Watch Jayvhee discuss more about LGBT as a representative and be informed of how the society views their beliefs and moral acts in the Philippine context.
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Joey Mead King's unconditional love for Ian King--who is now reborn as Angelina King May Angelina King and Joey Mead King's story inspire everyone. #LoveWins |
Economic optimism is high in LGBT community, report says"Political successes are among the reasons the gay community is more optimistic about the economy than the general public. Above, Ken Pierce waves a rainbow flag outside the courthouse where the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in 2011 in the fight over Proposition 8, a law forbidding gay marriage in California." (courtesy of: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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March 21, 2013 | By Walter Hamilton, Los Angeles Times
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LGBT RIGHTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
The Philippines is ranked as one of the most gay-friendly nations in the world, and the most LGBT friendly in Asia. The country ranked as the 10th most gay-friendly in a global survey covering 39 countries, in which only 17 had majorities accepting homosexuality. Titled "The Global Divide on Homosexuality," the survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 73 percent of adult Filipinos agreed with the statement that "homosexuality should be accepted by society," up by nine percentage points from 64 percent in 2002. The LGBT community remains as one of the country's minority sectors today. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people often face disadvantages in getting hired for jobs, acquiring rights for civil marriage, and even in starting up personal businesses. This has led to the rise of the cause for LGBT rights, defined as the right to equality and non-discrimination. As a member of the United Nations, the Philippines is signatory to various international covenants promoting human rights.
MARRIAGE & FAMILY
The Philippines does not offer any legal recognition to same-sex marriage, civil unions or domestic partnership benefits. Since 2006, three anti-same sex marriage bills have been introduced and are pending before the Senate and Congress. In early 2011, Rep. Rene Relampagos of Bohol filed a bill to amend Article 26 of the Philippine Family Code, to prohibit "forbidden marriages." Specifically, this seeks to bar the Philippine state from recognizing same-sex marriages contracted overseas. In December 2014 Herminio Coloma Jr, a spokesperson for the Presidential Palace, commented on same-sex marriage, saying; "We must respect the rights of individuals to enter into such partnerships as part of their human rights, but we just need to wait for the proposals in Congress".
The Philippines is ranked as one of the most gay-friendly nations in the world, and the most LGBT friendly in Asia. The country ranked as the 10th most gay-friendly in a global survey covering 39 countries, in which only 17 had majorities accepting homosexuality. Titled "The Global Divide on Homosexuality," the survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 73 percent of adult Filipinos agreed with the statement that "homosexuality should be accepted by society," up by nine percentage points from 64 percent in 2002. The LGBT community remains as one of the country's minority sectors today. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people often face disadvantages in getting hired for jobs, acquiring rights for civil marriage, and even in starting up personal businesses. This has led to the rise of the cause for LGBT rights, defined as the right to equality and non-discrimination. As a member of the United Nations, the Philippines is signatory to various international covenants promoting human rights.
MARRIAGE & FAMILY
The Philippines does not offer any legal recognition to same-sex marriage, civil unions or domestic partnership benefits. Since 2006, three anti-same sex marriage bills have been introduced and are pending before the Senate and Congress. In early 2011, Rep. Rene Relampagos of Bohol filed a bill to amend Article 26 of the Philippine Family Code, to prohibit "forbidden marriages." Specifically, this seeks to bar the Philippine state from recognizing same-sex marriages contracted overseas. In December 2014 Herminio Coloma Jr, a spokesperson for the Presidential Palace, commented on same-sex marriage, saying; "We must respect the rights of individuals to enter into such partnerships as part of their human rights, but we just need to wait for the proposals in Congress".
Well known Celebrities in the Philippines together with their SAME-SEX partners.
LGBT WHEN IT COMES TO POLITICS
Marginalized sectors in society recognised in the national electoral law include categories such as elderly, peasants, labour, youth etc. Under the Philippine constitution some 20% of seats in the House of Representatives are reserved. In 1995 and 1997, unsuccessful efforts were made to reform the law so as to include LGBT people. A proponent of this reform was Senate President Pro Tempore Blas Ople who said (in 1997), "In view of the obvious dislike of the ... administration for gay people, it is obvious that the president will not lift a finger to help them gain a sectoral seat." The Communist Party of the Philippines integrated LGBT rights into its party platform in 1992, becoming the first Philippine political party to do so. The Akbayan Citizens' Action Party was another early party (although a minor one) to advocate for LGBT rights in 1998. The administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was recently called "not just gender insensitive, but gender-dead" by Akbayan Party representative Risa Hontiveros. Rep. Hontiveros also said that the absence of any policy protecting the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender betrays the government’s homophobia: "This homophobic government treats LGBTs as second-class citizens. On June 17, 2011, the Philippines abstained from signing the United Nations declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity, which condemns violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, on September 26, 2014, the country gave a landmark yes vote on a follow-up resolution by the UN Human Rights Council to fight violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).
TRANSGENDER POLITICIAN GERALDINE ROMAN WINS SEAT IN PHILIPPINE PARLIAMENT
Geraldine Roman has celebrated overcoming “bigotry, hatred and discrimination” after becoming the first transgender politician to win a congressional seat in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. “The politics of bigotry, hatred and discrimination did not triumph. What triumphed was the politics of love, acceptance and respect,” Roman said after her victory for a seat in Congress representing the farming province of Bataan, just northwest of Manila.Geraldine Roman won 62% of votes in Bataan, where she succeeds her mother as a representative in the congress. Roman has been living as a woman for two decades. She had a successful career as senior editor at the Spanish News Agency. She speaks Spanish, French and Italian and won a scholarship to study in Spain, where she met her partner of 18 years. She underwent sex reassignment surgery and legally changed her name and gender in the 1990s – a recognition she said she wanted other transgender people to have.Roman has vowed to campaign to lift those restrictions, and to push for an anti-discrimination bill that ensures equal treatment in the workplace, schools, commercial establishments and government offices.
Marginalized sectors in society recognised in the national electoral law include categories such as elderly, peasants, labour, youth etc. Under the Philippine constitution some 20% of seats in the House of Representatives are reserved. In 1995 and 1997, unsuccessful efforts were made to reform the law so as to include LGBT people. A proponent of this reform was Senate President Pro Tempore Blas Ople who said (in 1997), "In view of the obvious dislike of the ... administration for gay people, it is obvious that the president will not lift a finger to help them gain a sectoral seat." The Communist Party of the Philippines integrated LGBT rights into its party platform in 1992, becoming the first Philippine political party to do so. The Akbayan Citizens' Action Party was another early party (although a minor one) to advocate for LGBT rights in 1998. The administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was recently called "not just gender insensitive, but gender-dead" by Akbayan Party representative Risa Hontiveros. Rep. Hontiveros also said that the absence of any policy protecting the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender betrays the government’s homophobia: "This homophobic government treats LGBTs as second-class citizens. On June 17, 2011, the Philippines abstained from signing the United Nations declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity, which condemns violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, on September 26, 2014, the country gave a landmark yes vote on a follow-up resolution by the UN Human Rights Council to fight violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).
TRANSGENDER POLITICIAN GERALDINE ROMAN WINS SEAT IN PHILIPPINE PARLIAMENT
Geraldine Roman has celebrated overcoming “bigotry, hatred and discrimination” after becoming the first transgender politician to win a congressional seat in the predominantly Catholic Philippines. “The politics of bigotry, hatred and discrimination did not triumph. What triumphed was the politics of love, acceptance and respect,” Roman said after her victory for a seat in Congress representing the farming province of Bataan, just northwest of Manila.Geraldine Roman won 62% of votes in Bataan, where she succeeds her mother as a representative in the congress. Roman has been living as a woman for two decades. She had a successful career as senior editor at the Spanish News Agency. She speaks Spanish, French and Italian and won a scholarship to study in Spain, where she met her partner of 18 years. She underwent sex reassignment surgery and legally changed her name and gender in the 1990s – a recognition she said she wanted other transgender people to have.Roman has vowed to campaign to lift those restrictions, and to push for an anti-discrimination bill that ensures equal treatment in the workplace, schools, commercial establishments and government offices.
“As we experience this love, there is a temptation at times to become hostile to our earlier understandings, feeling embarrassed that we were so "simple" or "naive," or "brainwashed" or whatever terms arise when we haven't come to terms with our own story. These past understandings aren't to be denied or dismissed; they're to be embraced. Those experiences belong. Love demands that they belong. That's where we were at that point in our life and God met us there. Those moments were necessary for us to arrive here, at this place at this time, as we are. Love frees us to embrace all of our history, the history in which all things are being made new.Love demands freedom. It always has, and it always will. We are free to resist, reject, and rebel against God's ways for us. We can have all the hell we want.”
― Rob Bell, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived