MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) slammed private Catholic school Assumption Iloilo for a controversial policy – tagging “homosexuality” as immoral and a ground for expulsion of students.
Such policy runs counter to the commission’s advocacy on the inherent dignity and rights of all without discrimination, according to Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia, CHR spokesperson.
“As a national human rights institution and gender ombudsman under the Magna Carta of Women, CHR condemns all forms of discrimination, which includes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC),” De Guia said.
De Guia added that Assumption Iloilo’s “immoral” tag on homosexuality is complicit in discriminating children of diverse SOGIESC and runs counter to the notion that schools are safe spaces.
“As a Christ-centered educational community, it is their moral responsibility to provide a more equal and accepting safe space for all students, regardless of gender expression and sexual orientation,” De Guia said.
In insisting on this policy, and even in clarifying that they “pertain to acts” and not the individuals, De Guia said the school “remains complicit in the creation of threatening spaces for children of SOGIESC.”
“This impacts students’ right to education, and risks their mental health and well-being by being stigmatized and discriminated against by the institution meant to protect them,” she further said.
The CHR spokesperson also reminded the school of Iloilo City’s Anti-Discrimination Ordinance, particularly of Section IV (2) which considers refusal and failing to accept as a student and subjecting a person to terms on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity as acts of discrimination and thus within the ambit of the said ordinance.
According to Section V of the ordinance, any person who commits any of the acts prohibited shall be criminally liable and penalized accordingly and in the case of a juridical person, whether public or private, the manager, head and the officers thereof shall also be criminally accountable and responsible without prejudice to other liabilities, if any.
“As educators and duty-bearers, it is within the mandate of the school to respect, promote, and protect human rights of the students and ensure a healthy environment conducive for all,” De Guia said. “Thus, we urge Assumption Iloilo to consider the statement of Assumption Batch of 2018, which unequivocally and bravely called out the institution for the discriminatory policy and recommending the adoption of a newer and progressive policy.”
De Guia also warned that the school runs the risk of discriminating against women and young girls, including solo parents, or students who are born out of wedlock by classifying as immoral and grounds for expulsion “trial marriage” and “live in”.
“This could run counter to the provisions of the Magna Carta of Women prohibiting discrimination in educational institutions and the prohibition of dismissal on the basis of pregnancy,” De Guia said.
As it is in the best interest of the child to have education that is free from hate and discrimination, school policies and academic freedom should not come at the expense of the right to education and the child’s right to development, she added.
Assumption Iloilo, in a statement, denied that its policy was a discrimination against the LGBTQIA community as it was based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which also promotes acceptance with the “homosexual condition.”
“Section 2358 of the CCC expressly provides that the homosexual condition ‘must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity’ and every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided,” it said.
“As 2358 of the CCC is integral to the definition of immorality, there is no intent nor was there ever an intent to discriminate against homosexuals as represented in social media,” it added.
Assumption Iloilo also pointed out that what it aims to sanction are “acts” of sexual misconduct from the viewpoint of a Catholic institution regardless of the orientation of a person.
“The definition does not sanction the condition or orientation of a person,” it said. “As a Catholic institution, Assumption Iloilo is within its rights to adopt a definition of what constitutes immorality in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”/PN
