Posts Tagged ‘homosexuality’

Supreme Court Affirms the Equality in Political Participation of Filipino LGBTs

Friday, April 9th, 2010

Yesterday, April 8, 2010, the Philippine Supreme Court released its decision regarding the petition for certiorari filed by Ang Ladlad LGBT Party (with regards to the decision of the Commission on Elections refusing accreditation to the LGBT group and therefore denying the party its participation in the May 2010 National Elections on grounds of morality and on the belief that homosexuals are a threat to the youth); the Court grants the petition.

Part of the Supreme Court decision reads

“We thus find that it was grave violation of the non-establishment clause for the COMELEC to utilize the Bible and the Koran to justify the exclusion of Ang Ladlad.

… we hold that moral disapproval, without more, is not a sufficient governmental interest to justify exclusion of homosexuals from participation in the party-list system. The denial of Ang Ladlad’s registration on purely moral grounds amounts more to a statement of dislike and disapproval of homosexuals, rather than a tool to further any substantial public interest. Respondent’s blanket justifications give rise to the inevitable conclusion that the COMELEC targets homosexuals themselves as a class, not because of any particular morally reprehensible act. It is this selective targeting that implicates our equal protection clause.

Our Decision today is fully in accord with our international obligations to protect and promote human rights. In particular, we explicitly recognize the principle of non-discrimination as it relates to the right to electoral participation, enunciated in the UDHR and the ICCPR. Although sexual orientation is not specifically enumerated as a status or ratio for discrimination in Article 26 of the ICCPR, the ICCPR Human Rights Committee has opined that the reference to “sex” in Article 26 should be construed to include “sexual orientation.”

WHEREFORE, the Petition is hereby GRANTED. The Resolutions of the Commission on Elections dated November 11, 2009 and December 16, 2009 in SPP No. 09-228 (PL) are hereby SET ASIDE. The Commission on Elections is directed to GRANT petitioner’s application for party-list accreditation.”

For a full copy of the Supreme Court ruling, refer to the following link:
http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/jurisprudence/2010/april2010/190582.htm

Ang pagbabago ng mga batas kaugnay ng ‘pagiging krimen ng sekswal na pakikipagrelasyon sa kapwa-kasarian’ ay hindi isang “halimbawa ng demokrasya” / Decriminalisation of Homosexuality is not “some kind of democracy”

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

ANG BAGONG PANGULO NG UN ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT AT (ANG PAHAYAG NITO UKOL SA) MGA KARAPATAN NG MGA LGBT
Ang pagbabago ng mga batas kaugnay ng ‘pagiging krimen ng sekswal na pakikipagrelasyon sa kapwa-kasarian’ ay hindi isang “halimbawa ng demokrasya”
26/09/2009

mula sa http://www.ilga.org

Ang ILGA ay matinding nababahala at nagagalit sa pagkukulang ng bagong Pangulo ng UN Assembly na si Ali Abdussalam Treki na isaalang-alang ang pagsasanggalang sa buhay at kaligtasan ng mga tomboy, bakla, trans, intersex at bisexual na tao sa buong mundo bilang isang bagay na kaugnay ng karapatang pantao.

Mr. Ali Treki (left) and UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon (right)

Mr. Ali Treki (left) and UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon (right)

Sa isang panayam bago ang kanyang unang talumpati sa UN Assembly sa bago nitong papel bilang Pangulo, idineklara ni Ginoong Treki ang sarili na “talagang hindi pabor” patungkol sa Pahayag na pabor sa ‘pagbabago ng batas na krimen ang sekswal na makipag-relasyon sa kapwa-kasarian’ (decriminalisation of homosexuality) na nilagdaan ng 66 na mga bansa at binasa ng kinatawan ng Argentina noong nakaraang Disyembre sa General Assembly sa New York.

Dagdag pa rito, sinabi ni Ginoong Treki na ang paksang tinutukoy sa nasabing Pahayag, halimbawa na nag pagbabago ng batas kaugnay ng pagiging krimen ng pakikipag-relasyon sa kapwa-kasarian ay “hindi katanggap-tanggap sa maraming bansa sa mundo” at “may iilang mga bansa ang pinahihintulutan ito sa paniniwalang ito ay isang halimbawa ng demokrasya”.

Habang isinasaalang-alang ng Pahayag ang panawagan para sa pandaigdigang pagbabago ng batas kaugnay ng pakikipag-relasyon sa kapwa-kasarian, hindi maiiwasang maipagpalagay ng sinuman na ang bagong Pangulo ay… pabor na gawing mga criminal ang mga taong tomboy at bakla, bisexual, trans at mga intersex. Ang nakababalisa at malubhang kasasapitan ng ganitong pag-uugali, mula sa bagong ulo ng isang institusyon na dapat sana’y nagpapahalaga sa mga karapatan ng tao—ng lahat ng mga karapatan—bilang isang pinakabanal na pinahahalagahan, ay hindi maaaring muli’t muling banggitin.

Nanawagan kami sa mga kinatawan ng mga Estadong lumagda sa Pahayag laban sa pagiging krimen ng sekswal na pakikipagrelasyon sa kapwa-kasarian, pati na rin sa mga bumoto para ihalal si Ginoong Treki sa bago nitong posisyon, na manghingi ng isang paliwanag mula sa Pangulo ng UN Assembly hinggil sa kanyang mga pahayag at magbigay ng tugon rito.

Gloria Careaga & Renato Sabbadini
Co-Secretaries General, ILGA

Para sa karagdagang impormasyon kontakin si: Renato Sabbadini
+32 474 857 950 o renato@ilga.org
Ang ILGA ay isang network ng lampas sa 600 mga grupo mula sa 111 na mga bansa na mula 1978 ay lumalaban para sa pantay na karapatan para sa mga taong tomboy, bakla, bisexual, intersex at transgender.

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Brussels, 26 September 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New UN Assembly President Treki’s statements on LGBTI rights
Decriminalisation of Homosexuality is not “some kind of democracy”

ILGA is deeply worried and outraged by UN Assembly new President Ali Abdussalam Treki’s failure to consider the protection of the life and safety of lesbians, gay men, trans, intersex and bisexual people all over the world a matter of human rights.

In an interview prior to his first address to the UN Assembly in his new role, Mr Treki declared himself to be “not in favour at all” with reference to the Statement in favour of the decriminalisation of homosexuality signed by 66 Countries and read by the Argentinian representative last December at
the General Assembly in New York.

Furthermore, Mr Treki said that the matter referred to by the Statement, i.e. decriminalisation, was “not acceptable in the majority of the world” and that “there are some countries that allow that (sic), thinking it is a kind of democracy”.

Considering that the Statement called for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality, one cannot but conclude that the new President of the UN Assembly is… in favour of criminalising lesbians and gay men, bisexual, trans and intersex people. The worrying and serious implications of this attitude, coming from the new head of an institution which is supposed to regard human rights – all human rights – as the most sacred value, cannot be overstated.

We appeal to the representatives of the States which signed the Statement against criminalisation of homosexuality, but also voted for the election of Mr Treki in his new position, to demand an explanation to the UN Assembly President for his words and react consequently.

Gloria Careaga & Renato Sabbadini
Co-Secretaries General, ILGA

For further information contact: Renato Sabbadini
+32 474 857 950 or renato@ilga.org

ILGA is a network of over 600 groups from 111 countries fighting since 1978 for equal human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and transgender people.