SOGIE Bill — an imperative part of PH society, and here are reasons why
The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill or also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB) remains a bill intended to prevent various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
SOGIE Bill – an imperative part of PH society, and here are reasons why
Former Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and former Akbayan party-list representative Etta Rosales first filed the bill in Congress in 2000. Defensor-Santiago would also re-file this every congressional period in the Senate until her last term in 2016. Representatives of Akbayan would also continuously re-file this bill in the House.
1 | It’s for everyone – not just for the LGBTQIA Community.
The SOGIE Bill is for basic human rights. It’s not just for the LGBTQIA community who strives for acceptance, not just tolerance. The bill has finally reached the Senate after nearly 20 years of being put on the backburner. However, the bill met staunch opponents in legislators like Manny Pacquiao, Tito Sotto, and Joel Villanueva. They often cite religious rights as a reason for barring it from moving forward.
This protects every Filipino’s rights and assures us that we can exercise those rights — because we are human. It protects us from discrimination, injustice, and inequality in every single way — because, quite literally, everyone has SOGIE. Everyone has a sexual orientation and everyone has a gender identity. It doesn’t matter if you’re straight or a member of the LGBTQIA community, the SOGIE Bill is for you, too.
# 2 | Relying on local government to protect us from discrimination.
According to an article from CNN Philippines, with no national law, we can only rely on local ordinances to protect LGBTQIAs against discrimination. In 2003, the Quezon City government approved the country’s first local anti-discrimination ordinance. Of course, this paved the way for other local governments to enact their own ordinances to protect LGBTQIA Filipinos from discrimination.
As of October 29, 2020, the City Government of Manila passed the City Ordinance No. 8695, or the Manila LGBTQI Protection Ordinance of 2020. This aims to “guarantee full respect of the dignity of every individual and their human rights” through eliminating all forms of discrimination against the said community. Of course, this penalizes anyone who discriminates based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
# 3 | Bigger opportunities for LGBTQIAs.
Just in case you didn’t know, a company can turn away an LGBTQIA just because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. A company can fire an LGBTQIA employee just because of who they are. A company can also refuse to give service to an LGBTQIA person. Aside from that, a company can also reject an LGBTQIA’s job application in its establishment, making them unable to find a decent job even when they’re qualified.
According to Patricia Angela Luzano Enriquez’s research paper in Cogencia, 25% of her respondents have experienced harassment from their employers or superior officers. Then, 33% have experienced harassment from co-workers, and 60% remained a subject of slurs and offensive jokes in the workplace. Overall, her data makes it clear that the country’s professional world continues to snub LGBTQIA in a corporate setting.
# 4 | No shame for unchanged names and more love for LGBTQIA families.
There is more to the meaning of family than the traditional concept of a mother, a father, and their children. Currently, there is no such thing as a gender recognition law in the country. Changing your gender marker on your birth certificate is often an impossible task. For many trans people, this often leads to harassment and discrimination. Of course, this kind of injustice leaks through renewing IDs, applying to government services, seeking employment, and traveling abroad.
A story from CNN shares an anecdote from trans man Deejei Reyes. Legally, he is listed as his children’s “mother.” However, his children recognize him as their father and see his wife Eunice as their mother. Due to the lack of legality on same-sex marriage, he can’t marry her and be “properly” called as a family.
Another legal barrier a same-sex couple has to face includes issues of hospitalization. If one of them gets rushed to the hospital, their partner can’t give consent on medical decisions if the patient remains incapacitated. From gay dads, lesbian moms, to trans parents, and nonbinary guardians, they don’t adhere to archaic gender stereotypes and that’s okay. They provide children with a loving household that kids truly deserve.
Notes on SOGIE Bill:
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the writer of this article don’t necessarily represent those of the rest of Village Pipol Magazine.
On people citing religious rights and Bible verses:
Just in case you didn’t know, the Bible actually didn’t say anything about homosexuality. If people are talking about the Bible verse, Leviticus 18:22 which says, “A man shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” Charles D. Myers, Jr. confirms that none of the prophets in the original Hebrew Bible mention homosexuality.
This actually refers to the sexual relations between an older man and a young boy. The ancient Near East tradition included pederasty and relations between an older man and a boy, which was the primary form of homosexual sex at the time. It literally condemns pedophilia — not homosexuality.
By the way, pedophilia isn’t included in the SOGIE Bill. Children are not a gender and that means, pedophilia isn’t a sexuality. You can be a gay pedophile or a straight pedophile — and if you are, there is a special place for you on this earth — maximum security prison.
On straight people fearing that SOGIE Bill will affect their rights:
The SOGIE Bill is for straight cisgender people, too. Because, just like LGBTQIAs, they also have SOGIE. They also have sexual orientation and gender identity. For example, you’re a straight male, you identify as a man, and your pronouns are he/him. That’s your SOGIE. This bill protects you from being discriminated under the reasoning “because you’re a man.”
I don’t think that happens often but, yeah, this bill protects you from being discriminated. The same thing goes for women, too. This bill protects you from being discriminated under the reasoning “because you’re a woman.” The SOGIE Bill protects every Filipino from being pushed outside an establishment, fired from a job, and victimized due to who you are.
Let us know what you think.
