CHR backs disqualified party-list Ang Ladlad

MANILA, Philippines – After being rejected by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the second time around, Ang Ladlad party-list, which represents homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender individuals has found an ally in the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), which is likely to file a Motion for Intervention as it supports the group’s plea for reconsideration.

CHR chairperson Leila de Lima said the Comelec’s decision denying the petition for registration of Ang Ladlad LGBT Party for the party-list system of representation in the House of Representatives “smacks of prejudice and discrimination,” as “homosexuality does not equate to immorality.”

“Homosexuality is not a counterculture. It is part of the diversity of Philippine culture. Homosexuals are part of the Filipino family and unavoidably must be part of our politics,” De Lima said.

The Comelec denied accreditation to Ang Ladlad’s bid to participate in the party-list elections on grounds of “immorality” and for being “inimical to the interest of the youth.”

De Lima stressed that there is no governmental policy, which characterizes homosexuality as illegal or immoral.

She said that there is or can be no basis in law to deny the registration of Ang Ladlad party, either directly or indirectly, on the grounds of homosexuality, much less on homosexuality equated to immorality.

All are equal

De Lima cited the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as two instruments that provide the principles and standards “that must be demonstrated by the Comelec in its mandate under the Constitution, Omnibus Election Code, and Party-List law.”

The UDHR states that, “All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.”

“We do not think that Ang Ladlad seeks accreditation to promote immorality in the country, but to give a voice to a marginalized sector to push for further protection of their rights. It is a fact that gays are often objects of discrimination through ridicule, contempt and various forms of violence. Just as this decision clearly illustrates,” De Lima said.

“Comelec has exhibited, at the very least, a retrogressive not progressive way of thinking.

“Our views on homosexuality must be in accordance with progressive human rights thought. In an age of growing, rather than receding, tolerance and promotion of human rights, this decision appears to be a misplaced edifice of arcane views on homosexuality,” she added.

Meanwhile Sen. Loren Legarda yesterday joined several groups in calling for the Comelec to reconsider its position rejecting the application Ang Ladlad as a party-list group. –-Katherine Adraneda (The Philippine Star) with Christina Mendez