CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Despite the opposition raised by various religious groups, a group of LGBTQIA+ people in Mindanao is still hopeful about the passage of a bill that seeks to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE). Ezel Lambatan, council representative of Mindanao Pride, said her group wanted the SOGIE bill to become law, considering the discrimination faced by the LGBTQIA (which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual). *A member of the LGBTQIA+ community joins the first Pride March in Cagayan de Oro City in 2018. (File photo courtesy of the Mindanao Pride)*
"The LGBTQIA+ is still a marginalized group. We’re still an outcast; we’re still excluded, even from participation. When we put SOGIE into place, we didn’t just protect the community; we recognized our existence," Lambatan said in an interview with the Manila Bulletin on Tuesday, April 25. "We respect their [religious groups] opinion, but we will still continue to fight the SOGIE Bill," Lambatan added, stressing that the LGBTQIA+ community is also fighting for equal access to education and basic services. The Mindanao Pride has been addressing one of the biggest misconceptions about the said bill, clarifying that the SOGIE Equality Bill is not solely for members of the LGBTQIA+ community but it is also aimed to address all forms of discrimination across the gender spectrum. On April 23, various religious groups in this city as well as in Misamis Oriental province staged a prayer rally at Kiosko Kagawasan, Divisoria here, to express their opposition to the said bill. Bishop Abner Dalapu, chairman of the Metro Cagayan Ministerial Fellowship, said during his welcome message that the SOGIE bill "is a dangerous precedent" and "an attack against God’s agenda," stressing that people are already protected with the Bill of Rights, Family Code, and Labor Code, among other laws. "The purpose of these laws is to protect the general welfare of Filipinos. However, if the SOGIE is passed into law, they will have many additional options to express their sexual orientation and gender identity," Bishop Dalapu said. Lambatan acknowledged the said laws; however, she said they were vague and could not directly address the discrimination experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community. She cited a personal experience where she applied for a position at a certain government agency, where she was able to meet the qualifications but was instructed to cut her hair for the reason of having a job that would require her to visit different communities. Rev. Raul Ternida, provincial coordinator of the Jesus Reigns-Misamis Oriental and also the president and chief executive officer of the Little Evangel Christian School, said once the SOGIE bill becomes a law, it would add additional struggles, most especially to the Christian schools. "Pagka naging mandatory yan, paano mo ituturo ang isang bagay na hindi mo pinaniniwalaan, lalo na pag Christian school ka (Once it became mandatory, how can you teach one thing that you don’t believe, especially if you're a Christian school)," Ternida said, adding that he opposed the suggestion to assign a person to teach about the said matter. In an article from Philstar, 18 senators have signed a manifesto to have the said measure reverted to the committee level, as the Senate was being blasted with letters from religious groups saying that they have not been given enough time to air their views. The Senate sent the measure to the rules committee, chaired by Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, who assured that the SOGIE bill would not languish in his committee.