Guidebook launched to help LGBTQ+ Filipinos, groups navigate legal issues

Justice with Pride: LGBTQIA+ Community Legal Guidebook in the Philippines. Screenshot 

MANILA — A guidebook for LGBTQ+ Filipinos and rights groups has been launched to help them navigate possible legal challenges in the country.

The booklet seeks to provide a step-by-step guide for queer Filipinos and civil society groups on how to handle legal cases such as hate crimes, unlawful arrest, red-tagging as well as issues surrounding health care rights and protections.

Titled "Justice with Pride: LGBTQIA+ Community Legal Guidebook in the Philippines," the guide also discusses existing laws and policies that protect the rights of queer Filipinos and lists contact numbers for assistance.  

The Philippines still struggles to pass the comprehensive anti-discrimination SOGIESC Equality Bill, and also grapples with passing legislation that would allow same-sex marriage or unions, which would grant queer partners the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Several local government units, nevertheless, have passed ordinances protecting LGBTQ+ individuals against discrimination as well as allowing queer couples decide on medical concerns.

How to be a better LGBT ally amid fight for protections, queer rights

EXPANDED SCOPE

Mujer LGBT+ Organization, a Zamboanga-based group that provides legal support to address gender-based violence in Mindanao, in a statement, acknowledged that while there is a legal guide for LGBTQ+ Filipinos released in 2006 by the Rainbow Rights Organization, their template "stands out for its timely and expanded scope."

It said the book reflects the current legal landscape in the Philippines by including guided elements from the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act, the Safe Spaces Act, local anti-discrimination ordinances, and other newly enacted or amended laws.

The new LGBTQ+ legal book offers "clear instructions on what to do, where to go, and who to call in cases of discrimination, arrest, red-tagging, or other emergencies," Mujer said.

"It is designed as a hands-on tool for both individuals and civil society groups seeking immediate and informed legal action," it said.

RELATED: US aid cut to Philippines' HIV programs leaves some clinics in limbo as cases soar

GUIDEBOOK STRENGTHENS LGBTQ+ DEFENDERS

Members of the LGBT community carry rainbow flags and shout slogans during the UP Pride March in UP Diliman on October 30, 2020. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Mujer recognized that while the Philippines is one of Southeast Asia's more LGBTQ+ friendly countries, "the lack of a national anti-discrimination law and legal recognitions continues to leave many vulnerable."

It stressed that civil society groups and advocates "increasingly face harassment and threats, including red-tagging and misuse of anti-terror laws."

Alvin Toni Gee Fernandez, the executive director of Mujer, which also lobbies for anti-discrimination ordinances in Mindanao, said that the guidebook would strengthen the resilience of LGBTQ+ human rights defenders.

Fernandez added that LGBTQ+ Filipinos continue to face "widespread discrimination often without any meaningful recourse, especially in areas like Mindanao and the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao)."

"Hate crimes, gender-based violence, unlawful arrest, red-tagging, and even denial of basic services such as healthcare, education, and employment remain part of the daily lived experiences of many LGBTQIA+ Filipinos. Too often, when we seek help from authorities, we are met with further prejudice, inaction, or even secondary victimization," he said.

"Without access to justice, we risk being silenced, invisibilized, and left behind."

Marcos orders creation of LGBTQIA+ welfare committee

The legal guidebook was developed by human rights defender Rhadem Musawah through Mujer. It was created in collaboration with TrustLaw, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, with support from the British Embassy Manila.

The guidebook can be accessed online via the TrustLaw website.