The Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders (PANTAY) is a national network of young Filipinos campaigning for the passage of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill, formerly known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill in the 17th Congress. It is a diverse coalition composed of youth organizations from all over the country united in our struggle for equality, dignity, and respect for all Filipinos regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

We are specifically and initially pushing for the enactment of two similar measures—House Bill No. 51 filed by Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao (You may check the full document here: http://bit.ly/HB51_AntiDiscrimination and Senate Bill No. 935 filed by Senator Risa Hontiveros. The previous version of HB 51 was already approved at the committee level in the House of Representatives in the 16th Congress.

We call on the Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to be true to their constitutional duty to “protect and enhance the right of all the people to human dignity” by eliminating all delays in the long-overdue passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill.

We call on the President and all executive departments and agencies concerned to honor our international agreements on the rights and dignity of all persons by actively supporting the enactment of the SOGIE Equality Bill in Congress.

We call on all leaders of local governments to approve and implement their own version of the SOGIE Equality Bill through ordinances that will create safe spaces for LGBTQ citizens.

Finally, we call on our fellow citizens, especially our fellow young Filipinos, to join us in our campaign to legislate the deterrence to hatred and bigotry, which will ultimately lead to a culture of acceptance and equality in our country.