Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman



Transgender solon Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman has alluded to Pura Luka Vega's drag performance to the Catholic song "Ama Namin (Our Father)" as a disrespectful act. Roman, the prime mover of the proposed SOGIE Equality Bill in the House of Representatives, made the reference to Vega's controversial and viral performance in a Facebook post. She didn't mention any names. SOGIE stands for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. "For the information of everyone, hindi po maaring gamitin ang Sogie Equality Bill upang i-justify o pawalang sala ang pilit na pagpapahubad ng ibang tao sa isang bar, ang violence, ang paglaban sa autoridad o ang isang walang-galang na drag performance na lumalapastangan sa mga bagay na sagrado," Roman wrote. (The Sogie Equality Bill cannot be used to justify or to exonerate people from forcibly having other people strip down at a bar, from violence, from fighting authority, or from a disrespectful drag performance that desecrated sacred items.) She said that measure does not shield any violator of Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code on offending religious feelings. Roman went on to give a heartfelt reminder to her fellow members of the LGBT+ community. "Always remember that each and everyone of us carries the rainbow flag so dapat let us always do good dahil kapag isang LGBT+ ang nagkamali sa lipunan buong komunidad ang hinuhusgahan (because even if one member of the LGBT+ commits a mistake in society, the entire community will be judged). "Let us not do our own community a disservice. Umayos tayo! (Let's do better!) We have everything to gain if we do good or even better," she wrote. The Facebook post came with the hashtags #RespectBegetsRespect and #WeAskForRespectSoWeShouldAlsoShowRespect . In the viral video uploaded to social media last July 9, Vega is seen dancing to a rock version of Ama Namin in front of crowd. The drag queen's actions have been widely criticized. Roman is the first transgender solon in the history of Philippine Congress. She chairs the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality. She described the SOGIE measure as a simpleng anti discrimination bill that seeks to outlaw discrimination in the workplace, learning institutions, in the delivery of government services, and access to public spaces and accomodations.