President Rodrigo Duterte supports the passage of an anti-discrimination bill against the members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community, Malacañang said Thursday.
“I remember the President expressed support for the LGBT one time,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters.
“I think he will support that kind [of measure] because he wants fair treatment to all.”
Panelo’s statement came after a transgender woman was barred from using the women’s restroom in a mall in Quezon City, which sparked calls for the passage of the measure aimed at protecting the LGBTQ+ from discrimination, known as the Equality bill.
The bill, which has been pending in Congress for two decades, prohibits denial of access to establishments, facilities, services and utilities, including a restroom.
Profiling, detention, verbal and physical harassment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression
will also be banned if the bill becomes law.
The proposed measure also penalizes denial of health service and government license on the basis of SOGIE.
The House of Representatives approved the bill in 2017, but the Senate failed to pass the measure in the 17th Congress.
Asked if President Duterte would certify the bill as urgent, Panelo said: “I will ask him when we talk again.”
The call for the passage of the bill stemmed from an incident in Cubao, Quezon City, where transgender woman Gretchen Diez was denied entry by a janitress to a women’s comfort room.
Diez, who appeared to have been held inside the mall, recorded the incident live on Facebook and earned support from netizens.
Panelo said the incident was a clear violation of Quezon City’s Gender Fair Ordinance.
“There is an ordinance to respect them, so what happened to the transgender was a violation, he said.
Malacañang also appealed to the public to respect the rights of those who identify themselves as LGBTQ+.
The Philippine National Police also weighed in on the issue, urging establishments and government offices to put up gender-sensitive comfort rooms as part of the efforts to promote equality in all fields of social activity and to fight discrimination.
“Do you have a gender-sensitive CR? I encourage everyone, from the private sectors to all government offices, to put up restrooms like this as a sign of respect to the rights of everyone, regardless of gender, PNP Human Rights Affairs Office Chief Dennis Siervo told reporters.
For his part, Senator Christopher Go vouched for the passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Equality Bill.
“I support this, said the neophyte senator who noted that in Davao, they had the Anti-Discrimination ordinance to safeguard the rights of the Davao’s LGBT community.
Meanwhile, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte called for a meeting with the city’s Pride Council to ensure that the Gender Fair Ordinance is properly implemented.
“This Friday, we will meet with the council to hear the sentiments of the members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community if they feel the ordinance is being enforced,” she said.
As for same-sex marriage, Duterte has no clear stance on the matter.
He initially declared his opposition to gay marriage, but he expressed support for same-sex unions in 2017.
However, in a meeting with the Filipino community in Japan last May, Duterte joked that he once managed to”cure” his homosexuality.
