Human rights advocates on Friday joined the mounting call for the Senate to pass the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression [SOGIE] Equality Bill.
Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights), affirmed their commitment to “uphold and defend the basic rights and human dignity of marginalized sectors.”
“We stand firm with the LGBTQI+ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual] people for the immediate passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill,” she said.
She cited Article 2, Section 11 of 1987 Constitution declaring that “the State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights.”
She said the Philippines is also a signatory to a number of international agreements on human rights, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural.
“While we respect the beliefs of faith-based institutions and groups, the anchor of our State policies should be on the civil and political rights already guaranteed in our constitution and international human rights instruments. We must not let homophobic and transphobic rhetoric spreading fear and paranoia prevent us from pushing for meaningful reforms for the LGBTQI+ community,” she said.