LGBT Political Party Dismissed in the Philippines

Oh FFS! 21st Century, anyone? Anyone?

Ugh! That’s a step backwards for them. The thing is, I’m not entirely sure that they have it “worse” than the Americans. (Disclaimer: This is conjecture from what I’ve seen and experienced.)

For starters, LGBT individuals in the Philippines are far far better off than most of their Asian counterparts, including India and of course, the Middle East. The first Pride march in Asia was held in the Philippines, and while there is some political pressure to re-closet the community, the ones who remain uncloseted are quite open about their sexuality.

In the Middle East, where I live and a number of expat Filipinos work, the word “Pinoy” is often used interchangeably (and derogatorily) with “gay” because of their perceived “choices.” It’s quite sad; however outed individuals are quite well adjusted and accepted in the Filipino community. However, it does help when they fit certain stereotypes: gay men who work in fashion and beauty, lesbian women who teach dance to men and women.

What I find a bit odd is that a number of my LGBT Filipino friends seem to identify with Catholicism as well. The prevailing attitude is, “Only Jesus can judge me.”

Once again proving that the real power comes not from voting but from deciding which votes will be counted and how.

And while we’re talking numbers, the religious biases of millions of individuals shouldn’t be imposed on three or six individuals either. Or one. A majority oppressing a minority is just as bad as a minority oppressing a majority (maybe even worse, since in the latter case it’d be easier to develop an underground free market to evade the laws).

Thank you for posting this article, Friendly Atheist.

Just glad to see that the US is aware of what’s going on here.

@ennui

If I recall my bible, nowhere does Jesus say anything explicit about homosexuality being sinful. Most bible thumpers and bigots I know resort to Leviticus and the Apostle Paul.

Yuck. I have a friend who’s from the Philippines and is a very successful designer – I don’t think he meet with any issues when he’s home because he manufactures his products there. He was lucky though – his mom figured out he was gay when, as a child, he kept stealing his sisters’ Barbies She accepted his orientation with nary a blink. I hate reading these stories – so maddening.

It’s ok to be gay in the Philippines – and by that I mean a gay florist, gay designer, gay make up artist or hairstylist.

It is never okay to be a gay son, brother, father or sister here.

this is proof positive of what religious people are capable of doing. they justify discrimination against gays.

I met with Danton Remoto and the core group of Ang Ladlad last night to help craft their official statement. I was happy that they all agreed — this was first of all a violation against our secular Constitution.

Mr. Remoto also told us about what happened in the hearing where the COMELEC rejected their application. I’ll try to get him to publish the transcript, but trust me — the bigotry is even more disgusting than what’s written in the ruling.

equal, unalienable human rights huh? since when did a lifestyle that lauds gross excesses and promiscuity become equal in value to the kind of life God has purposed for each and every human being? and have gay and lesbian supporters actually forgotten that HOMOSEXUALITY implies a lifestyle largely driven by animalic urges to do the deed with someone of similar orientation? AND I AGREE THAT WE DO HAVE RIGHTS BUT NO ONE IN HIS/HER RIGHT MIND WOULD USE HIS/HER FREEDOM TO PLAY THE FOOL. wake up and set your values straight once again.

@twin-skies: Jesus says in the scriptures: if you love Me, You will follow My commandments (John 14:15) So if you claim to believe in Christ Jesus, isn’t it true that Jesus and God are one and the same person? (John 8:58; 10:30) Do read your Bible and know just how to love God.

@Calvin: I see someone using their freedom to play a fool right now. Why are you against letting people be free to be themselves if they’re not hurting anyone?

Heterosexuality is just as much about “animal urges to do the deed” as homosexuality is. Homosexuality can also just be as much about love as heterosexuality is.

Calvin,

equal, unalienable human rights huh? since when did a lifestyle that lauds gross excesses and promiscuity become equal in value to the kind of life God has purposed for each and every human being?

since when? Um well let’s see, I’m sure it was fairly rectenly, around these parts it was within the last 30 years or so but it has become equal, sorry to be the one to have to break it to you.

and have gay and lesbian supporters actually forgotten that HOMOSEXUALITY implies a lifestyle largely driven by animalic urges to do the deed with someone of similar orientation?

I don’t think we have forgotten anything, and as a point in fact that is not what homosexuality implies at all. Now I’m not gay but I am a kinkster and that is “driven by animalic urges to do the deed with someone of similar orientation” just in my case with someone of different gender, and guess what I’m equal as well. While I’m guessing that you may be outraged by this it is a cold hard fact and I will continue to be equal under the law to you despite how offended you may be. You and/or your god don’t get to make the rules anymore, we’re done with that, it’s over, get used to it. My values are fine, it is you who needs to re-evaluate and come to grips with the fact that you are not better than the despised “others”. Calling other people fools is hardly a convincing argument.

@vas: you don’t think homosexuality hurts anyone? how about you care enough to pry into the lives of homosexuals who practice what they’re doing and see them through TO THE END just to check if what they did made any sense? but of course you wouldn’t do that since your favorite credo is ‘let him be’ and ‘do your own thing’. let me rephrase what you wrote: Why are you against letting people be free to be themselves if they’re not hurting ME? in other words, so long as what they’re doing does not affect YOUR VERY OWN LIFE AND YOUR CONVICTIONS, WHY INDEED WOULD YOU CARE?

@jeiel aranal: you don’t think homosexuality hurts anyone? how about you care enough to pry into the lives of homosexuals who practice what they’re doing and see them through TO THE END just to check if what they did made any sense? but of course you wouldn’t do that since your favorite credo is ‘let him be’ and ‘do your own thing’. let me rephrase what you wrote: Why are you against letting people be free to be themselves if they’re not hurting ME? in other words, so long as what they’re doing does not affect YOUR VERY OWN LIFE AND YOUR CONVICTIONS, WHY INDEED WOULD YOU CARE?

@vas: what do you suppose would happen if homosexuality became mainstream? you can expect the extinction of the entire human race. in other words, you have no concern for future generations, and the ideas you now cling onto and plan to spread around are as good as dead. so aside from showing no regard for human character and dignity, you’re effectively negating your ideals just by believing that there’s nothing wrong with homosexuality. NOT ALL IDEAS ARE CREATED EQUAL. and by the way, the kind of lifestyle you just described above reeks of irresponsibility.

“since when did a lifestyle that lauds gross excesses and promiscuity become equal in value to the kind of life God has purposed for each and every human being?”

You’re assuming that a god exists first, and that this should impact our lives in any meaningful way. Any decent human being should be free to think for themselves and not kowtow to the dictator in the sky.

“and have gay and lesbian supporters actually forgotten that HOMOSEXUALITY implies a lifestyle largely driven by animalic urges to do the deed with someone of similar orientation?”

And heterosexuality is any different? Sex is rather “animalic” by itself, we as a species just tend to hide our urges “in the bedroom”.

And since we keep these kinds of things hidden from the public, why should it matter?

“AND I AGREE THAT WE DO HAVE RIGHTS BUT NO ONE IN HIS/HER RIGHT MIND WOULD USE HIS/HER FREEDOM TO PLAY THE FOOL.”

I have no idea what you are implying. Are you perhaps insinuating that gays and their supporters are fools, and those that deny equality to gays are not? What non-Biblical criteria are you basing your judgment on?

“you don’t think homosexuality hurts anyone?”

It only hurts people that are insecure about their own sexual leanings, or are allergic to “teh gay”.

“how about you care enough to pry into the lives of homosexuals who practice what they’re doing and see them through TO THE END just to check if what they did made any sense?”

“TO THE END”: would that happen to be a gay pun for entering from the rear?

I’ve known several gays in my short time at LSU, and they acted just like any other male: crude, thinking with their crotches, and in-between their sex-obsessed jokes they were indistinguishable from almost any straight man on campus. They swung through and went steady on relationships; the fact that it was with other men made no difference. It might just be my small sample size, but they tended to not go through as many one-night-stands or failed relationships as my straight friends.

“but of course you wouldn’t do that since your favorite credo is ‘let him be’ and ‘do your own thing’.”

And just what is wrong with letting something private, that affects only two–or more, just in case, and this goes for both teams–consenting adults? Would you also pry into the private lives of straight people as well?

As far as I am concerned, the maxim is “do as you will, but harm none”. Pretty fair if you ask me.

“Why are you against letting people be free to be themselves if they’re not hurting ME? in other words, so long as what they’re doing does not affect YOUR VERY OWN LIFE AND YOUR CONVICTIONS, WHY INDEED WOULD YOU CARE?”

We already get that you’re totally against equality in the bedroom. You’ve not yet made a convincing argument that we as humans should invade others’ private lives, and your frequent use of CAPSLOCK CRUISE CONTROL certainly doesn’t add to the weight of your weightless convictions.

Yes, if what straight people are doing in their bedrooms are not harming society, why should we care? Yes, if what gay people are doing in their bedrooms are not harming society, why should we care?

You’ve yet to elucidate what it is that is harmful about gays doing what straight people do all the time. Are they the ones that will break society’s moral boundaries? What about the many “family man” conservatives committing adultery? Or the many polygamous compounds marrying off young girls to older men? Or the many creationist institutions trying around the clock to inject non-scientific, uncritical thinking into public education? Isn’t your “gaydar” for these matters misfiring?

If you’d said you’re against gay pedophiles, we’d all be in agreement; then we could start to topple the Catholic Church for their continued mismanagement of their promiscuous priests. However, you said were against equality between consenting adults, and there we disagree.

You could probably build a better case around “promiscuous sex in general is morally degrading”, but, as we all know, straight people don’t go screwing around. That’s only gays.

“what do you suppose would happen if homosexuality became mainstream? you can expect the extinction of the entire human race.”

I’d like to see the research on this wild claim. There is documented evidence of rampant attraction to the same sex in the animal kingdom, and yet the species that practice same-sex pleasures are still going strong.

http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_gay_animal_kingdom/

Maybe you should do more research before you claim silly things.

“NOT ALL IDEAS ARE CREATED EQUAL.”

You’re quite right.

That’s why we have the scientific method, to sift through the tripe that religions offer and come up with a modicum of the “truth” as it pertains to the reality we find ourselves in.

Calvin, I cannot possibly take you seriously about your “Homosexuality should not be tolerated because it would lead to the extinction of the human race” view unless you are also in favor of making it illegal for infertile straight people to marry.

@calvin

You fail to answer your own point – none of the passages you quoted says anything about homosexuality.

I’m not even christian, so what right do you have telling me “how” to love god?

Based on the sort of shrill you’ve been posting anyway, it’ll be a waste to bother with you because your dogma is stuck too far up up your own ass for you to realize just how much it stinks.