IFUGAO lawmaker urged co-lawmakers in Congress to pass the anti-discrimination bill to help put an end to the discrimination and violence against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) because of their sexual orientation.
Congressman Teddy Brawner Baguilat, who has authored an anti-discrimination bill still pending in the House of Representatives, trained the spotlight on the LGBT community as part of the celebration in June of LGBT Pride Month.
The solon said while there is no law in the country which criminalizes LGBTs, there is likewise no law expressly prohibiting discriminatory actions against them, whether at home or in the workplace or in society.
Baguilat said while the Philippines has consistently scored high on gender equality reports, this masks systematic discrimination against the LGBT community.
He cited the findings of a paper prepared by the Rainbow Rights Project, which said violence against LGBTs ranges from physical to emotional violence, and this unfortunately comes sometimes from family members, particularly male members including fathers, brothers, uncles and stepfathers who want to punish the LGBTs for their gender identity or sexual orientation.
The paper likewise identified instances where lesbians, bisexuals and transgender women faced discrimination when applying for jobs. They are often denied employment despite being better educated and having either equal or better qualifications than other applicants just because of their sexual orientation.
There have also been cases where transgender women experienced harassment and discrimination when applying for passports and other documents for international travel.
They were told, for example, to look like men in their passport photo because of a memorandum from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Police officers and members of the military have also been known for harassing, bullying and ridiculing transgender women, according to the paper. In some instances, LGBTs were arbitrarily detained, asked or ordered to provide sexual favors just because they are different.
The paper added the government has adopted an uneven approach to advancing the rights of the LGBT community.
Baguilat said it’s about time a law preventing discrimination be put in place, and this should help reduce joblessness and underemployment and end violence against LGBTs. (PR)