The LGBTQI in the Shade of Society

The Philippines has many facets of social issues, and one of the most
controversial today is discrimination against sexual orientation. The American
Psychology Association defines sexual orientation as life through a pattern of emotional
and sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes (Perez, 2014). LGBTQI receives
various criticism and disapproval from the community. Everyone lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and other queer individuals is subject to judgment, bullying, harassment,
and cruel jokes. Females and Males are the two accepted gender by the community,
which makes LGBTQI different and does not fit into society. Social norms and
constructionism, Filipino values, and cultures are social influences that contribute to
sexual orientation discrimination, which is why LGBTQI denies in other community
areas, schools, workplaces, public places, and homes. They are perceived to be
different from others, which disrupts their human rights. According to the TVT project,
the Philippines has one of the worst cases of violence against the trans community.
Since 2008, 29 transgender murders in the Philippines, which monitors and analyzes
the number of transphobias worldwide. It has recorded the highest number of
transgender crime victims in the Southeast Asian country and the second highest in
Asia. Also, 28 LGBT-related killings have recorded in the country in the first half of 2011
alone (UNDO/USAID, 2014). In the 2021 survey, the country received a total of negative
seven as a score rating due to the negligence and absence of civil partnership,
transgender and intersex rights, and violence against LGBTQI.

Social norms and constructionism are vital in influencing a more significant

gap between sexual orientation issues. Social norms define as the expected shared
behavior of one's individuals. However, Social constructionism believes that the rules of
society developed from the collaborative consensus or shared assumptions of reality.
Due to societal beliefs, children, youth, and adults have a sharp eye for the added sex
orientations. From the start of childhood, the community imposes the idea that humans
have only two sexes: male and female. This concept tops a person's perception until
they grow older, making the discrimination wider and more contagious. In addition,
society has issues when it comes to colors. The Filipinos have assigned colors to two
opposite gender in infants, pink is the frontier color for girls, and blue is the frontier color
for boys. This, parents of families always buy things for their children, and they choose
the color assigned to the gender of the child. This behavior showcases that Filipinos'
social norms can affect and contributes to sexual orientation discrimination. Filipinos'
social schema for boys is that they have short hair and dark skin, wear t-shirts and
pants, and do not need skin care. Thus, when all this schema is against the recognition
set by society for boys, they are isolating the person's sex of being a boy. Society
perceived that fashion design and other feminine stuff-related work were only for girls.
Thus, boys who engage in these activities call to be gay. 

Filipino Values can also contribute to the issues against sexual orientation.

Filipino delicadeza or propriety is the term commonly used in the Philippines for what is
appropriate to the eye of society. The survey recorded from December 2015 to January
2016 estimated that 60 percent of the respondents are engaged with people of the
same sex and identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Society perceives that LGBTQI has
no dignity because of their sex, so families want to protect their child from all malicious
comments by accepting male and female as the only two genders. In the eyes of many,
gays, lesbians, and other related sexes are a shame to the community. People who are
an outgroup of LGBTQI feel disgusted towards them. Members of LGBTQI involves in
same-sex marriage and relationships, which people find improperly treated as a low
individual. Filipino fathers take pride in protecting their family names. The father needs
someone to carry his surname by having a son. Being gay or transgender is highly
discouraged because it may break the bloodline of inheritance of the family name—
these practices and values are against LGBTQI. Filipino values rely on the world's
vitality to man (Florentino Timbreza, 1982). Concerning delicadeza Filipino values,
LGBTQI, in other people's eyes, is a kind of person with low capabilities to achieve
higher life status. Many believe that gay is only for local pageants and are subject to
AID stereotype. LGBTQI as a human being is constantly ridiculed by many because of
the notion that only intimate sex is what they want for their male partners, and labeled
as the "source of income" or " human bank." This common belief makes discrimination
against them prominent, and the delicadeza values removing from them.  

Cultures can also be one of the social influences on sexual orientation

discrimination—namely, a conservative personality associated with religion and the
Filipino being collectivist. The Conservative behavior of Filipinos drives them to
homophobia. The Philippines is known to be a religious country and are strict when it
comes to issues regarding sexuality. The Church teaches that a male should accept his
sexual identity as a man, similar to a female sexual identity as a woman. The Church
denies using sexual identity as others conform to use as bisexual, heterosexual,
homosexual, asexual, and pansexual. Due to the religious culture of the Filipinos, the
conservative personality remains dominant in society which is why some of us are
opposed to sexual changes and consider it shameful. The religious dogmas of catholic
churches recognize homosexuals as immoral and opposite to natural law and call as
objectively disordered caused by evils. The Church is also against same-sex marriage,
which signifies that same-sex relationships are prohibited, creating more significant
prejudices against LGBTQI. Catholic churches believe marriage is a tie between a man
and a woman. Same-sex marriage has been issued many times for review and
reconsideration. However, until now, the catholic still against it.Filipino lawyer Jesus
Nicardo Falcis III, in May 2015, filed a 31-page petition to allow same-sex unions, but all
have denied it. Another contributing factor to the issue is Filipinos' collectivist state of
mind. Collectivist cultures emphasize the importance of group needs and beliefs over
individual needs. Filipinos fear judgment and highly value others' perceptions, which
leads to sacrificing their happiness and choice. Due to social influences, the LGBTQI is
embarrassed by the community. They are subject to all mistreatment and biases due to
what they consider atypical. Filipino are likely to look for the imperfections of others and
are perfectionists and self-conscious, which is why some do not accept when gays,
lesbians, and other queer individuals; many would not take it also because Filipinos are
collectivist. 
 
References:

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https://www.123helpme.com/essay/Importance-Of-Filipino-Values-FJ7BH26826

Finnis J. (2022). What the Church Teaches About Homosexuals Inclinations.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55276/what-the-church-teaches-about-
homosexual-inclinations

Mendoza J. (2015). The road to same sex marriage in the Philippines.

https://outragemag.com/the-road-to-same-sex-marriage-in-the-philippines/

Mosbergen D. (2015). The Dangers of Being LGBT In Tolerant Philippines.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lgbt-philippines_n_5614f92fe4b021e856d2d870

Philstar.com. (2020). Schools urged: Act on mounting complaints of sexual harrassment

by Teachers.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/06/29/2024429/schools-urged-act-mounting-
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Rovira I. (2019). Sexual Orientation: A Definition and the 13 Main Types

https://healthywaymag.com/relationships/sexual-orientation

Statista. (n/a). Do you know personally someone who is attracted to people of the same
sex and who identifies as gay, lesbian or bisexual?
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