A Yes to “I Do”: The Legalization of Same-sex Marriage

in the Philippines

Philippines, indeed, is a country with conflicting beliefs; may it be with the beliefs

regarding burial of the dead, birth, social interactions, sexual intercourse, and even

marriage.

Following the passing of a bill which legalizes same-sex marriage in Taiwan, a first of its
[1]
kind in Asia, neighboring Asian countries are then pressured to follow suit. But, what

about the Philippines? Are we ready to follow with Taiwan’s footsteps? Who are these

“we” anyway? Should one approve of the said bill so that it may be passed?

In the case of the last question, I do — I do approve of the said bill and genuinely

support it.

Same-sex Marriage as a Human Right

As what science tells us, we, the species called Homo Sapiens, are all “human beings.”

Given this logic, we the so-called “human beings,” are then supposed to have “human

rights” which the United Nations defines as, “…rights inherent to all human beings,

whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour,

religion, language, or any other status,” [2] because we did all come from the same

species. Considering this, we can say that though we may have different ethnicities, e.g.

Japanese, Americans, Filipinos, etc.; or we may have different religions such as being a

Protestant, Muslim, Catholic, a Christian, or a Mormon; we can say that “we are all the

same in our core,” including our LGBTQIA+ friends — thus, also giving them the right to

marriage.
The Conservatives and their Traditional Beliefs

As what Merriam dictionary defines, a conservative is someone who “adheres to

[3]
traditional methods or views,” and the best example of this in our country are the

Catholic Church and its followers.

As we all know, the Catholic community has its own set of traditions and beliefs, and

one of these is the belief that “we are all brothers and sisters.” But the thing is, it seems

as if it isn’t the case, for they’re actually the ones who opposes the union of same-sex

individuals; thus, preventing the latter from enjoying these brotherhood and sisterhood

equality.

Additionally, the church and their believers also believe that having intercourse with the

same sex is a “sin” as it is written in the Bible at Leviticus 18:22 that, “Do not have

sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” [4] But the

thing is, God also abolished the commands in the Old Testament which says, “For He

Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of

the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of

commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into
[5]
one new man, thus establishing peace,” and eventually commanding a new action
[6]
which says, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

So, considering all of these, could it be possible that God actually knows that this day

would come (a day with diverse groups of people including the LGBTQIA+) and that all

we have to do is to simply “love one another”?

Moreover, aside from those beliefs, the church and its believers also believe that

marriage is a “holy union between two heterosexual individuals,” and that members of

the LGBTQIA+ community cannot partake to that specific activity for they practice

“sinful acts”, making them “unholy,” and so as their supposed “marriage.” But the thing

is, it’s not the only definition nor the sole purpose of marriage, for in the case of civil

marriage or “… a marriage ceremony that has a government or civil official performing

the ceremony and that takes place without any religious affiliation and meets the legal

requirements of the state or location of the wedding,” [7] there’s no concept of “sin.”

Moreover, this kind of marriage, which is caused by the separation of the State from the

Church, does not also have this “holiness” aspect which the church is fiercely imposing

unto everyone else, yet it also provides couples with the same perks (e.g. joint ownership,

visitation in hospitals, etc.) which heterosexuals who’re married in church enjoy.

So, again, in the end, I believe that it all sums up to the fact the we are all human beings

and we all have human rights regardless of our identity or affiliations. Though the church

and the so-called conservatives have their traditions and beliefs, it does not mean that it

should be imposed into everyone’s life, for we are all diverse human beings after all,

and we all have the birthright for all human rights, including marriage to whoever we

want to be.

The Liberals and their Progressive Beliefs

Liberals are usually the people who’re the forefront of change and usually the ones who

don’t conform to traditions. They are mainly comprised of educated individuals (not all),

activists, and of course, the LGBTQIA+ community. Compared to most conservatives,

most liberals (if not all) do support the LGBTQIA+ community and their fight for equal

rights, such as same-sex marriage. Though sometimes they may be seen as

propagators of “evil ideas,” their main goal is to push for equality in any way possible,

especially for the LGBTQIA+ community; for in the end, through their common out-of-

the-box mindset, they are able to think of alternatives which usually supports the

concept of human rights and equality among human beings.

We are All the Same, We are All Humans

Though we all have varying views regarding same-sex marriage, in the end, we are all

the same — we are all humans. We all share the same DNA and no one must be

deprived of his/her/their rights just because of some traditions and beliefs. In our

country’s case, we must work harder for the visibility of our LGBTQIA+ friends, because
[8]
just like what iO Tillett Wright said in his Ted talk, “visibility is the key to familiarity.”

References:

[1]
Hollingsworth, J. (2019, May 17). Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first
for Asia. Retrieved June 6, 2019, from https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/17/asia/taiwan-
same-sex-marriage-intl/index.html
[2]
Human Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2019, from
https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/
[3]
Conservative. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2019, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/conservative
[4]
BibleGateway. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2019, from
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus 18-20&version=NIV
[5]
Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. (2017, July 03). Retrieved from
https://carm.org/bible-difficulties/matthew-mark/did-jesus-abolish-law-or-not
[6]
BibleGateway. (n.d.). Retrieved June 6, 2019, from
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus 18-20&version=NIV
[7]
Stritof, S. (2019, January 26). What Is Civil Marriage? Retrieved June 6, 2019, from
https://www.thespruce.com/civil-marriage-2303277
[8]
Wright, i. T. (2012, December). Fifty shades of gay [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/io_tillett_wright_fifty_shades_of_gay