Diving deep into the abyss of past injustices, the people saw luminous hope and came rushing forward to tell their unseen stories. 

 

From the shackles of the oppressors to the prevalent discrimination in society, the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) community has been drowning from the injustices and prejudice, causing their bravery to step forward and fight among others who care.

 

But with the present storms, their fight is still ongoing.

 

The history of the queer community has been traced back to the 17th century when the oldest use of terms describing same-gender love occurred, as stated by National Geographic. However, across decades, the LGBTQ+ community, who genuinely wanted acceptance and inclusivity in society, has been largely discriminated against and outlawed. 

 

In the Philippines, there have been reported cases of abuse and harassment toward the LGBTQ+ community, including transgender Filipino women Jennifer Laude, murdered by a US Marine in 2014, and Gretchen Diez, dragged and harassed from using the women’s restroom in 2019. These previous cases of injustices towards the LGBTQ+ community have been condemned by its members and activists across the country.

 

Moreover, according to a United Nations (UN) study, 30% of the LGBTQ+ community in the country have been harassed, bullied, or discriminated against by others in the workplace area based on their sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE). The stigma against homosexuality and SOGIE has affected the members of the queer community across society, school, workplace, and family. Religious groups and people who discriminate and harass the LGBTQ+ community have been preventing the inclusivity of SOGIE in society.

 

Hence, the alarming levels of injustice against the LGBTQ+ community due to their sexual orientation and gender identities have been pushing its members, activists, and advocates to organize and set ripples of change. The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill, which is a bill proposed in 2000 in the Philippines, has been debated in the legislative sector of the government for 23 years already. Even with several attempts to push the bill to become law over 23 years, the SOGIE bill is still sitting in Congress. 

 

The SOGIE bill aims to end gender-based discrimination by establishing penalties involved in such activities against the LGBTQ+ community. Moreover, the bill offers a safer place for everyone to express their sexual and gender identities protected by the law. With Senator Risa Hontiveros, the principal author of the current version of the bill, and other lawmakers and advocates, the battle for achieving gender-inclusive laws and a safer community for the oppressed and harassed will still proceed. Along with those who care, there is still hope—luminous light that withstood brutal storms of the society’s status quo.

 

A part of the magnifying light is that Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and bishop of Rome, had criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality and once stated that homosexuality is not a crime, conveying that expressing oneself through SOGIE is not a sin nor a crime.

 

Echoing Senator Hontiveros, “I am hopeful for the day that none of us have to convince people that we are worthy of our own basic human rights.”

 

Rising from the buried memories of the past, the LGBTQ+ community saw luminous hope—strong enough to withstand years of brutal winds and storms—and came rushing forward to tell their unseen stories and fight with those who care.