Coming out of the closet is perhaps the most complicated conversation to have in a Filipino household. You can spend weeks, months, and years picking the right words to finally articulate what you feel only to be met with disappointed stares and sheer disbelief from the people you hold most dear.
But the struggle does not end after one or two difficult conversations.
In a predominantly Catholic country, what follows is a never-ending process of accepting one’s true self amid those who cannot reconcile gender rights with religious freedom. Such is the impact of political leaders and institutions that condone bigotry sugarcoated by rigid interpretations of religion.
Earlier this month, Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante, who is also a pastor, took a turn for the worse by filing yet another homophobic bill in Congress.
Despite the glaring heteronormativity found in the constitution, religious fundamentalists have found one more way to assert their resentment toward the LGBTQ community. This time, a premise for prejudice is explicitly expressed in House Bill (HB) 5717, seeking to protect heterosexuals from fictitious experiences of oppression.
In an attempt to justify his proposal, Abante subtly invalidated the existence of queers by acknowledging heterosexuals as the “actual and direct creations of God,” as if their normative orientations granted them the privilege of being the only ones with rights. This was just the tip of the iceberg in his deplorable explanatory note which touched on several biblical passages to defend the supposed need to freely express and impose cisgender beliefs.
As such, it is clear that differences are not what divides the country, but rather, the reluctance to recognize these differences and accept them in good faith. While religious fundamentalists, like Abante, are busy grasping at straws, the LGBTQ community still awaits the passage of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Anti-discrimination Bill in hopes of embracing their identities without shame or compromise.
For many conservatives, an imagined threat lies in the realization of SOGIE rights because it stands against their dogmatic exercise of religion. But the fact of the matter is that rights are neither rivalrous nor excludable. It is ludicrous to think that ensuring equal access to basic rights and services would diminish the freedoms possessed by cisgendered individuals.
In this war of acceptance, two decades have passed since the anti-discrimination bill was first filed. Battles have been won and lost in both chambers of Congress, but some lawmakers remain unafraid to challenge the prevailing heteronormative attitudes in legislation. Its hindrance has been tied to several misconceptions that perpetuate a convoluted perception of SOGIE rights among reluctant conservatives.
At its precipice is the belief that SOGIE equality would warrant legal biases for the LGBTQ community. This, however, could not be more wrong in its assertion that queer rights precede that of heterosexuals provided that the bill aims to eliminate SOGIE-based discrimination, to which everyone is entitled.
After all, a wider space for queer representation does not translate to diminished rights for the heterosexuals. It just so happens that LGBTQ discrimination is much more prominent in a society that favors the interests of those who conform to the status quo. Indeed, this social phenomenon calls for a wider reorientation of public institutions, but the SOGIE bill is a stride in the right direction. By upholding the 1987 Constitution’s promise of equal protection under the law, all Filipinos should be protected from SOGIE-based discrimination, regardless of their labels and beliefs.
Like Abante’s proposal, the secular mandate of our government is often ignored by conservative officials when no legal doctrines can sufficiently defend their discriminatory propositions. For this reason, dogmatic beliefs and heteronormative standards can engender discussions inside the session hall.
With one look at its fine print, the religious undertones behind HB 5717 are amusingly conspicuous. The drafted document boasts several biblical verses which aim to further legitimize the oppression felt by the LGBTQ community, insofar as declaring that conformity is the only viable way to end one’s discrimination.
Despite notions of equity and fair play, the Heterosexual Bill of 2022 effectively proposes the opposite of these principles. It serves as an outright insult toward genuine advocates of SOGIE equality who tirelessly lobby for gender rights and equal opportunities. By setting this bill into motion, Abante turns a blind eye toward the prejudice that queers experience on a daily basis may it be at the workplace, at home, or in the academe.
In a patriarchal society that benefits their interests, it is unclear why some heterosexuals call for special laws to “defend” their rights, much less secure their already predominant ideologies. This bill will merely prompt the hostility of religious fundamentalists and push for the weaponization of their religion against perspectives that contest their own.
Regardless of what one believes, every Filipino deserves to be seen as their authentic self. In the face of differences, the challenge of unlearning heteronormativity will be essential in liberating the LGBTQ community from the shackles of violence and discrimination. The SOGIE bill remains at the forefront of this cause. ●
