Love Wins: A Fight for LGBTQ Rights
Love, peace and equality are the three things that bind people together regardless of nationality, religion, race, culture, and even gender. Nothing feels better than to see different people showing their true colors and celebrating love and acceptance.
Rainbow Arch greets attendees of the UP Pride. Photo by Dianne Mariano/THE FOURTH
The University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman is known for its ever popular and historical “Oblation” statue, which was made by national artist Guillermo Tolentino, and it symbolizes offering one's self for the country. It became a symbol of offering one’s services, virtues, and values to the country and has the first ever historic rainbow arc behind it, signifying that the Filipinos still hope for acceptance, inclusivity and equality.
The annual UP Pride 2017 was celebrated with the theme “We Love Equality” and more than a thousand people – both students and adults alike – were present in the glorious event to commemorate its 10th pride celebration. Everyone was gathered at the grounds of the Quezon Hall in their own unique costumes and attires, raising their flags, colorful flaglets and showing off their colorful face paints.
Each and every one of the participants wore beaming smiles and connected with other people from other universities to celebrate this year's pride march as one family.
Cheers and chants of pride filled the atmosphere and the amount of joy in their faces was evident as they showed how ecstatic they are to freely express themselves without the fear of being judged by others. Not only did the event focus on LGBTQ rights, it also fought for the equality of the different people living in the country.
As the march was about to begin, loud music played on the stereo, particularly a song by RuPaul Charles, a famous drag (“dressed as girls”) performer, and is widely known in the LGBT community. As the music played, the crowd was like a sea of rainbows. Sparkling eyes of the students – coming from different universities – were filled with bliss as they danced with their advocacies in their hearts.
At around 5:30 in the afternoon, the march officially began and was led by the UP Babaylan and followed by various organizations, not only students from UP but also from other universities.
The UP Babaylan was the organization that made this year's pride march successful. For the past nine years, they had been conducting these pride activities and in 2008, they celebrated the first ever pride march, 25 of their members marched along the vicinity of the UP Diliman campus.
The UP Pride March was the most awaited part of the event as it unites every one and aims to feel the love and support from other people. This year's pride march was the biggest yet and hopefully continues to be larger as the years pass by.
The pride march was not the only event to be expected for this year's pride celebration, but a pride concert was also a part of the list. At six in the evening, the sun was setting, a cool breeze surrounded the area, the smell of fresh grass and trees lingered, and loud music filled the vicinity of Melchor Hall.
The program featured various students who were impersonators, singers, and included spoken-word poetry that made the audience feel the connection with what they are saying.
The over-all event of the University of the Philippines- Diliman was a complete success as they continue to take a step and fight for what is right and to make everyone aware of their current situation.
The SOGIE Equality Bill Wait
A few days later, the House of Representatives passed the anti-discrimination bill on the 3rd reading. Having voted 197-0, "House Bill Number 4982 or An Act Prohibiting Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE) and Providing Penalties therefore," was finally approved.
The SOGIE Equality Bill is supposed to protect the LGBTQ Filipinos and non-Filipinos from being denied access to public services and also include SOGIE as a criteria for hiring or dismissal of workers.
Not only that, but what the LGBTQ community would be happy to hear is that the SOGIE Bill also covers their admission and equal treatment in schools based on the bill. Gender Inequality will no longer be a problem with this bill as it protects the people from being profiled as a certain gender.
Good thing is that those convicted of discrimination as stated in the bill will be fined not less than P100,000 but not more than P500,000, or be imprisoned for less than one year but not more than 6 years or both.
It was a journey and a struggle to push the measure of LGBTQ rights, but it was all worth it.
Further sources: http://iskwiki.upd.edu.ph/index.php/UP_Babaylan# and
