Comelec says gay party ‘immoral’
Are we living in the dark ages still? I was reading one of my favorite blogs and found a featured news segment about Comelec’s rejection of Ang Ladlad to be accredited as a party list due to grounds of advocating “sexual immorality” and “immoral doctrines“.
What? Is this for real? It’s all about human rights. We are all equal and regardless of sexual orientation, race or origin – each of us should be given the same right as everyone else.
I was not only disappointed about this decision but disheartened as well. I hope that what they did does not result in hatred and misunderstanding of the LGBT community. According to reports, the president of Ang Ladlad, Danton Remoto is going to take this all the way to the Supreme Court. More power to you Danton!! We have to continue to fight for equal rights.
Read part of the article after the jump.
Ang Ladlad is an organization of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders LGBT. In a ruling dated November 11, the Comelec said that although the party presented proper documents and evidence for their accreditation, their petition is “dismissable on moral grounds.”Page 5 of the ruling states that Ang Ladlad’s definition of the LGBT sector as a marginalized sector who are disadvantaged because of their sexual orientation “makes it crystal clear that the petitioner tolerates immorality which offends religious beliefs.”
The document quotes passages from both the Bible and the Koran taken from internet site www.bible.org that describe homosexuality as “unseemly” or “transgressive.
“The Comelec goes on to state that accrediting Ang Ladlad would pose risks for Filipino youth.”Should this Commission grant the petition, we will be exposing our youth to an environment that does not conform to the teachings of our faith,” the ruling stated.’Gays are threats to youth’This statement is followed by a quote by preacher Lehman Strauss published in a website saying “older practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth.”The Comelec said it is “not condemning” the LGBT community but “cannot compromise the well-being of a great number of people.“ The document was signed by Commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer, Lucenito Tagle, and Elias Yusoph. Ang Ladlad also applied for party-list accreditation in 2007, but was denied this due to the lack of regional membership in the Philippines.
via Comelec says gay party ‘immoral’ | ABS-CBN News Online Beta.
