ST.

NICOLAS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY

“Stand up for Gender Equality”

Position Paper in English for Academic and Professional

Purposes

ABM 12 - St. Therese

Submitted by:

Payad, Einjel Luis E.

INTRODUCTION

Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression is referred to as SOGIE. Every

individual communicates their sexual orientation and gender identity in their own unique

manner. It's crucial to realize that a person still has a sexual orientation and a gender identity

expression even if they identify as cisgender heterosexual. Many individuals mistakenly

believe that sexual orientation and gender identity are the same thing. These are simple ideas

that would just require a little amount of time to fully differentiate.

The SOGIE Bill was established to address the concerns of the Lesbian, Gay,

Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT+) population, who also seek equality. As a result, this study

assessed mothers' levels of acceptance of the provisions of House Bill 4982, often known as

the LGBT Equality Bill, in the areas of education, health, employment, family matters, religion,

community, and media. It described the moms' demographics characteristics, including their

age, income, level of education, religion, type of household, and number of children. It also

went into detail on the strong correlation between the degree of acceptance across profile

characteristics.

In fact, there has been much discussion over the Sexual Orientation and Gender

Identity Expression Equality (SOGIE) Bill recently. The Anti-discrimination Bill, also known as

House Bill No. 4982 in 2017, is a law that forbids discrimination on the basis of SOGIE and

imposes fines for those who violate it. individuals have been arguing whether or not to

implement this, particularly because some individuals are opposed to adjusting their traditions

to accommodate LGBTQ+ persons. However, the proposed measure would represent a

significant departure from the past; it will make the system more equitable for all Filipinos,

regardless of differing opinions. The SOGIE bill ought to be passed into law in accordance

with that.
 It is crucial to point out that the SOGIE Bill supports not just the rights of the LGBTQ+

community but also the rights of all members of Philippine society. With this in place, all

Filipinos would be protected from discrimination regardless of their sexual orientation and

gender identity.

ARGUMENTS

The principle behind the transgender equality movement is straightforward: persons

who struggle with their gender identity should nonetheless be granted the same rights as

cisgender people. Fundamental civil rights like the right to free expression and the right to

practice one's faith are overridden by these regulations. Protective legislation is approved to

secure the rights of transgender persons, who have long endured prejudice and hate crimes

and are now protected by the law, rather than singling out those who hold conventional views.

The Constitution was established to protect individuals who would otherwise be excluded and

without legal protection, not to safeguard the right to discrimination.

1. SOGIE BILL can protect LGBT community from judgments even in violence.

First and foremost, I support this act due to the fact it won't forbid views that are

founded on the Bible. It recognizes the fundamental human right of freedom of religion. It is

filed to stop abuse and discrimination against persons based on their gender, sexual

orientation, and expression.

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 LGBT 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.”

2. Through passing the SOGIE BILL, all members of LGBT community will

have a rights in all aspect of the society.

The bill's concept is that, so long as they "self-identify" as one, biological men and

women can switch genders. The bill's supporters use S.B. No. 159 Section 5f to argue that

since a "transgender woman" (a biological guy who self-identifies as female) does so, he

should be permitted to use the female public bathroom. S.B. The author of No. 159, Senator

Risa Hontiveros, even went so far as to claim that trans-women are actual women.

Female-identifying biological males will be allowed to freely enter female-only

restrooms, locker rooms, and dormitories once society accepts (or has been forced to accept

through legislation) the unfounded claim that trans-women (biological males who self-identify

as women) are real women. This will violate women's privacy and put their safety at risk.

Furthermore, passing a SOGIE law will give men who do not actually identify as

women the freedom to do so in order to gain access to women and/or girls in delicate

situations, like locker rooms and public restrooms, for the purpose of viewing, photographing,

or committing sexual assault. The US, UK, Canada, and maybe other nations that have

approved SOGIE legislation have already experienced this.

3. Through this bill, it will help the future generations.

Since there are no particular protects in place, or if there are, they are very restricted

and insufficient to stand up for the LGBT+ group, judgements and unjustified attitudes on
LGBT+ have been prominent over the past several years and appear to have gone unheard.

LGBT+ activists in the city, Ms. Toni Gee, have discussed some potential future effects of the

SOGIE Bill on LGBT+ Filipinos. Creating an inclusive culture that respects diversity and

human rights; The law includes provisions for SOGIE and human rights education and

awareness building within the government. A civil servant's understanding of another person's

SOGIE, sex, and character can be improved, especially if they engage with individuals

directly. With that, individuals are urged to use the proper pronouns and chosen name with

greater sensitivity. In this sense, the sector is effectively building a caring society.

Prevention measure; Discrimination based on a SOGIE will be prosecuted as a crime. People

who engage in harassment, cat calling, and other types of prejudice may be discouraged by

this. Although there may be strong push back from anti-LGBT groups, it is crucial that we have

a statute that supports LGBT+ interests. An Inclusive Business Climate; Pre-owned

companies and entrepreneurs will be encouraged to invest and take risks in order to reach a

larger audience. Customers that identify as LGBTIQ will feel like they have a stake in the

market. Untouchable dominance inside the market is very important in the nation's capitalist

economy. Lastly, Political participation of LGBTIQ in governance; By approving the law, our

government would show LGBT+ Filipinos that it is committed to addressing our rights as a

sector. As a result, this may inspire more LGBTIQ Filipinos to support government efforts to

solve important social concerns. The contributions of LGBTIQ Filipinos to initiatives like

COVID response, disaster response, public health awareness, social welfare, and education,

among others, cannot be disregarded, particularly at the local or community level. There are

innumerable examples of LGBT+ Filipinos participating in different development initiatives and

lending a hand to undeserved communities. Despite this, the government does not safeguard

the sector's rights and does not acknowledge it.

COUNTER ARGUMENTS

Since Philippines is full of judgmental people, there are many homophobic everywhere
that will not support this bill. One of the most widespread misunderstandings about the SOGIE

Equality Bill is that it grants LGBTQIA+ individuals additional rights, which it does not. Again,

SOGIE stands for "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression" and includes

cisgender heterosexuals (CisHets), or to put it more simply, "straight" persons. As a result,

SOGIE also affects cisgender heterosexual men and women who act masculine or femininely.

They identify as "Heterosexuality" in terms of sexual orientation, "Cisgender" in terms of

gender identity, and "Masculine/Feminine" in terms of gender expression.

One of the misconceptions of SOGIE BILL is it focuses on the same-sex marriage. The

SOGIE Equality Bill does not provide the LGBTQIA+ group the right to form a civil union and is

instead an anti-discrimination law. In reality, the bill makes no mention of same-sex unions

other than the explicit clause that states it is discriminatory and illegal to "deny an application

for or revoke a professional or other similar kind of license, clearance, certification on, or any

other similar document, except marriage license, issued by the government." The marriage

license is obviously not included.

It is not one of the national issue that should be prioritized but why is there are many

people against it? It is extremely disrespectful to the people that the government derives its

power and authority from to imply that the prejudice and inequality that our people face on a

daily basis is unimportant and not a matter of national concern. According to the Equal

Protection Clause of the Philippine Constitution, the State is the institution responsible for

providing protection for everyone. It would be a major constitutional breach to let this matter to

be minimized to the point where its societal importance is removed. Such shouldn't be

permitted and condoned, especially by the government.

There is no question that the LGBT population won't grow as a result of all the

aforementioned efforts to provide everyone equal rights. It would instead encourage a sense

of safety and defense among all people, regardless of SOGIE.

CONCLUSION

This measure aims to reduce the discrimination and stigmatization of LGBT people,

yet other from a few exceptional cases, there is little indication of such things happening in the

Philippines. In fact, a Pew Research Center study from 2013 found that one of the nations

with the best attitudes toward LGBT people was the Philippines. To understand that LGBT

people are among the most well-liked in the nation, one simply has to go to the mass media,

including television, radio, and movies. This is echoed on social media. It is foolish to pass

legislation with harsh penalties to deal with an issue that doesn't seem to exist. More

importantly, because of its effect on the general population, if it does exist, this legislation is

far more likely to enhance it than to decrease it.

The proposed law will force regular Filipinos to exercise extreme caution when

interacting with people whose identities are unknown to them because, if that person is a

member of the LGBT community, anything they say or do that upsetting or disturbs that

person could, under the law, cause them to be arrested, jailed, fined a significant amount of

money, and imprisoned for a year or more.

As the majority of individuals, regardless of their orientation or identity, do not easily

take offense to perceived slights, it is probable that such events will be uncommon. Some

people do, though, and since the repercussions are so dire, no one will be able to dismiss

them out of hand. Many citizens' already hectic lives will become even more stressful as a

result of these factors. We've all seen how tension can turn into resentment, and that's what

will happen in the end. The LGBT community will become much more isolated over time as a

result of the proposed law than they have ever been in the Philippines, where they have

always been welcomed and largely tolerated despite the biases of some.

Being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community is never a choice; it is never a way of life.
One cannot control it; it is not just a matter of choosing to be "straight" or not. The

discrimination and violence faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals are too often a result of ignorance

and fear. We must work to educate ourselves and others, challenge our assumptions and

biases, and create a safe and welcoming world for all people regardless of their sexual

orientation or gender identity.

References:

Alliance for the Family Foundation Philippines. (September, 2019)

https://alfi.org.ph/2019/10/position-paper-on-the-sogie-equality-bill/

Aucensill, J. (August, 2021). SOGIE Equality Bill, a breathing space for LGBT+

https://pia.gov.ph/features/2021/08/12/sogie-equality-bill-a-breathing-space-for-lgbt

Estrella, E. (June, 2021). Probing House Bill No. 4982 (SOGIE-Sexual Orientation, Gender

Identity and Expression Bill): An Exploratory Study

https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajlg/article/view/13474

November, 2020. SOGIE Equality Bill: The Facts, History, and Misconceptions

https://sbcahrcwebsite.wixsite.com/home/post/sogie-equality-bill-the-facts-history-and-

misconceptions