The (im)possibility of

same-sex marriage in the Philippines

Many ancient cultures believed that the Earth is flat. Slavery was legal in most parts of the world
for the better part of human history. Up until the late 19th century, women were not allowed to
vote. In the days of the Old Testament, a lot of things were forbidden, such as eating seafood
that do not have fins and scales, consuming any form of fat or blood, planting more than one
kind of seed in a field, and wearing garments made of more than one kind of fabric.
The PRIDE flag, a symbol of diversity,
acceptance and LGBTQ rights
These are just some of the antiquated practices and beliefs that no longer have any validity
today. We now know that the Earth is an oblate spheroid. Slavery has been abolished for the
most part. Women have the same rights as men in elections. We can also freely eat seafood with
no fins and scales, fats and blood. The number or kinds of seeds in a field doesnt matter
because why should it? and mix-and-matching fabrics and materials is all the rage in fashion.
Yet somehow, many parts of the world, including the Philippines, are touchy when it comes to
one traditional concept that of marriage. The bond, conventional wisdom insists, only exists
between the binary biological genders of male and female. Thats it. The lines are thick and
straight. Black, white, no gray area. That medieval definition is still the one that is accepted by
the majority despite a growing number of conversations challenging its currency.
Same-sex marriage laws around the wold
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
The topic of same-sex marriage also known as gay marriage and marriage equality gained
traction anew following recent developments on the issue in the United States. On June 26, the
US Supreme Court issued a landmark decision declaring unconstitutional any form of same-sex
marriage bans across all 50 states on the basis of the Fourth Amendment, rendering same-sex
marriage legal throughout the country.
Laws on same-sex marriage have previously been passed in 21 territories, including Mexico,
where same-sex unions, while legal nationwide, can only be performed in certain states. The first
in the world to legislate marriage equality was the Netherlands in 2001. The most recent one
before the US was Ireland in May this year. Meanwhile, civil unions are granted to same-sex
couples in over a dozen other nations.
A witty expression at a marriage equality rally f
(www.letsgetweddy.com)
None of these countries are in Asia. In fact, the typically conservative East is where some of the
staunchest opponents of same-sex marriage can be found. While the Philippines does not
criminalize same-sex activity as some of our neighbors do, we still have a long way to go in
terms of achieving marriage equality, especially since the rights of non-heterosexual individuals
in this country do not have the full protection of the law up to this day.
Our lawmakers have yet to pass a sexual-orientation and gender-identity-based antidiscrimination law that guarantees the basic rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
queer (LGBTQ) individuals and penalizes those who discriminate against them. Different versions
of the bill have laid stagnant in Congress over the past decade and a half.
A same-sex wedding cake topper
(www.thatsmytopper.com)
In fact, for a brief period a few years ago, the government itself discriminated against the LGBTQ
community. It can be remembered that in 2009, the Commission on Elections refused to accredit
minority-rights group Ang Ladlad as a party-list candidate for the 2010 elections on grounds of
immorality as defined by Christian and Islamic doctrines essentially characterizing all
homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders as immoral, and clearly breaching the separation of
Church and State. The unconstitutional decision was eventually reversed by the Supreme Court.
Further, as pointed out plenty of times before, we are the only country in the world that still does
not have a law on divorce a clear demonstration of how draconian our views on marriage are.
Social media, providing a more globalized and young, liberal perspective, paints a different
picture. Excitement and solidarity among Filipino LGBTQ individuals, as well as those who identify

as heterosexual, was evident when news about the legalization of same-sex marriage in the US
broke. Coinciding with Gay Pride celebrations all over the world, the development was met with
generally positive reactions. Online Filipinos, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity,
showed their support with posts tagged with the #LoveWins hashtag. Many even processed their
social-network profile display photos through Facebooks Celebrate Pride rainbow filter.
Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg using his services
Celebrate Pride rainbow filter
It should be noted, however, that social media really is a platform for progressive voices that
demand to be heard. If we are to believe certain politicians, netizens, as they contemptuously
and alienatingly label folks online, are of a different breed and are not representative of the
general Filipino sentiment. And maybe theyre right.
According to an opinion poll commissioned by The Standard, 70 percent of Filipinos strongly
disagree with the passage of a law that would allow same-sex couples to wed. Thats an
overwhelming seven out of 10 people in a country where an even more overwhelming eight in
every 10 individuals belong to the Roman Catholic faith who believe that the right to marry
should not be extended to those who are not heterosexual. A separate survey conducted by
another publication yielded near-identical results, suggesting that Filipinos are indeed not yet
ready to change their religiosity-fueled traditionalist beliefs.
Its unlikely that this Congress or the next one will act on legislation for same-sex marriage. The
House Speaker himself has expressed his categorical opposition to the measure and other
members of the House have been quoted as saying that any bill, proposal or petition to legalize
same-sex marriage have little to no hope in prospering. So perhaps, at least for now, thats that.