The last time we saw the Oblation, he was in black and in mourning for a student who reportedly killed herself over financial troubles that kept her from school. On Thursday, the Oblation at UP Diliman was in rainbow wings for a Pride march by lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, and their supporters.
The march, the fifth in as many years, came a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Defense of Marriage Act that sought to invalidate same-sex unions in states that recognized them. The decision was hailed as a victory for LGBT rights advocates even in the Philippines, which has quite a way to go.
Over the years, there have been attempts to hold same-sex “weddings” but these are not recognized by the Philippine government. The country has yet to pass a bill that prohibits discrimination based on gender and religion. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines expressed concerns over the inclusion of LGBTs in the coverage of the proposed law.
Jo Imbong, a lawyer for the CBCP, said in 2011 the Anti-Discrimination bill might be used to force churches to perform same-sex marriages, something that no law can do and is not allowed under the Family Code anyway.
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