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Thursday, June 29, 2006
Gays, lesbians asked to rally v. political killings
A SIGNATURE campaign was launched on Wednesday in key cities in the Philippines seeking support from among gays and lesbians to join the bandwagon condemning the disturbing political killings all over the country.
Spearheaded by lesbian and gay organizations and individuals from Baguio, Quezon City, Davao, and Cotabato City, the groups asserted their role as "vital citizens of the country and active members of the economy and politics".
In their manifesto, they also pressed for justice, saying that: "Never before since the imposition of Martial Law has there been such blatant and outright display and employment of brutal force on persons critical of the government. The killings and persecution has a strong effect on the recognition and exercise of our basic political and civil rights as lesbians and gays. It reinforces the culture of violence which denies us of our rights to express our opinions and to freely organize and assemble."
Lesbond, a Baguio-based lesbian organization and also a member of the Galit-Gloria (Gays and Lesbians for the Immediate Tsugi of Gloria), conveyed their rage over these developments, urging local and international human rights groups to look into these repressions.
"June is always a 'pride month' for gays and lesbians all over the world, but this time around, we Filipino lesbians and gays cannot afford to be celebratory when our freedom-loving brothers and sisters are facing threat of murder and state terrorism," said Julie Palaganas of the group.
Also in reaction to the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) party-list launched last week, Galit-Gloria representatives believed in the right to assembly and sectoral representation in Congress. But with the recent attempts to tinker with the Philippine Charter, Galit-Gloria feared that "no-election" would happen, or worse, the non-recognition of party-list and sectoral representation in the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo-tailored Charter change.
"All the more should the LGBT community work against Charter change and the ouster of President Arroyo," said Angelo Guizon, Galit-GMA representative.
As part of the Stonewall commemoration, gays and lesbians in Baguio marched down Session Road with the theme "Rainbow in Black, Gays and Lesbians Against Political Repression."
(June 29, 2006 issue)
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