Filed under LGBT rights …

Dec 22 2010
2 Comments
LGBT, LGBT rights

Abstention means injustice

The good news first: the UN decided to restore sexual orientation in the text of the resolution on extrajudicial, arbitrary and summary killings. An overwhelming number of States pushed to correct the grave error against human rights that took place a month ago, thus highlighting that inhuman abuses are committed against certain individuals because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation.

The bad news: The Philippines abstained again. This is not surprising, since in many UN initiatives involving sexual orientation and gender identity, the Philippines has consistently abstained. The Permanent Mission of the country  to the UN has always justified this stance by claiming that the country has no national policy on the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders. Continue reading →

Dec 20 2010
1 Comment
LGBT, LGBT rights

An appeal to President Noy: Murder is murder

This Tuesday, December 21, 2010, the UN General Assembly will vote on a proposal to protect lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders from extrajudicial killings and other unlawful executions. The vote will specifically be on the restoration of sexual orientation in the text of the Resolution on Extrajudicial, Summary, and Arbitrary Executions.

The resolution had always recognized that LGBTs need protection from grave human rights abuses, especially the use of death penalty and other inhuman treatment or penalties to penalize homosexuality. Such abuses are common in countries where man to man sex is penalized, or prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity is tolerated or even encouraged by the authorities. The relevant provision in the resolution urges the State “to investigate promptly and thoroughly all killings, including… all killings committed for any discriminatory reason, including sexual orientation”.

(Additional materials: The report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the statement of the Vatican condemning the murder and abuse of homosexuals. Click here to download IGLHRC‘s backgrounder on the issue.).

However, last month, several States lobbied to remove the provision on sexual orientation, and they won. Seventy nine (79) States voted for the removal of the item from the resolution, while seventy (70) voted for retention. Forty-three (43) States abstained.

The removal is an assault against our dignity. It means that while the resolution condemns extrajudicial killings, it silent on abuses committed against LGBTs. It condones violence against and the persecution of LGBTs. It implies that some murders and killings are culturally sensitive, and that the international community has no business meddling in how other States treat lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders.

The Philippines abstained in this crucial vote. It reportedly claimed that the Philippines has no position on the issue because the country has no standing policy against discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Never mind if the Constitution clearly affirms human dignity for all persons. Never mind if the constitutional fabric of our democracy promotes and protects human rights. Never mind if this resolution would protect Filipinos abroad, some of whom are part of the LGBT community, who may be living or working in countries hostile to homosexuality

The vote this Tuesday would hopefully correct this grave error. You can help push the Philippine government to make a stand on the issue, and stand for what is right. Help us tell the government that murder is murder, and no person should be killed, tortured, or abused because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.

Send your letters of appeal to the following:

H.E. President Benigno S. Aquino III
Malacañang Palace
Manila, NCR
C/o  Hon. Julia Abad
Presidential Chief of Staff
10/F PMS Building
Arlegui Street, San Miguel Manila 1005
T: 63(2) 733-6650; 734-2094;
734-3971-86 Loc./ext. 132
F: 63(2) 734-2105

*To maximize social media, post your appeal on the Facebook page of President Aquino

H.E. Libran Nuevas Cabactulan
Ambassador  and Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations
Tel:(212)764-1300 | Fax:(212)840-8602 |
E-mail: newyork.pm@dfa.gov.ph, newyorkpm@gmail.com

*Make sure to CC Anna Hernando, the diplomat who handles the human rights portfolio in the mission: annahernando@yahoo.com

Several letters of appeal have already been forwarded to the Philippine Mission, and former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros and Akbayan Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, along with other advocates, sent this Letter of Appeal to President Benigno Aquino III. Send yours now.

Tagged , ,
Nov 12 2010
2 Comments
Health, LGBT rights, Sexual Health

Four out of five

When health experts warned that the face of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines is changing, I didn’t expect that it’ll be all too familiar. They said that it is on the rise, that it doubled from 2007 to 2009, that most of the new cases have been acquired through homosexual and bisexual contact, and that the prevalence in some cities in the country have reached epidemic proportions already.

Last month, five new cases of HIV infection were reported everyday, four of which are considered MSM, or men who have sex with other men. A decade ago, Sarah Jane Salazar, Dolzura Cortez, and a member of PinoyPlus who spoke in a safer sex training that we had – those were only faces of people living with HIV/AIDS that I knew.

Four out of five. A friend passed away due to AIDS-related complications a few weeks ago. He was about my age, and tested positive last January. He didn’t want anyone to know, so he went to a province to see an albularyo. A matter between life and death, but he chose quackery over treatment that could have extended his life.

And it was a decision that leaves you dry – you get it, you understand why he did it and what drove him to it, and yet it’s confounding. It’s maddeningly confounding. It’s like when you hear of that story about mothers who wash used condoms so they can be re-used. Or that kid in Indonesia who is happily smoking a cigarette.  Maddeningly incomprehensible, and exasperatingly explainable.

His family said that he died of pneumonia. Most of his friends were told that it was dengue that did him.

Four out of five. I’ve been giving out  the contact details of a support group for Filipinos living with HIV/AIDS – before to friends of friends, but now to close friends. HIV is not a death sentence, and I am lucky to be surrounded by close friends who share that message.

I don’t mean to sow panic, because panic combined with lack of awareness would only push more to quackery. You don’t case studies or numbers to understand that – just listen to a frothing Bishop.

But I want you to know that the trend is alarming. And the first step that we all should take is to acknowledge the writing on the wall.

———

Go to TLF Share’s Facebook page to get updates on HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men in the Philippines.

Tagged ,
Nov 10 2010
5 Comments
LGBT, LGBT rights, Sex, Sexual Health

Our own Stonewall

A policeman was telling the arrested clients that what they were doing is 'bawal at masama'

The calls usually come in at around 1 or 2 am. Sometimes its from a friend, or an anonymous text message, a missed call from an unlisted number. Soon enough the stories would fit the narrative – a gay establishment got raided, dozens were arrested. A litany of laws and ordinances were supposedly violated, from fire hazard ordinances, anti-prostitution laws, to archaic policies against vagrancy or public scandal. More information would trickle in – where the arrested men were brought, how many were being detained, who got hurt, or whether the raid was covered by the media.

If you’re lucky, some kindred souls who happen to be lawyers would still be up and about, and are willing to accompany you to the precinct, or at the very least give legal advice or assistance. If you’re not, you end up dealing with the police on your own. You just need to ask the right questions, negotiate calmly, and hope that once the police realize that they are being monitored, they’d relent and let everyone go. The most difficult part isn’t hiding your own anxiety and the thumping in your heart, or even the fear that you might do or say something that would worsen the situation; it is actually mustering the self-control that you need to contain your anger at the sight of abuse of power and degradation. Continue reading →

← Older posts