FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY AS A CHILD filled with lots of questions in mind, I grew up thinking that those who are “not normal” are bad. I could even recall a movie I watched before where the antagonist was a gay person and when he was stabbed by the hero, he started to vomit green blood. This is the reason why I was afraid of them before because I thought that they do have green blood, which is weird for a kid since every time I got some wounds, a red fluid would drip on them. Every time I share this with my friends, they would even laugh at me. This is also the same reaction that I get if I ask someone older than us. No one even corrected me at that time, not until I joined the campus publication in elementary. I loved watching the news and reading some articles since the questions in my mind are being answered. As time passes by, I’ve learned that gay people are not bad. I even befriended some of them. They don’t just lift my mood but they are always there for me to help and educate me with the things happening in our society, which is different from the usual quotation that “gay people are just meant to be comedians only.” They, too, have dreams that they want to achieve despite all the hate that they are getting. I always read some posts from those people who refuse to be educated about this stuff and who probably grew up in the same family with conservative ideologies as mine saying that “homosexuality is a sin” or that usual “you’ll rot in hell and your family with definitely disown you!” But, why does it have to be that way? Why should my friends experience this kind of fear? Why can’t they freely express themselves and love who they want? According to The American Psychological Association (APA), sexual orientation is not a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed. Sexuality is innate, not acquired which means that no matter how hard you pray and perform rituals it can never change someone’s sexual orientation. That’s why I can never understand why homosexuality is considered as a lifelong sin, but corruption, incompetence, and murder can be easily forgiven by this society. If we are also going to observe the typical family set-up, straight children don’t have to prove anything in their family but those who identify themselves as part of the LGBTQ++ Community must always earn a high amount of money to be accepted for who they are. This is also associated with ‘coming out’ since most of us assume that the right way for someone to come out of their closet is to reveal their identity to the public and he/ she/they should be ready to deal with the negative response that they will be getting from them where in fact, the only way to come out is that it when it feels right to you. For several years, members of the LGBTQ++ Community have been captives of society’s corrupt mindset, making weak-hearted members
feel terrified of coming out of their shells. They do excel in life, just like some of my friends, but there’s always a missing piece - true happiness. Encouraging and helping the members of the LGBTQ++ Community to express their true identity is not just limited in the month of June. One way to do this is to make schools a safe space for the youth who belong to this community. According to Human Rights Watch, Filipino students who are part of the LGBTQ++ Community often find that their schooling experience is marred by bullying, discrimination, lack of access to LGBT-related information, and physical and sexual assault. We do have the Child Protection Policy of 2012 and the Anti-Bullying Law of 2013 but if we are to observe the status quo, these policies are strong on paper yet have not been adequately enforced. To avoid these things from happening, first, the Congress of the Philippines must enact an antidiscrimination bill that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including in education, health care, and public accommodations. Second, the Department of Education (DepEd) must also create a system to gather and publish data about bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. They must also issue an order instructing schools to respect students’ gender identity concerning dress codes, access to facilities, and participation in curricular and extracurricular activities. Third, school administrators must also adopt anti-bullying and antidiscrimination policies that are inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity. If these things will be implemented and acceptance will be normalized to everyone, that’s the time that these people will find their missing piece. Freedom is not just limited to self-expression but this is also applicable to people who don’t belong to the LGBTQ++ Community. You are free to educate yourself, change your mindset, and accept them for who they are.
