How Many More Times Are We Going to Delay the SOGIE Equality Bill?

It's crazy to think that it's been more than two decades since the Anti-Discrimination Bill or the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill was first proposed in Congress. And yet, we're in the exact same place we were when it was first filed in January 2000. Akbayan party-list Representative Etta Rosales, together with the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago, couldn't have foreseen the kind of hurdles the proposed act has gone through over the years.

In May 2019, the Anti-Discrimination Bill officially became the longest-running bill under the Senate interpellation period. Over the recent Congresses though, we've at least seen it slowly gain more support from different members of the Lower and Upper House. Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, for instance, even went on record during the 17th Congress to pledge his support for the measure, as did Senator Loren Legarda. In the 18th Congress, only eight senators signed the committee report. Back in December 2022, now in the 19th Congress, 19 senators signed the committee report recommending the bill, in what would be one of its best turnouts for the passage of the SOGIE.

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>p“I am ecstatic that 19 of us colleagues in the Senate have come together to support the SOGIE Bill. In just one day, we persuaded them to sign the committee report. I am even more encouraged that in this Congress, the SOGIE bill will finally be passed,” Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement at the time. "It's 2022 already; our laws should reflect the reality of our culture.">pWe're almost but not quite there. Today, alleged attempts have again been made to prevent the SOGIE Bill from being deliberated in the Senate Plenary. This is more than 20 instances' worth of delays for the bill over more than two decades of discussion. There seems to still be a lot of misconceptions about the bill, despite the literature available online. For the sake of this piece, we're reminding the public of what's at stake.>pIn essence, the SOGIE Equality Bill seeks to end gender-based discrimination. It was authored not only to recognize the fundamental rights of people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+), but to protect them from marginalization, allowing them equal opportunities to things like healthcare, public services, employment, and the like. Those who will be found guilty of hate crimes will be subjected to fines or even imprisonment depending on the severity of the case.>p>p

WATCH: Sen. @loren_legarda and Sen. @migzzubiri during the 17th Congress expressing their support for the SOGIE Equality Bill.

Hoping you’ll still be champions of equality now in the 19th Congress. ????#SOGIEEqualityNow #SaveEquality
pic.twitter.com/FVbMyHt9aq>pJanuary 24, 2023

>pALSO READ:>pMale, Female, SOGIE? Misuse of Term Causes Outrage>pEverything you need to know about the Anti-Discrimination Bill>pOf course, there's the subject of violence against the community, too, which, we know is rampant in micro- and macro-scales all over the country. Just a few months ago, for example, a transwoman was shunned by a store in BGC for basically being herself. High-profile cases, like the gruesome murder of Jennifer Laude, are yet to receive the kind of justice they deserve. These are only some of the first hate crimes that come to mind that have captured the nation's attention. There are far more crimes committed that we're not even aware of.>pThe dissidents usually come from various religious communities and conservative groups (and the senators and congressmen that represent them), who claim that it's unnecessary given the laws we already have. That's just not true. They sort of treat it like a pie, where more rights for one group means less rights for them. There's that overarching social dilemma, as well, where we live in a predominantly Catholic nation made up of self-righteous, out-of-touch Bible-thumpers.>p

It has been 22 years too long.
Stop delaying equality.
End discrimination.
Pass the SOGIESC Equality Bill now!#SOGIEEqualityNow#SaveEquality#EndDiscriminationNow pic.twitter.com/DxUTJ9GbNH>pJanuary 24, 2023

>pAnother common argument against the bill is: why isn't there a heterosexual version of it then? It riles up the "straight lives matter" community that way. Well, the thing is, the SOGIE Equality Bill applies to heterosexuals, too. This is an all-inclusive measure that's meant to champion and defend our rights. These cases are getting exhausting, really.>pWhile much can be said about the prevailing backwards sentiments in our circles, there are some bright spots to consider. Interestingly, we've seen even the National Council of the Churches Philippines support the legislation, too. The Quezon City government, on the other hand, has recently recognized the rights of same-sex partners.>pMeanwhile, supporters of the bill continue to assert that these delaying tactics are only meant to suppress the dialogue and have it scrapped soon enough. This time, however, the calls for it to go through the Senate Plenary are louder than ever. It passed on the committee level, and even has its sponsor.>pMiriam Defensor-Santiago is dead. The hate crimes and discriminatory practices endure. The signatures are there. So the question remains: what's the fucking holdup then?>p