to members of the LGBTQ+ and it includes those who identify as heterosexuals.
Late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and former Akbayan Representative Loretta Rosales initially filed the bill in 2000 under the 11th Congress.
The SOGIE Equality Bill was refiled in the 14th Congress but only reached the committee level. More senators filed similar bills in the 15th and 16th Congress but efforts didn’t progress.
In 2016, Senator Risa Hontiveros filed the first Senate version of the Anti-Discrimination Bill. A year after, the bill was passed by the 17th Congress on its third and final reading with a 197-0 vote in the House of Representatives.
In 2018, Senators Loren Legarda, Ralph Recto, Franklin Drilon, and Juan Miguel Zubiri expressed support for the bill while Senators Manny Pacquiao, Joel Villanueva, and Tito Sotto opposed it.
During the same year, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) backed the passage of the bill through a position paper.
In 2019, the Anti-Discrimination Bill was due for passage before the 17th Congress adjourned but languished after three years of interpellations.
After two decades, the proposed law has yet to be legislated.
The fight for SOGIE equality in the Philippines: then and now
In the Philippines, the fight for SOGIE equality started as early as the 1990s. Various organizations and events were formed to advance the rights of the LGBT community.
In 1993, an initiative by young lesbian feminists called The Lesbian Contingent joined the International Women’s Day march. This was the first time a lesbian contingent marched in public.
On June 26, 1994, the Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (ProGay Philippines) and Metropolitan Community Church organized the very first Pride March in the Philippines and in Asia.
The University of the Philippines (UP) formed Babaylan in 1992, claiming to be the oldest LGBTQ+ student organization in the country.
Apart from the Anti-Discrimination Bill filed in 2000, other government officials and groups have pushed for programs and policies that protect the rights of the members of the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2010, Ang Ladlad Party-list, which represents the LGBTQ+ community, filed a petition to run in the national elections. While the Commission on Elections (Comelec) denied the petition twice because of “immorality,” the registration was eventually granted by the Supreme Court.
DepEd also issued an order that protects the sexual orientation and gender identity of children in 2012.
In 2013, Rosales, then-CHR Chair and a pioneer SOGIE Equality Bill Sponsor, said that the CHR is working on a database of hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community.
In the same year, then-Laguna Representative Sol Aragones introduced House Bill No. 2573, which would make LGBTQ+ hate crimes an aggravating circumstance for crimes against persons and chastity. The bill was not passed.
Meanwhile, then-Albay Representative Grex Lagman also filed a measure to help same-sex couples acquire property together. It was not passed.
In 2014, the murder of transwoman Jennifer Laude catalyzed discussion and action toward advancing transgender rights.
Then-Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista signed a gender-fair ordinance that prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ+ members in the workplace and educational institutions, as well as in the delivery of goods, services, and accommodations. The ordinance also includes affirmative actions such as equal pay and sensitivity training in the workplace.
During the election campaign in 2016, then-senatorial candidate Manny Pacquiao called same-sex couples “mas masahol pa sa hayop [worse than animals].”
In response to Pacquiao’s statement, several members of the LGBT community like artists Vice Ganda and Aiza Seguerra expressed their disappointment on social media.
“The LGBT is a group of people. We are humans. But not animals. Though we’re no saints we will pray for Manny Pacquiao,” Vice Ganda wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Seguerra called on voters to boycott Pacquiao, adding that the latter might have done the country proud but his statement only showed why people shouldn’t vote for him.
In the same year, Geraldine Roman took her seat as the first-ever elected transwoman in the House of Representatives.
In 2019, transwoman Gretchen Diez was blocked by a female janitress from using the women’s restroom. This called for another round of discussion and action to protect LGBTQ+ rights as Diez pushed for the legislation of the SOGIE Equality Bill.
Diez met with President Rodrigo Duterte who said he supports Diez and her push for the SOGIE Equality Bill.
Hontiveros, in a privilege speech, renewed her call for Congress to pass the SOGIE Bill.
Senators Imee Marcos and Christopher “Bong” Go threw their weight behind the bill. In the discussions, Senator Koko Pimentel asked for a definition of ‘transwoman’ while Senator Panfilo Lacson brought up the danger of voyeurism.
Senator Tito Sotto said that the bill has “no chance” of passing the Senate if it “transgresses on academic freedom, religious freedom, and women’s rights.”
Celebrating Pride
Despite the issues and tribulations faced by the LGBTQ+ community in the country, the community continues to celebrate the Metro Manila Pride March and Festival.
Throughout the month of June, the organization orchestrated various events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
This year, the Metro Manila Pride’s “Atin Ang Kulayaan” Festival was held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City on June 25.
On the same day, Pride PH also organized its own “Alab For Love” Pride Festival at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.
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