The Philippine's first party to include
gay rights in its platform is pressing for a nationwide gay
protections bill.
Representative Kaka Bag-ao of the
Akbayan Citizens' Action Party is urging President Benigno Aquino
III, also known as Noynoy Aquino or PNoy, to certify her gay rights
bill as urgent. House Bill 515 would prohibit discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (transgender
protections), the Manila Times reported.
“Here in the Philippines, you can
fire a gay or lesbian employee simply because of their sexual
orientation or gender identity and get away with it,” Bag-ao said.
“You can expel lesbian and gay students arbitrarily or impose
arbitrary rules against them and you won't face any charges. It's
wrong.”
“We are not saying that they should
be given special rights, just basic fairness,” she added.
“By standing up for equal rights,
PNoy would send a strong signal against hatred and homophobia. It
would mean that the government embraces universal human rights for
all Filipinos, and not a single Filipino is left behind.”
The party first introduced a gay
protections bill in 1999.