UP Babaylan: June 2012

Thursday, June 28, 2012

UP PRIDE WEEK : UP Babaylan Petition for University Gender Policy

UP PRIDE WEEK : Rainbow Rights Statement

SAFER SCHOOLS FOR ALL

RAINBOW RIGHTS STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR UP PRIDE WEEK 2012

Rainbow Rights Project, Inc. (R-Rights) fully supports the UP Pride Week 2012 call for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) and LGBTQ-friendly policies in the student handbook of University of the Philippines (UP).

In 2011, UNESCO, education ministries from around the world, and other stakeholders released the Rio Statement on Homophobic Bullying and Education for All where they called for “all governments to live up to their responsibility to provide universal access to a high quality education by eliminating the barriers created by homophobia and transphobia, including the unacceptable and devastating prevalence of anti-LGBT bias and violence in elementary, secondary, and tertiary schools.”1 As the premier state university of the country, UP is lauded for the high quality of education it provides.

However, for as long as the safety, well-being, and education of LGBTQ students and staff are undermined because of SOGI-based discriminatory acts, UP falls alarmingly short of the expectations set by this acclaim.

Due to the persistent link between anti-LGBTQ “bullying and bias – including lack of access to accurate information regarding health, sexuality and other aspects of the curriculum – and negative social, educational and health outcomes, including increased vulnerability to HIV, mental health consequences and suicide”2 the universal right to education is endangered if these systemic discriminatory acts and stigmas against LGBTQ students and staff remain unaddressed in an educational institution.

Recognizing the lack of university policies to guard against the dangers of anti-LGBTQ bias and bullying, Rainbow Rights Project is one with the UP Pride attendees and supporters in urgently calling for the formation, inclusion, and enforcement of SOGI-sensitive and LGBTQ-friendly policies in the University of the Philippines' student handbook.

Let us establish safe and inclusive learning environments for the UP LGBTQ community!

UP PRIDE WEEK : UP Babaylan Statement

Educate to End the Hate

June 28 holds a special place in LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) history. On this day in the year 1969, a group of LGBT patrons fought off the authorities during a police raid in a New York City gay bar, which escalated to a series of spontaneous demonstrations against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual and gender minorities. These Stonewall Riots became the cornerstone of the worldwide LGBT rights movement.

On this very same day, we relive the spirit of the struggle here in UP Diliman. Forty-four years after Stonewall, LGBT people all over the world continue to suffer from discrimination, harassment and violence due to their sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. In UP and in the Republic of the Philippines, there is currently no comprehensive anti-discrimination policy that would guarantee LGBTs protection in education, employment, healthcare, housing and other areas. LGBT people are still routinely condemned as sick, abnormal or immoral by some members and sectors of Philippine society.

The University of the Philippines Babaylan, the first and largest LGBT student organization in the country, remains determined to press for change and hopeful that this will soon happen. Throughout our twenty-year history as a support and advocacy group, we have witnessed the LGBT discourse in the State University gradually improve, from one borne out of hatred and ignorance, to that of curiosity and general tolerance. Last month’s issue of Forum (the UP community newsletter) devoted to gender, women and LGBTs have further convinced us that UP is now ready to fully embrace diversity and appreciate and protect its LGBT constituency.

We reiterate our persistent demand to the University administration to create and fairly enforce a comprehensive non-discrimination and anti-bullying/harassment policy that includes explicit protection for LGBT students, teachers and staff. Many of the world’s top universities already have these regulations in place, and it is imperative that UP implement them as soon as possible, not only for the well-being of its LGBT constituents, but also to preserve UP’s stature as the country’s premier academic institution.

We urge faculty and support staff to practice and promote LGBT-inclusive education. This would include an LGBT-friendly curriculum and learning materials, as well as access to relevant gender-sensitive information and services.

We call on our fellow Iskolars ng Bayan, regardless if you are LGBT or not, to continue building and strengthening this culture of human rights and diversity that we have painstakingly cultivated in our beloved university. Your privileged position as the country’s future leaders will allow you to educate and influence many others to side with equality, stop homo/bi/transphobia and ultimately honor Stonewall’s legacy.

UP PRIDE WEEK : DLSU Queer Archers' Solidarity Message

We, as a free and unbound student organization with majority of its members from De La Salle University-Manila, fully support the University of the Philippines Pride March and its mission to educate to end hate and discrimination as well as celebrate the beauty of diversity found in the LGBTQ community.

Despite advances over the years—from the very first Pride March in the Philippines to the formation of a political party list, LADLAD—progress towards achieving equal opportunities, equal treatment and equal rights for every lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgendered and queer is not in a place where we want it to be. Every minute of every day, there is one that is bullied, one that is driven out of their own home, one that is rejected by employers, one that gets sick and one that is killed.

This is not something to be tolerated and this is not something to be taken lightly. Human rights, even the most basic, are being trampled on.

Through initiatives as such as well as various others, unity, and collective effort, we can make history happen. Let us work together in educating those who do not understand, in fighting for what is just and what is due to us, and in working towards our common vision—a society that is non-discriminating and accepting of the LGBTQ community.

UP PRIDE WEEK : PATAS Solidarity Message

It has been a question whether or not atheists and agnostics must support the LGBT Pride March. Well, it’s really not a matter whether it’s an atheist or not. We have atheist friends who are homosexuals. We have homosexual relatives. The truth of the matter is that we are here not as an atheists/agnostics organization but as people who believe that gender-equality is a part of civilized society. We are not limited in a standard based on believing that there are only two opposite sexes. We believe that there are no barriers that can justify bigotry, especially in campuses.

Our schools must have the atmosphere of equal opportunity to all. Discrimination has no place in our educational system. A school that promotes sexual bigotry automatically encourages this type of behavior outside the campus. We at PATAS believe that as what our name suggest, we must give equal respect to all people without basing it on their sexual preferences. Our educational institutions reflect our community and our society as a whole.

PATAS believe in love and parity and we believe that our educational institutions must be more than just providing students with the basic instructions that they will be using to find work. Schools must also provide a harmonious atmosphere of love and gender equality.

PATAS joins this march to express its concern and its support together with other organizations for the implementation of gender friendly policies in this school and on other campuses around the Philippines.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

UP PRIDE WEEK : Pink Shirt Day

UP PRIDE MARCH PARTNERS

UP Pride Week Forum

Monday, June 25, 2012

UP Babaylan x 20 QUESTIONS

Sunday, June 24, 2012

2012 UP PRIDE WEEK CALENDAR

PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

1) UP Babaylan
2) University Student Council - UP Diliman
3) Gay Geeks
4) Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society (PATAS)
5) Task Force Pride
6) Amnesty International - Philippines - LGBT (AIph-LGBT)
7) Metropolitan Community Church of Quezon City
8) Lesbian Activism Project Inc. - Philippines
9) Filipino Freethinkers - UP Diliman
10) Filipino Freethinkers - UP Los Banos
11) Gaudium Pilipinas
12) Babaylanes Inc.
13) LGBT Students Network
14) Reproductive Health and Gender Advocates Movement (RH Agenda)
15) Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines
16) Pinoy G4M dot Com
17) Bukluran ng mga Progresibong Iskolar - UP System (BUKLURAN)
18) Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA) - UPD
19) Bigkis ng mga Iskolar Para sa Bayan Tungo sa Makabuluhang Pagbabago (BIGKIS-UPM) - UPM
20) MOVE U.P. - UPLB
21) Buklod CSSP
22) Buklod Isip
23) UP Diliman Gender Office (UP DGO)
24) Proud to be LGBT Campaign
25) UP Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment (UP OASH)
26) UP Center for Women's Studies (UP CWS)
27) Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering - UP Diliman
28) Deaf Rainbow Philippines
29) De La Salle University - Queer Archers Alliance
30) Ateneo De Manila University - Dollhouse
31) College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council
32) National College of Public Administration and Governance Student Council
33) Queer Pagan Network
34) GABRIELA Youth - UPD
35) Rainbow Rights Project, Inc (R-Rights)

36) School of Economics Student Council

37) Akei

38) UP Association of Clothing Technology Students (UP ACTS)
39) UP Junior Marketing Association (UP JMA)
40) Ladlad Partylist
41) TLF Share Collective
42) Akbayan Partylist
43) Akbayan Youth - UPD
44) UP SAMASKOM
45) University Student Council - UP Manila
46) Cambodia OUT
47) Stand UP
48) UP Pep Drummers

JUNE 25 MONDAY

Rated PG : Policies on Gender Sensitivity Campaign

8:00am
UP Diliman
Organized by UP Babaylan, USC and College Councils

JUNE 26 TUESDAY

Ribbon Cutting of 20 Questions Exhibit

12:00nn
AS Lobby / Palma Hall
Organized by UP Babaylan

JUNE 26 TUESDAY

ALAN TURING : Britain's Greatest Code Breaker

Film Screening and Forum
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Accenture Ideas Exchange Room
UP Alumni Engineers Centennial Hall
Organized by Gaygeeks, UP Diliman College of Engineering
Department of Computer Science, UP Center for Women’s Studies (UPCWS)

JUNE 27 WEDNESDAY

PINK SHIRT DAY

8:00am
UP Campus
Organized by UP Babaylan

JUNE 28 THURSDAY

UP Pride March

1:00pm - 6:00pm
UP Academic Oval
Organized by UP Babaylan, USC

JUNE 29 FRIDAY

Forum: Gender Policies in Schools and in the Country

1:00pm - 4:30pm
PH400, Palma Hall
Organized by USC, NCPAGSC

2012 UP Pride Week : UP Pride March

To REGISTER your ORGANIZATION for

the 2012 UP PRIDE MARCH, CLICK HERE!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

20 QUESTIONS

Dalawampung Tanong

Malugod na inihahandog ng UP Babaylan sa ika-dalawampung taon nitong anibersaryo ang Dalawampung Tanong, isang eksibit na hango sa proyektong A Series of Questions ni L. Weingarten. Mula sa pagkakatatag ng organisasyon noong 1992, naging pangunahing adhikain na ng organisasyon na talakayin ang mga isyung nakakaapekto sa mga miyembro ng LGBTQ (mga bakla, lesbiyana, bisexual, transgender at queer) community sa Pilipinas.

Ang Pilipinas ay nananatiling isang lipunang patriyarkal at heteroseksista, kung saan ang kasalukuyang kultural na hegemonya ay dominado ng konserbatismo ng relihiyon at sensasyonalismo ng mass media. Maraming akda sa potograpiya, pelikula at iba pang larangan ang tumatalakay sa mga paksang pang-LGBTQ, ngunit madalas ay sinasamantala ng mga ito ang kasarian o seksuwalidad ng mga nilalang na kanilang itinatampok. Malimit din ang paggamit ng eksotisismo at di wastong pag-iiba (othering) ng pangangatawan at pag-uugali ng kanilang mga sabjek.

Hangad ng Dalawampung Tanong na ipamalas ang homo/bi/transphobia na maaaring naging parte na ng ating pang-araw-araw na interaksyon at pamumuhay, nang sa gayon ay matuto ang mga tumitingin tungkol sa mga hamon na dinaranas ng mga LGBTQ sa kasalukuyan. Hinalaw ang proyekto mula sa mga awtentikong karanasan ng mga tampok na indibidwal upang maiwasan ang dehumanisasyon na naidulot ng mga ibang naunang akda.

Itinatampok sa eksibit na ito ang mga larawan na kuha mismo ng mga miyembro ng UP Babaylan. Sa bawat larawan makikita ang karatula kung saan naka sulat ang mga katanungan na masasabi nating mga tanong na kaakibat na ng mga LGBTQ sa pang araw-araw nilang pamumuhay. Mga tanong na laging bukang-bibig ng sinuman na tila'y manhid na sa mararamdaman ng taong pinagtatanungan, seryoso man ito o pabiro. Ang mga katanungang ito ay maaaring naitanong na ng kanilang mga kapamilya, kaibigan, kaklase, kasamahan, at mga taong kakilala o di kakilala.Isinulat sa simpleng karatula gamit ang chalk bilang panulat. Inaasahan ang mga tanong ay magbibigay ng kritikal na pag-unawa sa mga tumitingin upang magpukaw sa kanila at maging bukas upang suriin ang daynamiks na nakapaloob sa orihinal na konteksto ng mga katanungan. Hinahamon ang mga tumitingin na maging kritikal sa panunuri batay sa magiging repleksyon nila sa mga larawan. Inaasahan (namin) na mapagtatanto ng mga tumitingin kung gaano ka hindi sensitibo sa mga LGBTQ ang mga katanungan na inilahad sa bawat mga larawan.

Sa pag-usad sa pagkilatis ng mga larawan, mabubuo ang isang walang habas na pagyuyurak sa pagkatao ng mga LGBTQ na nakakaranas ng mga ganitong pangyayari sa kanilang mga buhay. Masasabi natin ang mga tanong na ito ay kabilang na sa buhay ng isang LGBTQ bilang uring naiiba sa mga heterosekswal, na masasabi natin na taliwas sa kanilang pamatayan o "norm". Nananatiling masigasig ang mga miyembro ng UP Babaylan sa pagbabalikwas, sa pagtutuwid, at sa pagsasa-tama ng mga katanungang ito, upang higit na maunawaan ang kasalukuyang relasyon o masasabi nating nag-ugat pa sa dati nang relasyong namamagitan sa mga LGBTQ at sa Lipunang Pilipino.