Senate told to stop delaying the SOGIE bill

MGA bakla, all eyes on the Senate!

The SOGIE Equality bill trended anew on Twitter after several personalities from the LGBTQIA+ community called on the Senate to take up the bill and to immediately approve its passage.

This came after rumors circulated that there have been attempts to stall the progress of the bill, especially now that Congress has resumed session after the Christmas break.

Singer-songwriter Ice Seguerra, who identifies as a transgender, alleged that the bill is being blocked from being tackled in the Senate plenary. 

The Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality earlier submitted the bill for plenary deliberations after a majority of its members signed the panel report recommending its passage. 

“There are attempts to delay, ONCE AGAIN, the SOGIE Equality Bill from being deliberated in the Senate Plenary,” Seguerra wrote on Wednesday, “Mga bakla, all eyes on the Senate tomorrow at hanggang mapasa ang batas.”

Seguerra also asked LGBTQIA+ community members and allies to show their full support for the measure by posting about it on various social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. He asked them to tag the accounts of Senators, Senate President Migz Zubiri and Majority Floor Leader Sen. Joel Villanueva, a staunch critic of the SOGIE bill.  

“Tama na ang delaying tactics. Tama na ang pasikot-sikot. Senators, stop hiding and stop delaying. I-plenary na ang SOGIE Equality Bill,” Seguerra added.

Ice Seguerra via Instagram

In response to the singer’s call, other LGBTQIA+ personalities and progressive organizations also voiced their opposition to the continuous delays in the bill’s passage.

LGBTQIA+ members emphasized that 22 years fighting for the passage of the anti-discriminatory bill is too long. They also argued that delaying the SOGIE Bill is equivalent to denying Filipinos protection against gender-related discrimination and abuse.

Two decades of SOGIE

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression Equality Bill, also called the Anti-Discriminatory Act, was first presented in the Senate in 2000 by the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago and former Akbayan representative Loretta Rosales. 

The bill was refiled in the 14th Congress but failed to get out of the committee level. More senators filed similar bills in the subsequent Congress.

In 2017, the House of Representatives approved the SOGIE bill on third and final reading. However, the bill did not prosper in the Senate.

Both the House and the Senate must approve a bill before it could be transmitted to the President for signature.

Up to now, the lengthy pursuit for the approval of the bill is still ongoing.

What is SOGIE?

Contrary to public belief, the SOGIE Equality Bill is not exclusively for homosexuals and transgenders. It also aims to protect heterosexual individuals as they also have a sexual orientation and a gender they identify with.

Once passed, the bill will essentially leave everyone on equal footing. Hence, no one will be denied education, employment, or access to public health services and facilities due to their gender identity or sexual orientation.

SOGIE will also penalize individuals or organizations that will incite abuse or promote negative beliefs against a person based on their sexual orientation.

However, it is important to note that the bill doesn’t include measures that allow same-sex marriage or union.

Banner courtesy: PNA