SOGIE ( Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression) in the

Philippines

A Reflection Paper Submitted to

Felix D. Tubera, LPT, MAED
Course Instructor

ANGILICA P. CADIOS
BSBA-MM3-1
 Adolescents is considered as the crucial stage of everyone’s
development. McDermoth (2014) mentioned in her study that
evidence suggests that some young people begin to question their
sexual orientation as early as age eight and may begin to identify
as LGBT from early adolescence and this leads to the disclosure
of sexual identity to the others, and finally the integration of
sexual identity into the self as whole. This is the time of
transition that everyone is generally conscious to find and
establish own identity where in there are others battling on how
to be who they are when actually role they wanted to portray
does not conform to the expected role with the sex assigned to
them at birth and disclosing one’s own sexual orientation and
identity would only mean to invite bullying, discrimination and
rejection.

Philippines is commonly used to refer to a man but further

implies a masculine man who is attracted to women. As such a
gay Filipino man would not necessarily identify with nor be
referred to as man instead they may be called gay, which is
understood to refer to effeminate Filipino gay men who are
attracted to other men , usually masculine men.
 Furthermore, gender and sexuality in the Philippines also
have class dimensions. While gay, lesbian, and bisexual are
becoming more visible and accessible identity categories,
identification with local terminologies such as bakla and tomboy
have been commonly observed among Filipinos from lower
income groups. It is important to understand that these terms can
change meaning depending on the specific context in which they
are used.
Taken together, gender and sexuality are complex and thus
complicated dimensions of human behavior and experience. As
such, binary systems and understanding of gender and sexuality
overly simplify and fail to fully capture the richness of human
experience. In the context of human humanitarian emergencies,
this over simplification can lead to overlooking the
vulnerabilities of individuals and communities as well.

In the Philippines, homophobia, stigma and prejudice toward

LGBT persons are very present within Filipino society creating a
dangerous climate of hostility towards LGBT people. LGBT
youth are often targeted by parents who upon discovering their
child’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity feel compelled
to inflict physical Harmon them out of frustration or in an
attempt to prevent their child from expressing their sexuality
(retrieved January 18, 2015). From 1996 to 2012 the Philippines
LGBTQIA+ hate crime watch reported 156 LGBT killed due to
hate crimes (retrieved January 18, 2015). Adolescents from ages
13-19 years old sexual orientation, gender identity and expression
and it’s related issue they have actually experienced being
homosexual.

LGBTQIA+ Filipinos also face substantial barriers to accessing

public goods and services, such as education, employment, and
healthcare. This means they are often more vulnerable to
negative social, economic and health outcomes both day-to-day
life and , thus, when acute crises strike as well. These
inequalities are legitimize and reinforced through weapon
religious freedom among both policymakers and civil society
groups who leverage moral, spiritual and values based on
Catholic and Christian doctrines.

Mental Health issue; The mental health issues is a severe

challenge of LGBTQIA+ . The negative experience in daily life,
the fear of coming out and being identified by families could all
cause mental issues. Those pressures will be added and triggered
when a person is mentally ill and an LGBTQIA+ at the same
time.

Invisibility in the educational system; In the Philippines, many

LGBTQIA+ students have experiences discrimination in
educational setting ranging from interpersonal harassment and
bullying enabled by both teachers and students to expulsion from
school. Even when they are able to attend school, information
relevant to their experiences and needs as LGBTQIA+
individuals, is largely missing from the curriculum.

Double standards in employment; Many LGBTQIA+ Filipino,

especially trans and gender non- conforming Filipinos, have
faced barriers to employment like hiring and promotions due to
informal discriminatory practices, particularly when they do not
present themselves according their sex assigned at birth.

The LGBTQIA+ community is gradually gaining recognition,

and with it comes more acceptance. As the community gains
more positive feedback, more naturally gender nonconforming
people are becoming comfortable with coming out.
 In the Philippines, the SOGIE bill or “Anti- Discrimination
bill” aims to prevent various forms discrimination agitating
people based on their SOGIE. Second, an education- based
approach to include in curriculum of public and private
universities a subject on gender and multiculturalism,
LGBTQIA+ studies. A lack of comprehensive sex education puts
the health of LGBTQIA+ at risk. In some Catholic universities in
the Philippines, there were already efforts made on the part of the
administration to introduce core courses on gender and human
dignity and human rights. Some universities in the Philippines
also allowed gender variance or gender nonconforming practices
ranging from the establishment of LGBTQIA+ restrooms to the
use their preferred clothing and preferred pronouns. In line with
international human rights law, LGBTQIA+ students have the
right to an education free from violence and discrimination, that
promotes respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
We must go beyond the rigid conceptual binaries of heterosexual
and queer, male, female and masculine and feminine. There is an
urgent need to go beyond the “tolerance “ approach and move
forward toward an inclusive praxis (Corpuz, 2023).
Exploring diversity in the LGBTQIA+ community of the
Philippines captures the essence of understanding and accepting
sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression within the
LGBTQIA+ community in the Philippines. It emphasize the
importance of exploring and embracing the SOGIE to foster
understanding, respect and unity among individuals with varying
sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

Recommendations

Based on the barriers, discrimination and violence that faces by

LGBTQIA+. I recommend to all readers that we need to
prioritizing the mental health of LGBTQIA+ young people in the
Philippines. Fostering supportive and accepting environments,
particularly from family and friends, as important protective
factors against mental health and suicide. The report advocates
for accessible, LGBTQIA+ affirming health care and community
services, recognizing these as fundamental to managing stress
and promoting healing. Give the high cost of mental health
services and the prevalence of unsupportive of financially
incapable families, it become critical to ensure independent
access to mental health care for LGBTQIA+ young people.
Understanding it’s potential to be lifesaving. Lastly, the
recommendations advocate for an intersectional, systematic
approach in addressing the mental health needs of LGBTQIA+
young people in the Philippines, and increased awareness and
policy development for protecting marginalized subgroups
within the LGBTQIA+ community.

References

[Link] January 18, 2015

[Link]
[Link]/10.19088/SSHAP.2024.041
[Link] retrieved January 18, 2015