Blatant Homophobia

We just got word today that COMELEC has denied AngLadlad's application for partylist accreditation..and get this, on grounds of "immorality" according to the Koran and because we are "a threat to Filipino youth".

I am not surprised since I anticipated this the day I watched the TV and saw how poor Danton was grilled by those three COMELEC commissioners who sat in the hearing. One wore his religious beliefs on his sleeve as the token representative of his brethren, the second, a seeming fair and upright person betrayed his intelligence when he commented that there are enough LGBTs in Congress to represent us, and the third, a diminutive fellow showed how naive and childish his comments could be when he said that LGBTs don't experience discrimination, but are actually given preference and are favored nowadays...

These poor gentlemen may have forgotten this was not a circus or a comedy show; it was a hearing for partylist accreditation. Did they even bother to review the Partylist law and what the Philippine Constitution mandated about sectoral representation? Did they need to be reminded what "marginalization" meant in the true sense of the word? People didn't seem to have a problem understanding the concept when women were deemed disadvantaged because of their gender, or when children needed special protection because of their minority, or when farmers, fisherfolk, laborers, or the urban poor were recognized because of their economic status in society. Some will argue it is because LGBTs were not included in the "enumeration" of sectors acknowledged by the Constitution. This is the same reasoning proferred by human rights advocates when asked why LGBTs are not considered in the national human rights agenda.

The old COMELEC reason for denying AngLadlad's accreditation in 2007 at least had the semblance of propriety and rationality. it went "technical" and said we failed to prove "national membership" and regional representation. This time, it was pure, blatant homophobia which the Filipino LGBT Community cannot countenance..Such reasoning reeks of discrimination and inequality. Civil and political rights are guaranteed by international human rights documents and even our own Bill of Rights, but this ruling tells the Filipino LGBTs their political participation and right to representation is not that important.

This is an eye-opener for all of us. To those LGBTs whom still think we're doing ok and are "accepted" already, think again..COMELEC commissioners can speak about us like this as if we're the scum of the earth. To progressive legislators, policy-makers, legal professionals and human rights advocates, will you allow such declarations of personal opinions become the legal bases for decisions which will have a national impact for us all?