RISE FOR EQUALITY: AN ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN AGAINST DISCRIMINATION BASED

ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION (SOGIE) OF

SELECTED PEOPLE IN THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY OF MNHS-MAIN SHS

BANTOLIO, VENICE JOYCE D.

SOCO, OLIVE JOYCE C.
PERALTA, DAVE L.
12 STEM B (Group 2)

A Proposal Essay Submitted to the Faculty of the Humanities and Social Sciences,
Muñ oz National High School- Main (Senior High School)
Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines,
In partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the course

MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY

SEPTEMBER 2022
INTRODUCTION

The SOGIE Equality Bill is intended to carry out the rights guaranteed in the 1987
constitution, notably the equal protection provision. It acknowledges LGBTQ+ people as
equals and ensures that their rights are protected in the same way that everyone else's is.
In addition, the bill recognizes the Philippines' obligations under international law,
including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights. SOGIE Equality bill as a justice of difference, occupational justice
recognizes individuals as occupational beings and acknowledges each individual as having
unique occupational wishes, habits, and needs based on their unique set of circumstances
and capacities; and, that each individual will require different occupational opportunities
to utilize their talents and flourish (Durocher et. Al, 2013). It thus acknowledges LGBTQ+
non-discrimination as a national and international obligation. The bill also aims to protect
people against various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination
against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
Human sexuality is a complex concept that needs to be understood by the majority.
The SOGIE Equality Bill recognizes the fundamental rights of every person regardless of
sex, gender, age, class, status, disability, religion, and political beliefs. This means that the
law protects members of the LGBTQIA+ from discrimination and marginalization . The bill
also complies with the international community’s call to stop violence and discrimination
based on gender identity and sexual orientation. It also opens the discussion on concepts of
SOGIE and lays the practices that are proposed to be discriminatory and unlawful, which
violate SOGIE equality (Deslate, 2020).
The act of forcing any person to undergo any medical or psychological examination
to alter his SOGIE is also considered discriminatory, as is the publication of information
intended to "out" a person without his or her consent, public speech intended to demonize
LGBTQ+, harassment and violence of the latter by anyone, particularly those involved in
law enforcement, and gender profiling. The measure pays special attention to children
under parental control since preventing them from expressing their SOGIE is also
punishable. The SOGIE defines discrimination as any act of harassment or coercion directed
against LGBTQ+ people.
 “My dear brother and sisters in the LGBT community, I want you to know that I am
but one voice among many in this august chamber that says it is time: It is the time to pass
the Anti-Discrimination Bill on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. And the
time is now,” (Geraldine Roman, 2016). In 2017, the law passed its third reading in the
17th Congress, but it expired after sitting in the Senate. However, the struggle for equality
continues, with strong advocate Sen. Risa Hontiveros reintroducing it in December 2020 as
the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics
(SOGIESC) Equality Bill, or Senate Bill No. 1934.

BODY
Recently, Senators Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima, Kiko Pangilinan, and Imee Marcos
filed their version of House Bill No. 4982, or “An Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on
Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE) and Providing Penalties
Therefor." The bill's first version was filed by the late Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and
Akbayan Rep. Etta Rosales in the 11th congress.
The proposed law has been around for twenty years, despite winning third reading
in the House of Representatives, being refiled in the 14th Congress, and being pushed again
in the 15th and 16th Congresses, the bill was not passed and has yet to hurdle legislation.
Representatives from the Bataan 1st District Geraldine Roman, the Diwa Party List
Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, and the Dinagat Islands Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao are working
tirelessly to ensure the law is enacted in the 17th Congress. Although the Senate must
approve the law, the LGBTQ+ community is already celebrating the House's adoption of the
bill as a win.
According to a Pew Research Center poll, 73% of adult Filipinos believe homosexuality
should be embraced by society. The Philippines is ranked second in Asia-Pacific for being
the most gay-friendly country. Despite these astonishing figures, a United Nations (UN)
survey found that 30% of LGBTQ+ people in the nation are harassed, abused, or
discriminated against because of their gender identification. According to the same poll,
21% of Filipino respondents claimed they were rejected for a job because of their SOGIE.
The country was placed 95th in the 2019 SPARTACUS Gay Travel Index, which
assessed nations based on factors such as transgender rights, marriage equality, and the
presence of anti-discrimination laws. Countries like Canada, Portugal, and Sweden, among
others, have previously passed anti-discrimination legislation. Five worldwide
constitutions guarantee equality based on sexual orientation and gender identity: Bolivia,
Ecuador, Fiji, Malta, and the United Kingdom.
Many people have limited information regarding social orientation, gender identity
and expression. Some of them only know girl, boy, gay and lesbian, where gay is a term
used to refer to men/men-aligned individuals who are only attracted to people of the
same/similar gender, while lesbian is a woman/woman-aligned person who is attracted to
only people of the same/similar gender (Kendra Cherry, 2022).
The denial of rights to members of the LGBTQ+ community based on their SOGIE,
including the right to access public services, use businesses and services, housing, and
apply for a professional license, among others. Differential treatment of an employee or
anybody hired to provide services, refusal or revocation of accreditation to any
organization owing to an individual's SOGIE, and denial of entrance to or expulsion from an
educational institution will also result in penalties. In addition to being punitive, the bill
also serves a preventative purpose.
“A lot of people assume that it's a privilege we're asking for when it's not. We do live
a not-so-equal life with others. We experience discrimination — that's reality, it's not
something we make up, and a lot of people think [that] because they do not experience
these kinds of injustices or inequality, it doesn't exist. So by just coming here, I am proof
that it exists and needs to be addressed.” (Pat Bringas, 2018)
One of the opponents of the long-languishing SOGIE Equality Bill, Sen. Tito Sotto,
once said in 2019 that the bill's passage is "against women's rights." Another opposing
argument is that the bill is made only for the members of the LGBTQ+ community. But if
one fully understands SOGIE, you can identify how the bill is aligned with protecting
everyone from being discriminated against just because they look, love, think, and dress up
“differently.”
“While everyone has a SOGIE, we must understand that this is an important human
rights issue because people face discrimination based on their SOGIE. We're talking about
trans people getting brutally murdered. We're also talking about trans and queer people
who get fired because of anti-crossdressing policies, lesbians remaining unemployed
because companies do not want to hire them because of their sexual orientation, and gay
people who are discriminated when they try to access health services. We're also talking
about LGBTQ children who face harm even doon sa spaces na dapat pinoprotektahan sila at
inalagaan sila at minamahal sila. These include 'yung schools where they can get expelled
or punished because of who they are, or sometimes they drop out of schools kasi binu-bully
sila,” (Custodio Gretchen. 2019)
In this sense, labels make society aware that an individual’s sexuality is not clear-cut.
A sexual characteristic beyond male or female reminds us that intersex individuals exist,
gender identity doesn’t always follow our sex assigned at birth, gender expression isn’t
always masculine or feminine, and people aren’t always attracted to people of the opposite
sex. And SOGIE makes society aware that you exist—no matter how “different” you are.
Maybe, recognising its presence would put an end to prejudice.

CONCLUSION

Discrimination is a big problem in our country and our generation, and the passage of
the SOGIE bill is a step toward the right direction and advances our society into a better
and more accepting LGBTQ+ lifestyle. Similar to other parts of our identity, like race and
ethnicity, SOGIE matters. SOGIE refers to characteristics common to all human beings, as
everyone has a sexual orientation and a gender identity and is not limited to the LGBTQ+
community. SOGIE is an essential piece of our identity that can determine and shape our
needs and experiences.
The SOGIE Equality Bill enables protection for us from discrimination that
heterosexuals rarely experience while protecting them. It is not meant to put us on a
pedestal; fundamental human rights are not special rights or a luxury. They are not a
privilege intended for those who have earned the right to feel safe in society; they are
liberties we all deserve. Nobody should be afraid of being their real self or a lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender person, queer, intersex, asexual, non-binary, or anyone on the
spectrum.
The bill's passage will provide LGBTQ+ Filipinos with a sense of recognition that our
government is working to fortify our rights as a sector. Hence, this may inspire more
LGBTQ+ Filipinos to support government efforts to address important social concerns. The
passage of the SOGIE Equality bill does not constitute discrimination against non-LGBT
believers or allies; rather, it is a step towards expanding and strengthening the protection
of the overlooked members of society.
The campaign ad must be carried out in order to understand the insights and
implications of the SOGIE law and to widen people's understanding of the SOGIE bill of
rights. The movement also tries to shed light on and clarify the bill's underlying objective.
Many people believe that the measure prohibits divorce and same-sex weddings, but the
truth states that the bill's goal is to forbid numerous economic and public accommodation-
related acts of discrimination against individuals regardless of their sexual orientation,
gender identity, or expression.
References:

Prohibiting Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or

Expression (SOGIE) and Providing Penalties Therefor, SB No. 689, 18th Cong., 1st Reg.
Sess. (2019). https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lisdata/3106627964!.pdf

Anonymous. (2013, June 4). The Global Divide on Homosexuality. Pew Research Center.
https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2013/06/04/the-global-divide-on-
homosexuality/

Anonymous. (2018, June 26). Report details workplace discrimination faced by LGBTI
people in China, the Philippines and Thailand. United Nations Development Programme.
https://www.undp.org/asia-pacific/press-releases/report-details-workplace-
discrimination-faced-lgbti-people-china-philippines-and-thailand

Anonymous. (2022, September 2). DepEd reiterates policy on gender-responsive basic

education. PTV News. https://ptvnews.ph/deped-reiterates-policy-on-gender-
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%20education.%E2%80%9D

Aucensillo, J. (2021, August 12). SOGIE Equality Bill, a breathing space for LGBT+.
https://pia.gov.ph/features/2021/08/12/sogie-equality-bill-a-breathing-space-for-lgbt

Casal, C. (2018, March 20). Equality Bill Rally: ‘Hindi lang naman LGBT people ang may
SOGIE — everyone has SOGIE’.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/politics/2018/03/20/SOGIE-equality-
bill-rally.html

Cherry, K. (2022, July 18). What Does LGBTQ+ Mean? Understand Why The Acronym Is
Used and What It Stands For.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-does-lgbtq-mean-5069804#toc-what-does-
lgbtq-mean

De La Cruz, C. (2021, June 28). All You Need to Know About SOGIE, Explained.
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/the-latest-news-features/86615/sogie-explainer-
philippines-a833-20210628-lfrm2

Delos Reyes, R. & Blanco, M. (2022). Anti-Discrimination Bill based on SOGIE: An

Occupational Justice Perspective.
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based-on-SOGIE-An-Occupational-Justice-Perspective.pdf

Deslate, M. (n.d.) The SOGIE Equality Bill.

https://www.divinalaw.com/news-and-updates/sogie-equality-bill/?
fbclid=IwAR2m3ESNkERzHstvtjn2stR-Yk2U8e-2_b73o5ZM4PoW0fmVS9ytZgfACCI

Legaspi, A. (2018, August 10). 4 senators express support for immediate passage of
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senators-express-support-for-immediate-passage-of-sogie-bill/story/

Moya, J. (2022, June 24). SOGIE Equality Bill: Everything You Need To Know—
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2021-sogie-equality-bill-timeline