Bolivia, a country in South America, has recently passed a new constitution which took effect last February 7, 2009. And that constitution, approved by 61% of the voting population, has provisions that protect members of the LGBT community from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity:
Article 14.II: In the title “Fundamental Rights and Guarantees’: The State prohibits and punishes all forms of discrimination founded on the basis of sex, sin color, gender, age, sexual orientation and gender identity, origin, culture, nationality, citizenship, language, religious beliefs, ideology, political or philosophical affiliation.
Bolivia, like the Philippines, is composed of a great majority of Roman Catholics (95% – source: CIA World Factbook). If Bolivia can do it, why can’t we? Why can’t we pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill that has been in Congress for a decade now?
According to the Philippine Congress website (which I accessed again on February 24, 2009), the bill is still pending with the Committee on Human Rights and has been that way since 2007-08-01. So it has not moved?
I really hope our dear representatives take some action on this matter and not wait 20 more years before they actually take a look at this bill again. If you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gendered, or whatever term you like to call yourself, or if you are straight and support this call, I am urging all of you to write or talk to your respective districts’ congressman/woman (list of members of the House and their contact information) to prioritize the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Bill. Let’s all unite to fight for our rights.
Read more about the Anti-Discrimination Bill here.
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