Dear Honorable Senators of the Republic of the Philippines:
I am writing on behalf of Ang Ladlad, a national organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Filipinos.
At the table are three bills on our behalf: Senate Bill 164 by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Senate Bill 165 by Senator Luisa "Loi" Estrada, and Senate Bill 1738 by Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.
From the standpoint of the LGBT community composed of eight million Filipinos – and for whom the bills were filed – all three bills advance our cause for human rights. We would be happy if they were consolidated in due time, thus strengthened and turned into one solid bill backed by three powerful senators in the Upper House.
However, aware of the constraints of time and the complex grinding of the legislative mill, we would be happy if your esteemed committee considers – and passes – the bill filed by Senator Revilla on our behalf. It is a comprehensive bill, similar to House Bill 634 filed by Akbayan Party-List Rep. Loretta Anne P. Rosales in the Philippine Congress. This bill was the work of many minds and many hands — the LGBT leaders and stakeholders primarily from Lagablab, to which I also belong. We pored over documents, researched on cases, met for many months, and crafted a concise yet focused bill. Akbayan then shepherded the draft in Congress, through committee meetings and technical panels, until it became House Bill 634.
The history of the human race is a history of liberation. Its movement has always been towards the light. From the 1950s, the colonized countries in Asia and Africa have become free and sovereign nations. Women have left behind the prison houses of the kitchen and the bedroom, and assumed equal footing with men. Blacks have pried away the chains of slavery from their hands. It is now time, dear honorable senators, for the lesbians and the gays, the bisexuals and the transgenders of the Philippines to have a law that would protect us from discrimination. It is now time to make acts that shame us, that vilify us, that erase our very existence, turned into criminal acts punishable by law. It is now time to reclaim the dignity and pride we have lost through many, many years of homophobia and discrimination.
We are also taxpayers of this country, we are also its citizens – and its voters as well. The taxes we pay, the economic clout of the Pink Peso, keep this country going. The Bill of Rights in our Constitution guarantees equal rights for everybody. But sadly, these words graven in stone seem unable to protect us. Thus, the need for the Anti-Discrimination Law which is not a surplusage, but an affirmation of the commitment of the State to protect those who live on the very margins of society. Moreover, in the last 15 years, we have organized our ranks, forming chapters, groups and alliances in all the 73 provinces of the country, ready to show our power and our strength in future elections.
We are not asking for special rights, but for equal rights. Please allow us, eight million of us, to leave behind our dark closets and our secret rooms, and hold our heads high as we walk under the light of the sun, enjoying the freedoms given by the country to all its citizens, and given by God to all His children.
Please accept my continuing admiration and respect, I remain.
We are asking all our friends who are painters, sculptors, print artists, graphic designers, fashion designers, couturiers, writers, photographers and collectors to donate paintings, sculptures, couture, signed first-edition books, photographs and other collectibles for the art auction. You can text me at 0921-7843260 so we can pick up your donation, or send an e-mail at danton_ph@yahoo.com