ILOILO City – An Iloilo board member proposed an ordinance setting aside a “special” day for the members of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community.
Carol-V Espinosa-Diaz of the Fifth District on Tuesday proposed to make the first day of June a special day for the members of the LGBTQ+ community, as they are “considered active partners towards community development.”
“Over the years, we cannot deny the clamor of our LGBTQ+ members for equality. We want to show to them that they are given importance because also of the clamor for the pending SOGIE (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression) bill in the Congress,” Diaz said on Wednesday.
She personally sponsored an “LGBT Pride Day” when she was still serving as a municipal councilor in Ajuy town.
“The women have Women’s Month, and we also have a different celebration for senior citizens. So why not every sector in our society should be given an opportunity to celebrate in a day dedicated for them?” Diaz said.
Despite the provisions of the 1987 Constitution and many laws and ordinances which aim to provide equal protection to all individuals without distinction, the proposed ordinance stipulates that discrimination and violence, particularly against members of the LGBTQ+ persist.
The proposed measure adds that the Pride Day is a positive stance against discrimination and violence towards LGBTQ+ people and will promote their self-affirmation dignity and equal rights, increase their visibility as a social group, build community, and celebrate sexual diversity and gender variance.(With a report from PNA/PN)
