Bigotry in our ballots
In a decision dated November 11, 2009, the 2nd Division of the Commission on Elections denied the application for accreditation of Ang Ladlad Party-list, a party-list of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders, on moral grounds.
The decision was obviously penned by apes.
Signed by Commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer, Lucenito Tagle, and Elias Yusoph, the resolution quoted the Bible and the Koran to claim that Ang Ladlad tolerates immorality, and therefore should not be accredited. They said practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth.
What these statements imply is that these commissioners have been denied something fundamental when they were still kids: love. I am sure that they were never hugged.
They find it perfectly acceptable to issue a resolution – a legal document – that sounds like a pastoral letter from CBCP or a manifesto from a fundamentalist group. They were quick to cite biblical verses or lines from the Koran, but forgot a basic tenet in our Constitution: that we are all equal, regardless of who we are.
They forgot that as commissioners, they are men of law, not men of faith. That the Commission on Elections is an institution of democracy, not a temple. That, as pointed out by an activist, they swore by the Bible to uphold the constitution, not the other way around. The issue is simple: use the law to determine whether a group should be accredited or not. There are no other standards – just the law.
How can we trust the COMELEC to modernize the electoral system when the commissioners still live in the Victorian era? Be wary, because those that that been mandated to automate the elections still believe that the Earth is the center of the universe. It is said that they weed out from the voters’ list women who are as outspoken as Etta Rosales, and they use tawas to make counting machines fool-proof and fraud-free.
But wariness is not enough. This bigotry is unacceptable. So I, Jonas Bagas, gay since birth, a practicing homosexual (occasionally during weekdays, but mostly during weekends), join my fellow lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders condemning this farce. We won’t take this sitting down. I am a proud member of another LGBT-friendly party-list, AKBAYAN, and I will join Ang Ladlad in this struggle against bigotry in our ballots.
If you want to be part of this fight, then join us this Saturday, November 14, 2009, at 9 AM at the University Hotel of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, QC. We will fight back, and we will recruit more.
11 Responses to “Bigotry in our ballots”
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how about a signature campaign?
how about you guys waking up?! seriously?!
what moral grounds are you talking about?!
there is no morality in what your fighting for.
awww. vasyerie, as a matter of personal conviction, i approve even bigoted and homophobic comments. but this conviction, unfortunately, doesn’t prevent me from assuming that you, too, were not hugged as a kid. *hugs*
[...] Rights Jonas Bagas Risa [...]
well, i think your statements are the real examples of twisted values. With all do respect Mr.Fullman, there’s alot of things you said that seems to be a great lie. No one was been ever born at this world as a gay or whatever extra-gender you think exist. In the beginning there is only a man and a woman.. not a half-man or a half-woman. its just being a FULL MAN or a FULL WOMAN.
)
) * i think u needed more than a comforting hug*
and you know what Mr.Fullman, i think the best law ever made was the law of God, and i think you won’t argue with me about that.So i think if there’s a law that we should follow, it is the law of God. I think they didn’t also forgot that they were men of law, but at the same time they are men of law and men of faith. wouldn’t you love having leaders around who has faith in the lord?! You are actually fighting for your own selfish reasons.and your conviction?! unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent me from assuming that you were not been taught about the real command of God.
And with all due respect valerie. You can take your intolerant self centered pseudo Christian bigoted crap and stick it up your popes ass. And ill throw a hug in there for you both too. You remind me of a quote by a very famous humanist ‘I like your Jesus Christ. I dont like your Christians. They are so unlike your Jesus Christ.’ MAHATMA GANDHI
If I may just say, the freedom of expression in our constitution is a guarantee to the most despicable and hated speech and not to the the most popular. With that said, I think these bigots are a bunch of fucking morons.
Look, I’m not gay or anything. In fact I’m a straight man who likes way too much female affection. But that doesn’t give me a right to legislate my preference as being the moral and righteous preference. The same thing that I’m against gambling, liquor, and impiety during holy week (O, san kayo nakakita ng saradong Catolicong hindi bigot) but I can’t legislate that preference and impose it on other people.
The question on whether to allow Ang Ladlad to participate in the elections is a legal question and not a moral one. I have my own opinions regarding sexuality and my GAY AND LESBIAN FRIENDS know that. They know on many issues I disagree with them. But on issues of law, we only have the law as our binding rule and not our faith. Remember that the constitution guarantees that no religious test is to be made for the exercise of civil and political rights. If I think the LGBTs are immoral because of my faith, we can’t use that test to prevent them from being voted upon.
I’m ashamed of those two Christian commissioners because they seemed to forget that Jesus preferred the company of prostitutes, tax collectors (actually they were more like loan sharks and slave traders during the Roman era), murderers, and pagans. Yes, nobody is born as such but Christ didn’t seem to have a problem with them.
I’m disappointed with Commissioner Yusoph who is an imam. His experience as a religious minority hailing from a region in the Philippines where his brothers and sisters in the faith are poorer than Filipinos elsewhere didn’t illuminate him in the hypocrisy of his decision. I guess he thought “phew, at least I’m not the ‘it’ on this occasion.”
@vasyerie who the hell are you talking to?
@Valerie
I am a Roman Catholic, but I find your views to be disgusting; trying to shroud your bigoted views in some form of perversion you call religious faith.
Ang batas ay para sa lahat: theists, atheists and anyone in between. You keep your religious views to yourself please. Parang may nakasaad sa Constitution regarding the separation of Church and State. I think you missed that part.
Find. You may label us immoral but that doesn’t take us the right to vote or run for office. Just leave the morality issue to the church.
@Fullman — Not only was Vasyerie not hugged during childhood, she wasnt breastfed during infancy. Puro holy water lang ang pinadede sa kanya. Kya ayan — ang galing sa holy scripture but lacking in IQ/EQ.
Unfortunately, many of our lawmakers and enforcers — like vasyerie –werent breastfed. (laki sa am – yung pinagkuluan ng sinaing).
My personal to Vasyerie — pls take time to realize that the Bible you hold so dearly is antiquated, outmoded and really needs updating. I mean, do you still believe that the earth is the center of the universe? And that eating shellfish is an abomination? And speaking of discrimination and bigotry, have you ever asked why your church doesnt allow women to be priests? (and dont answer that kasi they can be nuns naman…)