MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros wants to revive in the 19th Congress the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) equality bill, a measure meant to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons from discrimination.
Celebrating this year’s Pride Month, Hontiveros maintained that the SOGIE Equality Bill is a practical measure to promote equal treatment for all sexualities and in line with the spirit of the Constitution and being Filipino.
“I’m ready to get back to work. We will use this 19th Congress to carve the runway to pass the SOGIE Equality Bill at long last. We will use this as a fresh opportunity to renew and prioritize our fight for all sexualities and genders. Yes, we are with heterosexual cisgender in our fight for our LGBTQIA+ siblings,” she said.
The SOGIE Equality Bill ensures safe schools, accessible health care and sufficient livelihood for more Filipinos, she added.
“Lives are at stake here because we are talking about basic protection for all of us. Yes, everyone is included in equality.
“As the country faces the difficulties of navigating the ruins of a post-pandemic world, this is our chance to build something good and lasting. This is our opportunity to make our institutions right and fair,” Hontiveros said.
She stressed that now is the time to begin the process of healing “the wound created by the gap in our laws that has allowed for bullying, ostracization and violence to way too many Filipinos.”
Addressing the LGBTQIA+ members, Hontiveros said they are more than Pride Day or Pride Month.
“You have every right to exist as you are in the day to day. You deserve these grand celebrations, these spaces of resistance; but you also deserve the ordinary moments every day,” she said.