Societal Effects of Same Sex Marriage in the Philippines
MANILA, Philipines – United States President Barrack Obama made history this week by being the first sitting US president to explicitly express support for same-sex marriage.
"It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married," he said in an interview with ABC News. The statement came a day after North Carolina voted to support an amendment that ruled out gay marriage. Gay rights groups cheered on Obama’s landmark statement, while conservatives denounced it.
Will Obama’s statement have an impact in the Philippines? Don’t hold your breath, says Akbayan's LGBT Collective coordinator and Philippine National AIDS Council member Jonas Bagas in his Thought Leaders piece.
Do you think the Philippines is ready for same-sex marriage? Moving forward, what do you think the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community can do to push the issue of same-sex marriage in the country?
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Same-sex marriage in the Philippines?
BY JONAS BAGAS
POSTED ON 05/11/2012 4:04 PM | UPDATED 05/13/2012 10:45 PM
Don’t expect Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage to have an impact here. It was a historical and an inspiring gesture, one that would galvanize a changing cultural perspective on same-sex relationships inside and outside America.
Here, it would spark debates on our readiness for same-sex marriage, but don’t hold your breath: it won’t alter anything here fundamentally. Don’t even think that this would suddenly lead President Aquino to push his allies in Congress to enact a law legalizing same-sex marriage.
It just won’t happen.
This is not to say that the social attitudes and behavior of Filipinos toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage are not changing. They are, and social media has triggered a shift in how we digest controversial topics that in the past have been filtered and controlled by traditional institutions, such as the Church and our
"It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married," he said in an interview with ABC News. The statement came a day after North Carolina voted to support an amendment that ruled out gay marriage. Gay rights groups cheered on Obama’s landmark statement, while conservatives denounced it.
Will Obama’s statement have an impact in the Philippines? Don’t hold your breath, says Akbayan's LGBT Collective coordinator and Philippine National AIDS Council member Jonas Bagas in his Thought Leaders piece.
Do you think the Philippines is ready for same-sex marriage? Moving forward, what do you think the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community can do to push the issue of same-sex marriage in the country?
-------------------------------------------------
Same-sex marriage in the Philippines?
BY JONAS BAGAS
POSTED ON 05/11/2012 4:04 PM | UPDATED 05/13/2012 10:45 PM
Don’t expect Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage to have an impact here. It was a historical and an inspiring gesture, one that would galvanize a changing cultural perspective on same-sex relationships inside and outside America.
Here, it would spark debates on our readiness for same-sex marriage, but don’t hold your breath: it won’t alter anything here fundamentally. Don’t even think that this would suddenly lead President Aquino to push his allies in Congress to enact a law legalizing same-sex marriage.
It just won’t happen.
This is not to say that the social attitudes and behavior of Filipinos toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage are not changing. They are, and social media has triggered a shift in how we digest controversial topics that in the past have been filtered and controlled by traditional institutions, such as the Church and our