Pass anti-discrimination bill, stop pussyfooting on gay rights, ProGay tells Aquino

By PROGAY Philippines
September 22, 2011

MANILA  –  The human rights group Progressive Organization of Gays (ProGay Philippines) criticized the position of President Benigno Aquino III on gay rights and demanded the priority passage of House Bill 1483 or the Anti-Discrimination Act of 2010.

In a statement, ProGay spokesperson Goya Candelario expressed dismay over the incompetence of Aquino as a head of state in the forum at the Asia Society in New York where the president said he would be in a dilemma to allow gay couples to adopt children.

"ProGay believes it is truly shameful display for the Philippine government to display total lack of knowledge and appreciation of what the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Filipinos need. Aquino must realize he should stop issuing mere motherhood statements on gay rights and do his homework on the existing legal work that gay activists have been pushing the government for more than 15 years now," Candelario said.

Candelario said that Aquino should devote more time working with Congress, the judiciary and his agencies to start work on fulfiling its international obligations to United Nations conventions protecting the rights of LGBTQs, which are embodied in HB 1483, a bill filed by Bayan Muna congressman Teddy Casiño but is now languishing in Congress Committee on Justice.

ProGay cited the 2006 Yogyakarta Principles, a compendium of generally accepted human rights provisions culled from basic UN conventions, that the Aquino administration has to promote if the government is really serious in removing the Philippines from embarrassing moments in international forums on LGBTQ issues.

According to Yogyakarta Principle No. 24, "Everyone has the right to found a family, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Families exist in diverse forms. No family may be subjected to discrimination on the basis of the sexual orientation or gender identity of any of its members."

Principle 24 further states that UN member states such as the Philippines "take all necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure that in all actions or decisions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration, and that the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child or of any family member or other person may not be considered incompatible with such best interests."