Running head: Influence on the Filipino LGBT Community
The Influence of Various Groups on the Filipino LGBT Community
INST 201-01
Dr. Joseph Jozwiak
Bea Patricia V. Burgos
December 15, 2018
The Influence of Various Groups on the Filipino LGBT Community
Introduction
Most recently, the Philippines has been known for its controversial president, Rodrigo Duterte, and his role in the drug war crisis. This is just one out of many problems that the Philippines has had to combat. One problem in particular does not receive as much recognition as needed: LGBT treatment and rights. The LGBT community has constantly been discriminated against, despite the fact that the Pew Research Center has noted the Philippines as the second most tolerant nation in the Asia-Pacific region (Mosbergen, 2015). This problem has slowly worsened over time, as Filipino approval of their LGBT counterparts is less than assuring. The issue on LGBT rights is more complex that one may think. In the paper, I contend that the treatment towards the LGBT Filipino community has become negative, as the effects of historical repercussions, cultural shifts, religious influence, and political agenda place this community as the outgroup. It is difficult to discuss the issue on LGBT rights without paying attention to all perspectives, as it gives a deeper understanding in each respective perspective. This paper aims to discuss the roles of various groups of influence in creating a shared symbolic understanding of LGBT rights and place in the social hierarchy. I contend that the actions of past colonizers, Filipino society, media, religious groups, and political figures helped define the LGBT experience.
Anthropological Approach
For the purpose of this paper, I will pay attention to the anthropological approach, as all other approaches find a way of connecting it back to the evolution of the Filipino culture and set of beliefs. In the anthropological approach, researchers place an emphasis on cultural shifts and how culture is regulated in a society. Anderson discusses two main processes that societies utilize in handling culture: the generation of similarity and the organization of difference. In this paper, I will pay attention to history’s role in influencing institutions through the process of the generation of similarity as well as political and social influences in regulating behaviors and beliefs through the organization of difference. Through these processes, Filipinos have come to learn that being gay is out of the norm and that legal institutions affirm this belief.
Historical Repercussions on Cultural Beliefs
The Philippines was left in an unstable state in terms of economy, culture, and politics due to Spanish and American colonization. They had become independent on foreign aid, and not only that, but they embraced the teachings that their colonizers’ gave them, such as religious beliefs. The farthest that LGBT rights has been traced dates back to Ancient Philippines, where the feminization of men was considered normal. These men were typically called asog, and contemporary gender norms did not exist then. Relationships were not exclusive to male-female relationships, and it was ordinary for a male marrying another male (Quintos, 2012). However, the normalcy of the asog lifestyle would soon be interrupted by the Spanish colonizing the Philippines. They transformed Filipino culture with their language as well as beliefs. For example, they viewed the asog as individuals who were possessed by demons (Quintos, 2012).
LGBT rights found itself becoming an issue with the colonization of the Spanish, and this marked the beginning to a long fight. Thus, Filipinos had adapted and grasp these teachings through the two processes of the generation of similarity and organization of difference. Filipinos have been taught to detest the once-accepted homosexual relationships through the influences of religion, education, and family. What was normal to these Filipinos has become something that is looked down upon in modern day Philippines. With the Spanish converting the Filipinos, Catholicism had become the Philippines’ official religion. The Spanish, deeply Catholic, condemned homosexual relations. Thus, Spanish colonization marked the start of a heteronormative culture.
Following this, American colonialism aided in the regulation of heteronormative sexuality through education and mass media (Garcia, 2004). Western views of homosexuality fell more so on the negative side of the spectrum; thus, Filipinos adapted into this way of thinking. Spanish and American colonial influences can still be seen today. With the change in how the LGBT community is viewed, public opinion on the community became more negative.
Hate Crimes
Due to a shift in cultural beliefs, public opinion and acts on the LGBT community has become more negative. Hate crimes committed against the LGBT community are normal. According to the Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch, 164 hate crimes against those who identify as LGBT have been committed since 1966 (Bernal, 2012). Between 2008 and 2016, 41 members of the transgender community were murdered in the Philippines, which is one of the worst records of violence against the LGBT community (Almendral, 2018). Even though the Philippines is the second most tolerant nation, it is difficult to believe when there are no nationwide policies that protect them and their rights. One case that hit national news focused in on a hate crime against Jennifer Laude, who was a transgender woman murdered by US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton. He was only given a 10-year sentence, despite the fact that his actions were dehumanizing according to the Court of Appeals: “Pemberton’s unabashedly plunged Laude’s head in the toilet for the puerile reason that Laude pretended to be a woman. To our mind, placing Laude’s head inside a toilet shows that Pemberton never thought of Laude as a human being, but as a fecal matter due to her sexual orientation” (Rappler, 2017). This barbaric event is not only exclusive to Laude’s case. In 2011 alone, 28 people were murdered because of their sexual identities, according to the 2014 Philippines Country Report (Espina-Varona, 2015).
Media
Hate crime statistics seem to present Filipinos as homophobic, but entertainment and media currently attempt to combat it. Personalities like Vice Ganda attempt to bring more representation to the LGBT community and film directors are hoping to help change the LGBT narrative. In an interview conducted by CNN Philippines Life, they brought in some members of the LGBT community and some filmmakers to discuss LGBT representation in film. One filmmaker, Baby Ruth Villarama acknowledged the conservative beliefs that the Philippines still has against the LGBT community: “I guess the industry is still very conservative tackling and presenting these narratives to the audience” (Musico, 2017). Likewise, another filmmaker, Jade Castro, noted on the importance of power: “I think the problem of distribution of LGBTQ cinema is the problem of distribution of all cinemas. So you have the same problem when it comes to regional films, the same kind of problem when it comes to minorities. Wala lang silang power [translation: They have no power]” (Musico, 2017). People are still trying to change the narrative of the LGBT community, hoping to give them more of a voice and a positive image. The Philippines has become more tolerant; however, they are still on the road to acceptance.
Religious Agenda
As a majority Catholic country, the integration of LGBT individuals is not a priority to many people who hold power. Religion has found a way to play a massive role in politics. The Philippines has maintained its ties to Catholicism after Spanish colonization. In discussions about the legalization of same-sex marriage, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines are highly against it. Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa states that “it’s against our culture. It doesn’t mean that just because other countries have it we also have to follow” (Torres, 2016). With about 80% of the country identifying as Catholic, the Philippines is the only country in Asia whose official religion is Catholicism (Almendral, 2018). For many of these Filipinos, their opinions on social issues align with the Catholic Church teachings (Lipka, 2015). Because of this, there seems to be difficulty in separating church and state.
The Catholic faith has become an integral part of the Filipino identity, and as a result, dictates what Filipinos believe is right and wrong. Past societies continue to teach their offspring to keep their religious traditions and beliefs alive. The Catholic standpoint on same sex marriage is that it is immoral and that relationships should be between men and women. In a survey done by the Pew Research Center, 73% of the Philippines agree that homosexuality should be accepted by society (Pew Research Center). Although this statistic is high and seems like a step towards the integration of the LGBT community into Filipino society, there is currently no national law enacted that protects their rights.
Politics
The national government serves as a medium to regulate behaviors and beliefs that enforce the notion that homosexuality is wrong. Homosexuality is not criminalized; however, it is not fully embraced. The colonist dominant ideology, that homosexuality is sinful, have permeated Filipino national laws and policies. Back in July 2018, Senator Sonny Angara urged for Senate Bill 948, an Anti-Discrimination Bill, to be passed for the benefit of the country: “any form of discrimination threatens social instability and economic progress in our country. It is our hope that through this bill, discrimination will be eliminated” (Romero, 2018). It has been difficult to pass any bill that provides equal rights to the LGBT community because of the heavy Catholic influence. The current Senate president, Vicente Sotto, is a religious conservative, and if any LGBT equality legislation were to get passed to Senate, it’s likely that he will shoot it down (Conde, 2018). Alongside this, many religious groups continue to fight in opposition of LGBT equal rights. According to Jonas Bagas, head of the Akbayan Gay and Lesbian Collective, said that “they [religious groups] argue that the state should rather support reparative therapies instead of criminalizing discrimination” (Outright Action International, 2009). As of right now, no changes have been made to support either side of the fight; however, local ordinances have been passed in various provinces like Cavite, Davao City, and most recently, Mandaluyong (Conde, 2018). These local ordinances help provide equal access to employment, public programs, and education regardless of an individual’s SOGIE, which is their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
In other efforts to erase discriminatory acts, the national government has enacted a Child Protection Policy and an Anti-Bullying Act; however, these policies have not been enforced (HRW, 2017). High schoolers have faced judgment and bullying due to their sexual preference in the Philippines. Kids are continuously bullied for a part of their identity that they cannot change. These attacks cause them to feel less inclined in going to school, thus hurting their right to education. Connecting it back to the Catholic Church, while the Church condemns any kind of attack on the LGBT community, in practice, they refuse to follow laws and policies that have attempted to protect this community.
The Philippines has fostered an unsafe environment for the LGBT community. In order to fix social order, it is imperative to pay attention to laws implemented that protect marginalized groups from all forms of discrimination. Along with the implementation of new laws, those in power need to enforce them. No change can be made unless there is effort given by those in power. Schools should, as well, offer resources for students who are a part of the LGBT community to help them find their safe place and feel more inclined to stay in school.
Analysis
Understanding LGBT history through the anthropological lens will help better understand why the Philippines treats them the way that they are currently treated. In this analysis, I will pay attention to two main anthropological perspectives: the holistic and evolutionary perspective.
The evolutionary perspective of anthropology notices the continuous change in cultures. Anderson notes that “all communities are in continual processes of historical change as they adapt to population pressures, environmental changes, wars, famines, new technologies, and other phenomena (Anderson, 84). In this case, the Philippines works to adapt to the historical repercussions of colonialism. When the Spanish had come in, Filipinos had to change their ways to fit that of the colonizers. In terms of public opinion of the LGBT community, it had transformed into something more negative.
Failure to understand this issue holistically is a failure to recognize the challenges of social and political change. Through the holistic perspective, “anthropologists tend to examine human social action as richly contextual” (Anderson, 81). History does not cease to be history, but instead becomes ingrained into the standard norms of a society. For example, English has become one of the official languages, and Filipinos, most often, cannot get past a sentence without using English. Likewise, this embodiment has remained as long as the Filipinos identified themselves as Catholics. This common trait, that they are a Catholic majority country, has worked to shape their culture, laws, and interpersonal relationships. Hate crime statistics and the lack of protective laws reflect the Philippines’ anti-LGBT sentiment.
Of course, while this sentiment remains prevalent in Filipino culture, individuals work to protest against these exclusive beliefs. Politicians, activists, and filmmakers attempt to shed light on the need for acceptance to encourage economic stability, equal human rights, and a voice countering the dominant cultural narrative. As mentioned before, cultures are fluid and change under population pressures. With the support of those with power, they attempt to reverse the dominant homophobic ideologies into more LGBT-friendly ones. For example, Senator Sonny Angara fought for the passage of an anti-discrimination bill, as it was needed “in order to promote equal protection and equal opportunity” (Romero, 2018). Although his as well as other political leaders’ efforts have failed to enact any national law so far, social and cultural change can be a slow process.
Conclusion
In a way, all perspectives find a way of tying themselves into one cohesive problem: a rather complex issue that does not simply fight for equal rights, but acceptance. Culture is fluid and changes as human societies shift in beliefs. As noted before, it is impossible to analyze issues in the anthropological perspective without paying attention to all other perspectives, as they all work to build off of each other. Understanding human behavior is essential in interpreting what laws have the potential of being passed, how leaders will use their power, and many other actions. In terms of LGBT rights, the Philippines has a chance in passing a protective bill and granting same-sex marriage, but this idea can only be a reality through a shift in beliefs. This issue conflicts with the majority of the country’s Catholic beliefs.
Political actors like Congresswoman Geraldine Roman and Senator Sonny Angara are prime examples of individuals who look towards the better for all the people than just complying to a set of beliefs. The Philippines needs to separate religious ideals when attending to their political agenda. This can be done by appointing more liberal Senators and leaders. Alongside this, I think it’s important to enforce those policies that have already been passed, locally and nationally. By viewing gay people as less than human, it certainly implies that they do not deserve equal rights like their straight counterparts. Perhaps a reality can exist where being gay is normal like it had once been in ancient Philippines, but under colonial influence on Filipino culture, it may just take decades to integrate the LGBT community as equal members of Filipino society.