PamantasanngLungsodngMaynila

(University of the City of Manila)

Intramuros, Manila

How the Current Approach of the Public to the LGBTQIA+ Community Affects the
Ideology of the Non-Member Students of PLM

A Term Paper for TCW 0005-21

Submitted by:

Angel Michaela Orias

Karl Angelo F. Villafranca

Submitted to:

Prof. Danilo S. Cortez Jr.

1st Semester, Academic Year 2019-2020

December 2019
Abstract:
Introduction:

This discussion has always been a hot topic for years and it is still relevant up to this
day. The public can see news, written articles, studies, etc. concerning about the
community. How does gender identity affects the ideals of people surrounding you, and
how does it reflect their personalities or how they see other sexual orientations in their
own perspectives. The researchers strongly believe that the public has an effect on our
target respondents. It may be in accordance with the driving force of the LGBT
community in spreading positive knowledge about the said movement, but the
researches are also considering that it can change their ideals into the same way the
general public is seeing the situation.

When the people talk about the LGBT Community and their rights that are being upheld,
they usually think about the SOGIE bill. But what does the bill contains and who does it
cater to? Many of us specially the ones that are not researching about the bill, does not
know anything about its content or who is covered by the said law. As a matter of fact
the bill covers everyone in the community and anyone who violates this will be put into
trial. In 2019 the bill has been approved and made a law. This has regained hope for the
community and further actions that will be taken will be more grounded.

According to a program entitled Ok2BMe (2019), Queer Community or Rainbow

Community with an initial of LGBTQ+ was formed. The communities included in the
LGBTTTQQIA stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Two-Spirit,
Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Ally, Pansexual, Agender, Gender Queer,
Bigender, Gender Variant, and Pangender. As time goes by, though the said terms are
still evolving, it is important to be knowledgeable, and be respectful especially to the
people involved. 1

The SOGIE Bill has been talked about for 3 years now, but a considerably large number
of the country’s population are still unaware of what it dictates. This term paper will
address the said issue and will gauge how knowledgeable the respondents are.

1https://ok2bme.ca/resources/kids-teens/what-does-lgbtq-mean/?fbclid=IwAR1beVUl-
AYL8pi8jteX80HFlcmL3UmdIB2uWgroWfd4n2Q-Vp-1aMs9GEI
Research Questions:

1. Is the public aware of the issues the LGBTQIA+ Community is currently facing?
2. Are the people knowledgeable of the LGBTQIA+ community rights? And the
rights they are proposing?
3. Why is ideology a big factor when it comes to issues concerning the community?

Methods:

The researchers are using an interview. Some answers might be objective and would
require the respondents to freely answer the questions. The researchers believe that
making the questions answerable by yes or no will make the whole research vague.
Having extended answers that doesn’t bound respondents results to unfiltered and
unrestricted answers that can fulfill the goal of the research.

The purpose of the study is to gain more insights about the situation of LGBTQIA
community and how the public’s ideology and approach affects the non-member
community's own ideology, for example are the public aware of the issues faced by the
said community ?, the rights they obtained and are proposing?

The respondents would be students from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

regardless of colleges and their respective courses and to collect the data, the
researchers conducted an in depth interview.

The in depth interview for this study is only limited to students from Pamantasan ng
Lungsod ng Maynila as It has been already mentioned that the interview would only
have a subject of PLM students only and also has certain limitations that the study
based on its concept require. The researchers means of collecting data was through an
in depth interview for the respondents to freely answer the questions without any
restrictions as questions answerable by yes or no would make the paper sound vague.
The data would be presented through qualitative method as the data was gathered
through an in depth interview method, as a result the analysis would be of qualitative
method.
Results and Discussions:

The Research Questions:

1. Are you affiliated with the LGBTQIA+ Community?

2. In your own words describe the treatment/service that the community receives
from public/private sectors.
3. Are you aware of any existing national laws that promote the rights of the
LGBTQRS++ community?
4. Are the pre-existing laws constitutional or fair?
5. What are your thoughts on actions taken by the community to further spread their
cause?
6. At a Global perspective, will the ideals of the LGBT Community be fully accepted
in the near future?

Survey answers:

Respondent #01

1. No

2. Discriminated and ridiculed

3. No

4. No

5. They’re gaining more support from many compared before.

6. Yes

Respondent #02

1. No

2. There is some fair treatment, although controversy cannot be avoided.

3. None that I am aware of

4. IF there is any, I would say that Constitutional yes, but enforcement no.

5. It is insightful and seeks out discourse from any opposition.

6. Near future, I'd probably say there will be some tolerance, but not full acceptance.

Respondent #03

1. No

2. The situation in the workplace has seen the greatest discrimination for the members
of this community. They have been defined and constrained by the mere fact that they
are members of the community. However today, and in academic institutions included,
people are starting to treat them with the same competency standards making their
gender orientation completely irrelevant.

3. I don’t know any law that explicitly states their rights but as I am inclined to think of
them as normal human beings, the current laws that protect human rights indirectly
affect them too. The law is there but in a more specific and evident context, there is a
lack in strict implementation of the law

4. If implemented properly, the law should protect them as the law protects all of its
citizens. In short, the problem is not within the law itself, but rather the implementation
and its observance.

5. I think the way the community promotes them does not only stand for their right but
further speaks out in a bigger issue about observance of the law which makes a big
case in the Philippines. As we see in Cicero's Anecdote "The more laws, the less
justice.

6. I think it is headed to the right direction, but ideals will never be achieved. But for my
standpoint, achieving the compromise of the community and having the freedom to
express their self will be a case that is the most humane, and everyone with a decent
mind can agree upon.
Respondent #04

1. Madami akong kakilala na member ng LGBTQIA+ community and I support their

cause.

2. Medyo unfair in the sense na wala/hindi enough yung ginagawa nila para
maprotektahan sila lalo na sa discrimination aspect, which is something the "straights"
do not experience kaya nahihirapan sila i-accept ang maraming bagay tungkol sa
kanila.

3. Ang alam ko lang yung SOGIE Bill pero as far as I know hindi pa sya "actual law",
other than that, none.

4. No, with the discrimination they face pati yung lack of rights na meron sila (& their
partners), hindi fair. Sa totoo lang, kung ako tatanungin mas lalo lang sila naaapi just
because they're different from us.

5. Some are doing great, in my opinion maraming tao lang ang hindi nakikinig sa kanila,
or kung may nakikinig man, either one of the "bad apples" na pro-LGBT ang
naeencounter nila.

6. I'd like to believe they will be fully accepted by everyone in the near future, and along
with acceptance, I hope that they will be given the rights they have always deserved.

Respondent #05

1. No I am not

2. The LGBTQIA+ community has long been suffering from discrimination, violence and
endless and unnecessary hate from both the public and private sectors. From
institutions, such as schools, the gays are being subjected to patriarchy violence and
humiliation. The adult generation also gets discriminated at work, oftentimes being the
topic among workmates who are probably straights. Basic social services can also be
denied from them, as some don’t get the opportunity to work or learn just because of
their SOGIE.

3. I am only aware of the anti-discriminatory or popularly known as sogie bill principally

authored by the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago over a decade ago

4. I haven’t read the entire bill yet.

5. Various movements spearheaded by the LGBTQIA+ community itself are such a bold
yet an enlightening move for me. After being victims of violence, discrimination, and
hate for such a very long time, they finally overcame their fears and took all the courage
to fight for their plight. It wasn’t so easy considering that the world wasn’t literally ready
for them. And that the culture of toxic masculinity and systemic patriarchy is still
dominant. They are like small birds fighting against phoenixes, but with collective action,
they are slowly winning it. I hope to see them rule the world and drag all men down,
seriously.

6. At a global perspective, I think yes??? I've seen some movements calling for equality
and fight for the plight of the LGBTQIA+ community. it is also quite a big step seeing
some big and influential artists and people to advocate for equality, such as the likes of
Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, etc. their impact on people is a great move to further advance
the acceptance of the community. The bill is constitutional and fair as it does not limit or
prevent anyone from exercising their religious freedom. The bill won’t harm anyone
except the homophobic, the transphobic and sexist.

Respondent #06

1. Not yet.

2. They're given special treatment by some private companies such as their own
toiletries, or for when they need to buy for their own healthcare, like hormonal pills.

3. No I'm not.
4. Fair.

5. I support their actions to promote their community but they should do it in the right
way.

6. Maybe.

Respondent #07

1. Not a member, but i do have family members who are.

2. (Woooo nose bleed) I think naman maayos naman mas detailed ung mga plans nila,
at nagagawa narin naman nila un, di na drawing? hehe mas mahigpit narin.

3. Nawp meep.

4. Huhu gomene kanina ilong lang, ngaun pati tenga na haha. Maybe.

5. Ahhh omg, sa lgbt pa rin ba ito?? jahaha nadisconnect na utak ko, pero uhhhm i think
parang puro parade lang ganun, kasi parang di parin payag talaga ung PH as a whole
pero haays haha.

6. I think naman may possibility, though religious country kasi tayo, pero i know meron
talagang di rin maexplain when it comes to religion kaya pedeng ipaglaban talaga ung
mga rights ng lgbt...we all have different beliefs et al., at bakit napunta na sa religion to
HAHA.

Respondent #08

1. No but I have nothing against them for I have friends that belong to lgbt community

2. They are being recognized by the people in the society, they're being accepted and
treated well though some still can't

3. No but I have heard the SOGIE Bill filed in the senate

4. I'm not really aware of any existing

5. it’s fine with me as long as they don't step on anybody and abuse their newly found
power/voice

6. There are some countries that are LGBT friendly so it can be accepted but "fully" is
quite difficult.

Respondent #09

1. I guess? Kasi I have friends who are part of the community.

2. The Philippines is now becoming more open and they are more accepted now than
before.

3. No, but I'm aware of the SOGIE Bill.

4. I have not really researched about the particular topic.

5. I'm okay with it as long as they are following the proper order and not feel so entitled
also.

6. Well, there are many factors that hinder it to be globally accepted like religion, so I
think yes, maybe but not FULLY accepted.

Respondent #10

1. Not a member but I guess I am somehow connected kasi I have family and friends
who's a part of the said community

2. (Hirap naman neto) Medyo may special treatment? Kasi parang may mga services
for them na ginawa exclusively.

3. Nope hahahaha ano ba?

4. Bat baganto questions niyo hahahaha tulad ng anong law?

5. Tbh, nakikita kong sumosobra na sila. Before, they're seeking for equality pero
nowadays parang they're demanding for special rights na. (Di ko nilalahat ah)

6. for me, no. Acceptable oo, pero fully? Malabo.

Respondent #11

1. No.

2. I think it receives mix treatment. However for the most part, many are still indifferent
with the LGBT Communities.

3. Yes.

4. I think that it aims to be fair and give proper treatment and acceptance to our LGBTQ
brothers and sisters. It is how people refuse to abide by it and refuse to get themselves
educated that make it harder to implement.

5. Personally, I am glad more people are open to educating themselves and actually
opening their minds for acceptance and fairness. However, I also notice that these
people are the youth and the millennial. The older generation remains to be ignorant
and negligent to acknowledging the rights the LGBTQ has. With this as a problem, it will
always be a constant battle between generations and between people who are fighting
for the cause and the people who fight against it. It's still a long process.

6. As I said, there are two completely different poles on this, the pros and the antis.
Aside from generation gaps and religion issues, most people are still struggling to make
their voices come across. It is an impressive step though that there are more people
willing to stand up for the community more than before, however I think that for as long
as people continue to tug at both ends of the pole, it's still a long process.
Respondent #12

1. Yes

2. Limited rights / hanggang ngayon may diskriminasyon pa rinu

3. May national law na ba??? Or local ordinances parin?? Not sure ako dito.

4. Maybe

5. Ginawa na nila lahat eh. Sarado lang talaga ang utak ng iba o mas pinipili parin nila
paniwalaan ang bible.

6. OO mas nagiging bukas kasi ang kaisipan ng kabataan hindi tulad ng boomer bwisit

Respondent #13

1. No, but i have a lot of friends na lgbt++++

2. Moving towards equality, unti unti na silang naaaccept ng society

3. SOGIE bill

4. Yes

5. Increase acceptance with creative ideas to eliminate violence rin sa LGBT

community. Lalo na sa mga makikitid utak and all.

6. Yes

Respondent #14

1. No.
 2. I think that the treatment that they are receiving are not fair, because public
always sees them as different person.

3. Yes.

4. Constitutional

5. I just wish for the people to treat them with equity not just equally.

6. I think yes, if people are going to educate themselves and if they are treated fairly
then they will be accepted in the near future.

Respondent #15

1. In terms of being affiliated with the said community, I have neither qualms nor
whatsoever with regards to its agendas or current activities that they are
upholding.

2. As some of us may have notice, their activities promote the ideals of individuals
that greatly relates with their societal standing. On the other hand, people tend to
resort with underhanded violence and discrimination which hinders these
individuals from yielding prolific outcomes. In retrospect, if we were to inspect
past variables especially online, we can surmise that the overall ecumenical
support that this community receives is a far cry from the community that hinders
its growth as well as its people.

3. A little bit.

4. It is constitutional. Because of the standard.

5. LGBTQIA+ Community is not a virus. There are people who are not contented to
who they are. They have just showing their true self that's why they affirming
themselves by showcasing their chosen gender identity but unfortunately some
keeps discriminating and bashing them.

6. I guess no, but maybe it will take many more years to be accepted by most.
Discussions:

Question #01

- Are you affiliated with the LGBTQIA+ Community?

As expected and as it should be, there is nobody that answered that he/she is a
member of the community. The researchers made sure that only non-members are
allowed to answer. Some of the respondents however are acquainted with members of
the community and that slightly affected their answers. You can see how supportive they
are to the community and the steps they are taking.

Question #02

- In your own words describe the treatment/service that the community receives
from public/private sectors.

Most of the respondents stated that the community is receiving bad or unfair treatment;
this may be due to the fact that they are closely related with some of the members and
this affects their answer. Some of them thought that it is only fair and that the
community is being slowly accepted by the society that we live in. A few of the
respondents think that they are receiving special treatment and that they are receiving
more benefits than usual.

Question #03

- Are you aware of any existing national laws that promote the rights of the
LGBTQRS++ community?

Most of the respondents weren’t aware of any laws existing that promote the rights of
the members of the community. Some of the respondents are only aware of the SOGIE
bill which has already been made a law in our current year. This affected their answers
in the fourth question, for the two questions were related.
Question #04

- Are the pre-existing laws constitutional or fair?

Few of the respondents said that the laws are relatively fair and it is implemented well
enough to the members of the LGBT Community. An equal number of respondents
stated that the laws are still unfair. But most of the respondents weren’t sure about the
law; they can’t directly answer if the pre-existing laws are fair or constitutional. This
leads to a conclusion where most of the respondents are not knowledgeable enough
about any laws that affect the actions or the current situation of the community.

Question #05

- What are your thoughts on actions taken by the community to further spread their
cause?

There are a good number of respondents that thinks the actions taken by the
community are commendable despite the discrimination that they are facing. Some of
the respondents think that other members are using their rights to fight in unpleasant
ways, they feel that somehow the actions taken by the community to spread their cause
is bothering, in a way that they are abusing their new found voice. Few respondents
think that the community is pushing it, demanding more than equality and is being given
special treatment. The respondents also stated that they are okay with whatever
movement the community makes as long as it doesn’t break any constitutional laws and
they do not violate the rights of any other civilian.

Question #06

- At a Global perspective, will the ideals of the LGBT Community be fully accepted
in the near future?
Many of the respondents replied to the question with doubt, saying that things are
needed to be changed in order to fully commit in accepting the LGBT community.
Things like religion, culture and the social community itself needs to adjust so that we
can attain order. The respondents are positive towards acceptance but they did not
denied the fact that the world we are living in is not really ready yet. In essence, the
respondents think that it will be hard to achieve and will take many years considering
the hindrances they’ve stated towards the full acceptance of the LGBT community in our
society.

Conclusions and Recommendation

Conclusion

Lgbt community has been long fighting for their acceptance and rights in our society It
has been a long battle and up this day the community still faced discrimination. Had the
public been more supportive of the community the issue would've been long gone,
unlike before the community was now more supportive of the rights of the community
there's still some people who still treats the members indifferently

The main problem of this study is how the current approach of the public to the
LGBTQIA community affects the ideology of the non member students of the
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (regardless of their respective courses)
researchers have discovered how the general publics ideology affects other non
members ideologies this was observed based on their own views and knowledge about
the laws and rights that the community had been given and are fighting for.

The purpose of this study is to determibe the people's approach on LGBTQIA

community and to change the peoples treatment on LGBTQIA community members. To
impose awareness of the communities rights and stop the discrimination.
The research design focused on the following questions:

 Is the public aware of the issues the LGBTQIA+ Community is currently facing?
 Are the people knowledgeable of the LGBTQIA+ community rights? And the
rights they are proposing?
 Why is ideology a big factor when it comes to issues concerning the community?
15 respondents had been interviewed as a part of collecting data the researchers asked
questions that entertains opinionated answers to further see the respondents personal views
about the certain issues.
To answer the first research questions as a result of the study. The research evaluated the
respondents answers, all the respondents are aware of the issues the LGBTQIA were currently
facing. The respondents metioned some instances that describe the current situation of LGBTQIA
community members that they have observed. Most of the respondents said that the
community members were often mistreated or treated unfairly, but there are some of the
respondents who says the community was treated okay or satisfactorily there's few people that
says that the community were receiving special treatments. The researchers concludes the
public were aware of the issues the community were facing but still lacking as some respondents
said that the community were receiving special treatment which is not really the case cause if
they were really receiving special treatments there wont be protests to fight for their rights
As to research question number two , are the people knowledgeable of the LGBTQIA community
rights and the rights they are proposing it was answered by the interview question number three
that asks about the respondents awareness on current laws promoting the rights of the
community , most of the respondents weren't aware of any existing laws some of the
respondents are only aware of the SOGIE bill which is a passed law by now, they were aware of
the bill but not its full context, This concludes that people weren't really knowledgeable about
any of the communities rights that also reflects as to why some members still experience
discriminations or unfair treatment.
For research question number three; why is ideology a big factor when it comes to issues
concerning the community the researchers observe the whole answers of the respondents to
reflect their ideology against the issues, most of the respondents ideology is somehow different
and still the same from the publics ideology, like most of the public, most of the respondents
were very supportive of the community as many of them were also somehow related to some of
the LGBTQIA community members but few of the respondents like few of the public were not
that accepting of the community and it reflects on their answers
All in all the approach of the public to LGBTQIA community still largely impacts the ideology of
the non member students of PLM , like the public some of the respondents were also very
supportive of the community and some were not that supportive and think that the rights that
the community proposes were a bit too much

Recommendation:
The conclusion of the research addresses the approach and awareness of the public and the
LGBT community non members students of PLM. Based on the findings and conclusion
presented. The following recommendations are presented.
1. The researchers recommends that even if an individual is not part of the LGBT community
he/she should have a knowledge of the communities rights to be able to interact with the
community members with respect
2. The researchers recommends that the general public should treat the members of the
community equally and not isolate them just because their different
3. The researchers recommends that the rights that the communities are proposing should be
implemented since the proposal was always because of the discrimination they're facing