UP Babaylan Commemorates Philippine Independence Day

Ngayong Araw ng ating Kalayaan, batid namin ang hiling ng tunay na kalayaan para sa lahat: malayang mamuhay sa sariling kasarian, malayang umibig kaninuman, at malayang magtakda ng sariling kinabukasan.

Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan, Pilipinas!

Human Rights Day 2011 : LGBT Rights are Human Rights!

Like us on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/upbabaylan

UP BABAYLAN : 19 YEARS of LGBT PRIDE

UP BABAYLAN has ALWAYS been there for the LGBT community. 

19 years of raising awareness and utilizing education to advance gender equality and end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We never took breaks and vacations from campaigning for the ACCEPTANCE of the LGBT students of the University. We have always been loud and proud. We will never be silenced by discrimination and bigotry. We will remain to be the leading LGBT student formation who will empower through education. We are one big family. We will forge bonds. We will change lives. We live for the LGBT community of the University. 

19 YEARS of LGBT PRIDE.

UP Babaylan Book Drive for LGBT section for UP Main Library

2011 Manila Pride March

Task Force Pride, a non-profit network of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) groups will organize the 17th Annual Pride March in Manila. The aim of the march is to gather different LGBT groups, allies and individuals in solidarity, as well as provide positive visibility to the community.

This year's theme, “Pride of the Orient”, recalls the community's achievements with regard to advancing LGBT human rights, such as... organizing the first pride march in Asia in 1994 and the formation of Ladlad party list, the only LGBT-oriented party list in the world, and extensive HIV/AIDS Awareness campaigns nationwide .

“Pride of the Orient” calls on LGBT Filipinos to reclaim these milestones and look forward to more victories they've yet to achieve.

For Organizations, please confirm in this link:
http://taskforcepride.blogspot.com/2011/11/2011-confirmation-form-organizations.html

For Individuals, please confirm in this link:
http://taskforcepride.blogspot.com/2011/11/2011-confirmation-form-individuals.html

Registration begins at 1:00 pm at Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila, and Pride March contingents that arrive early will be greeted by a brief program until 4:00 pm. The hosts will explain the event's concept and encourage contingents to come up with a cheer for the march.

The march will begin at 4:15 pm and will end by 5 pm. During this time, the second half of the program will commence. The program will feature LGBT performers as well as brief solidarity messages from prominent LGBT individuals.

Please check the TFP page regularly for updates on the program line-up and the venue. Thanks, and see you all on December 3, 2011 at the Pride March!

For more information you can visit this FB Event Page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=241089652610923

Visit the official website:
http://www.taskforcepride.blogspot.com/

email us at:
taskforcepride@gmail.com
or SMS us at 09163089903 (Globe), 09333049795 (Sun)

Yours with Pride,

Raffy Aquino
2011 Membership & Participation Head
Task Force Pride

Transgender Day of Remembrance

221 is the loneliest number.

November 20 is observed internationally as the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Founded in 1998 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender activist, this occasion honors the memory of those were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.

The University of the Philippines Babaylan is one with the transgender community in mourning for our brothers and sisters who died this year. As we light our candles for the 221 names in the Trans Murder Monitoring Project's registry (corresponding to one trans person killed every other day), as well as for the countless other undocumented cases, we remember the passion, courage and strength with which these individuals lived their lives, even in the face of hatred and indifference. May they have eternal peace.

UP Babaylan also observes this occasion to raise awareness within the UP community of hate crimes against transgender and gender non-conforming people. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, and the trend shows no sign of abating. There have also been reported cases of transgender (as well as gay, lesbian, and bisexual) killings in the Philippines; this makes our concern for our safety alarmingly real.

We are appalled that innocent people have been beaten, stabbed and shot because they were honest enough to be themselves.

We are indignant at how some people, because of ignorance and hate, can stone, strangle or burn others to death.

As the State University's primary LGBT student collective, we urge the UP administration to strengthen its safety measures to ensure that all of its students, faculty and staff are able to study, work and live securely on campus, regardless of their gender identity/expression and sexual orientation. This measure should ultimately include an anti-bullying or anti-discrimination policy explicitly covering gender identity/expression and sexual orientation. Without this policy, UP's LGBT constituency will continue to remain vulnerable to bigotry, hostility or violence.

 UP BABAYLAN

---

The list of of the 221 reported murdered trans persons from November 20th 2010 to November 14th 2011 can be found here:

http://www.transrespect-transphobia.org/uploads/downloads/TMM/TvT%20TMM%20TDOR%202011%20Name%20list.pdf

Be Heard!

20x20 World AIDS Day Pecha Kucha Youth Competition

What is pecha kucha?

PechaKucha 20x20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images forward automatically and you talk along to the images. The entire presentation lasts for 6 minutes and 40 seconds. http://www.pecha-kucha.org

Sample Pecha Kucha Presentations:

Exercise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_elvW4omA0

Signs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NZOt6BkhUg

Who is eligible to join the competition?

All Filipino college students (aged 15 - 24 years old) currently enrolled in any educational institution in the Philippines before the deadline for submission of presentations is eligible to join the competition.

COMPETITION DETAILS

Theme:

UNAIDS World AIDS Day theme is “Getting to Zero - Zero New HIV Infections. Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths”.

Mechanics:

Each student is only allowed to submit one Pecha Kucha video presentation. A copy of the final video must be sent to upbabaylanblog@gmail.com on or before November 23, 2011 11:59 PM. You should also include a link to alternate video hosting sites where you placed your final video.

The submission email must contain the following contact information:

1)       Name of the Student

2)       School or University

3)       Contact Number

4)       Address

5)       A digital image (photographed or scanned) of your school id

6)       A digital image (photographed or scanned) of proof of enrollment.

7)       Link to alternate video hosting sites where you placed your final video.

The video presentation must meet the following requirements:

1)       The total number of presentations slides must equal 20 slides.

2)       Each slide may only be shown for 20 seconds.

3)   An additional or 21st slide must be placed at the end of the presentation

4)   The 21st slide must contain the following information:

a.      Name of Student

b.      School or University

c.      2011 World AIDS Day Pecha Kucha Competition

d.      The link www.upbabaylan.blogspot.com

4)       The total presentation slides (excluding the 21st slide) must be exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

Criteria for judging

Content of Presentation

Relevance of Information 10%

Interpretation of Theme 10%

Clarity of Information 10%

Accuracy of Information 10%

Execution of Presentation

Quality of Images 20%

Quality of Spoken Words 20%

Audience Votes 20%

Dates to Remember

Deadline of Submission of Entries – November 23 2011 11:59 PM

Start of Online Voting – November 24 2011

Announcement of Winners – Dec 1 2011

Cash Prize:

The winner will be awarded a cash prize of P 5,000.00

If you have questions, you may visit https://www.facebook.com/upbabaylan and leave your questions on the wall of the page. We will address them as soon as possible. Thank you!

Sponsorship speech for HB515 - Anti-Discrimination Bill

this is from the facebook page of Akbayan representative Atty. Kaka Bag-ao

______________________

Fulfilling the promise of basic fairness

Sponsorship speech of Akbayan Rep. Kaka Bag-ao on the Anti-Discrimination Bill (HB515)

September 27, 2011 / Committee on Women and Gender Equality

Good afternoon, Madam Chair and honorable members of the committee.

In an interview in New York during the Asia Society Forum last month, President Noynoy Aquino reiterated his position on LGBT rights: that while the Aquino government is not ready to tackle the issue of same-sex marriage, it believes that LGBTs should not be discriminated.[1]

The statement of the President breaks the atmosphere of invisibility and silence that the previous GMA administration has build around the issue of equal rights. For almost a decade, the Philippine government turned a blind eye to the plight of Filipino lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders, and instead of engaging in meaningful dialogues about the inclusiveness of human dignity, it allowed divisive sectarianism to trump equal rights. Not everyone would be pleased about the stance that President Aquino made on same-sex marriage: by stating that it is not his administration’s priority, those who are opposed to it would see the stand as tepid; on the other hand, those pushing for same-sex marriage would see it as a concession to the Catholic Church.

But whether one is anti or pro same-sex marriage, it is important for all of us to step out of the hostile atmosphere that has marked our discussions on LGBT rights and go back to where the debate should be situated: within the context of human rights and equality. This is why the pronouncement of President Aquino is important: that whether we believe in same-sex marriage or not, we should all make a stand for equality.

The nature of the bill that we are tackling today, Madam Chair, is precisely that: basic fairness, and realizing the promise of equality guaranteed in our constitution. It reflects the yearning of many Filipinos for that chance to be treated as equals, and to live in a nation where dignity is not determined by one’s gender, or the sex of the person we found ourselves loving.

Basic fairness is the prayer of any mother whose child is being bullied in school for being too effeminate, for cross-dressing, for being “bakla”. It is the common aspiration of lesbian and gay students who, having faced prejudice in their schools and communities because of their sexuality, fear that they would encounter the same gender-based biases once they’ve entered the labor force.

When a gay man goes home after spending three nights in jail, where he suffered extortion, physical abuse, and humiliation in the hands of policemen who arrested him for vagrancy or prostitution, solely on the basis of the presence of condoms, his thoughts would be on the ordeal that he went through. This incident of police abuse would sear on his mind how dignity could be taken away easily and arbitrarily by abusive law enforcers. Same-sex marriage would be the last thing he’d think about.

Reducing LGBT rights to same-sex marriage renders invisible the inequality and abuse faced by Filipino LGBTs. This is the status quo, Madam Chair, that the Anti-Discrimination Bill aims to cure: we hope to provide a remedy for the inequality experienced by LGBTs by ensuring that human rights violations committed against them are penalized.

The Anti-Discrimination bill introduces the language of sexual orientation and gender identity in our laws and defines these concepts. This is not entirely novel, in a sense, since both sexual orientation and gender identity have been mentioned in some of our laws already. Currently, there are four laws where the above terms have been mentioned:

• Under Section 59 of the PNP Reform Act of 1998, the NAPOLCOM is mandated to establish a gender sensitivity program that includes the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation;
• Section 17 of the Magna Carta for Public Social Workers (2007) includes protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as one of the rights of government social workers;
• The Magna Carta of Women (2009) has included sexual orientation as a protected category in its human rights principles (Section 3, para 4) and gender identity in its women in sports provision (Section 14);
• The definition of crimes against humanity under the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity (2009) includes widespread persecution against any groups or collectivity on the basis of several grounds, including sexual orientation.

High Five for HB 515! Pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill

Gender Equality quarantees equal opportunities to people

regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

We encourage everyone to join the campaign for 

Gender Equality and fight against disrimination.

Pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill!

High Five for HB515! Pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill!

University of the Philippines Diliman University Student Council Official Statement through the USC Gender Committee head by UP Babaylan member, Councilor Heart Dino.

POSE TO OPPOSE

You may visit the exhibit at the AS 2nd Floor Lobby from Sept 19 - 23 (Monday-Friday) 2011 from 8am - 5pm. Bring friends and be one with us in our call for higher state subsidy for education.

UP PRIDE MARCH @ TV Patrol

And because ABS-CBN wont allow embedding of the video here, we are instead posting screencaps from the report that was aired later that day on TV Patrol which featured the 2011 UP PRIDE MARCH.

1) UP Babaylan member, USC Councilor and Head of the USC Gender Committee - Ms. Heart Dino leads the delegation from the USC and different Local College Councils who participated in the march. Ms. Heart Dino rallied the students and gender advocates around the UP Academic Oval as the University begins its UP PRIDE WEEK.

2) UP Babaylan member  Ms. Trixie Maristela and UP Babaylan alumna Ms. Daria Maristela

3) UP Babaylan Vice-President Pat Bringas quoting Lady Gaga's "We were born this way.." as she explains to TV Patrol how the LGBT community should be accepted and accorded equal rights.

4) UP Babaylan members BJ Eco, Ms. Hender Gercio (read about the status of the ongoing discrimination case Ms. Gercio filed at the College of Arts and Letters HERE...) and UP Babaylan alumna Ms. Jet Evangelista.

You may view the full video HERE.

UP PRIDE MARCH @ SAKSI

"Everyone has a right to education without discrimination. Dapat lahat ng tao, maging bakla, lesbiyana, transgender, bisexual, hindi nadidiskrimina sa loob ng academic institution" - Ms. HEART DINO - USC Councilor, Head - USC Gender Committee 2011-2012, Member, UP BABAYLAN



For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

UP PRIDE WEEK 2011 Schedule

UP DILIMAN PRIDE MARCH

Rising up to Hate Crime

UP Babaylan supports the Freedom to Love: Pink Dot Singapore

Let the day come when we can connect all the Pink Dots all over the world...

Meeting with UP President Pascual

We are happy to share with you good news. Never dropping the ball on the continuing fight to win the discrimination case of our member Hender Gercio, UP Babaylan is simultaneously working with the University to prevent future cases of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to happen to other students of the University. Finally, we were able to schedule a meeting with officials of the University to discuss our programs and plan of actions to prevent and stop discrimination from propagating inside the University. This is the solution that will prevent faculties, students and employees of the University to abuse loopholes in University policies that allow them to abuse and hinder students and other members of the University to grow and learn to their fullest potentials, by exposing the students to harmful and discriminatory acts based on biases against chosen sexual orientation and gender identity of the students.

UP Babaylan (represented by Punong Babaylan Bohn Vergara and Hender Gercio), together with the University Student Council Gender Committee (headed by Babaylan member, Councilor Heart Dino) met up with President Pascual and the Prof. Marion Tan from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs and presented programs on how the University of the Philippines can be at the forefront of Gender Equality.

Among the issues and programs discussed were:

1. Anti-Discrimination Policy within UP

2. Mandatory Gender Sensitivity workshops for faculty and non-teachinf personnel.

3. Gender-neutral curriculum in UP.

4. Celebration of UP LGBT Week on June 28 - July 1

This is how UP Babaylan will continue to advance the rights and welfare of the students of the University, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. Join us in our campaign for a University that allows you to choose who you want to be, a person who is free to express who you want to be, without fear of prejudice from society inside and out of the University. 

To learn more on how you can be part of the campaign or how you can also enjoy how it is like to live your life free from discrimination and prejudice, add the following on facebook:

UP Babaylan
https://www.facebook.com/upbabaylan


UP University Student Council Gender Committee

https://www.facebook.com/pages/USC-Gender-Committee-11-12/129461897131014

UP RH Agenda

https://www.facebook.com/RHAGENDA

Rainbow Policies: A Discussion on Gender Sensitive Policies in UP Diliman