The Sogie Bill Position Paper

“The SOGIE Bill”
This position paper is about my stand concerning the recent Senate Bill No. 689 which is entitled
as the “Anti-Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression”. This bill
seeks to penalize discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and is more
commonly known as the SOGIE equality bill. This bill was first filed in the congress in 2000 by Sen. Miriam
Defensor then by the AKBAYAN representative, Loretta Rosales. There are some anti-discrimination laws
shielding the LGBTQ+ community from harassment and abuse in other parts of the world. The first country
in Asia which passed a bill recognizing same-sex marriage is Taiwan. Taiwan is the most progressive when
it comes to LGBTQ+ rights in Asia. Taiwan’s Constitutional Court agreed to legalize same-sex marriage and
ruled that denying the marriage rights of same-sex couples are unconstitutional. In the Philippines,
according to one of the articles I’ve read, “the State's commitment to upholding the dignity and equality
of all persons is enshrined in the 1987 Constitution and in several international covenants it is signatory
to, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).” While the preservation of the LGBTQ+ is
promised on paper, the Philippines is never unfamiliar with the notorious cases of hate crimes and abuse
in the community. In Mindanao, the SOGIE bill protects LGBT Muslims from discrimination. According to
Senator Vicente Sotto III, “While there are city ordinances that protect the rights of the gay community,
activists have expressed concern that the absence of an anti-discrimination legislation for LGBTs and
stiff opposition from religious groups and conservative senators could offset any progress made at the
local level.” He also added that “At the end of the day, there are religious policies of Islam that do not
agree with the Christian religious policies and Christian policies that do not adhere to Islam policies and
also to the indigenous policies, but the SOGIE bill will address the commonality which is to protect
everybody regardless of faith, gender and race.” I agree to pass the SOGIE Bill so that there will be equal
treatment to each and every one. It protects the LGBT community from judgements and even violence.
The very first reason why I agree with this bill because it won’t outlaw bible-based beliefs. It
respects religious freedom as a basic human right. It is filed to end the discrimination and abuse of people
based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
Second, you will not be penalized for believing what you believe in. For me, equality is not a special
treatment. According to Hontiveros, “Employers can choose to discriminate against LGBTQ+ persons on
the basis of their SOGIE, trans people can be refused service in establishments, and gay men can be denied
access to health services because of stigma. These are no laws protecting the LGBTQ+ persons based on
their SOGIE.” SOGIE Bill will protect them from bias and ferocity.
Third, it will prevent bullying. This bill will mandate public basic and higher education institutions
to implement policies for diversity and inclusion. A lot of LGBT youth suffer from mental issues because
of bullying. They are vulnerable to these issues because they are not accepted in the society. These cases
lead to self-harm and even suicide. According to HRW, this law is against bullying.
Overall, I support the SOGIE Bill. A lot of people support this bill. The sufferings of the LGBTQ+
community should not be negated or ignored. We should give equality to these people since they are also
a part of our community which give contributions in our society. According to Pastor Kakay Pamaran, “We
believe that diversity is God’s gift. We choose to celebrate diversity.” We are all the same. We are all
human beings. We deserve to be given equal rights and opportunities in life. Our support would mean so
much to the world since there’s a lot of LGBTQ+ individuals.

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“The SOGIE Bill”

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