SOGIE Equality Bill

[4][5] A senate bill against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity was believed to have been first filed under the 11th Congress of the Philippines in 2000 by then-Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

It was backed by Senators Loren Legarda, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, Franklin Drilon, Bam Aquino, Chiz Escudero, Ralph Recto, Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, Francis Pangilinan, Migz Zubiri, and Leila de Lima, although de Lima was barred from voting on the bill as she was then in police custody.

[20][21] It was opposed by Senators Tito Sotto, Manny Pacquiao, Cynthia Villar, and Joel Villanueva (who signed up as a co-author of the bill).

Other senators such as Win Gatchalian, Koko Pimentel, Antonio Trillanes, Panfilo Lacson, and Richard J. Gordon did not express their support or rejection of the bill.

Additionally, Alan Peter Cayetano and Gregorio Honasan lost their voting rights on Senate measures as they joined the presidential cabinet.

The longest running LGBT student organization, UP Babaylan, has also been supporting the bill ever since it was first filed,[24] as well as known celebrities and icons such as Heart Evangelista, Nadine Lustre, Bianca Gonzalez, Iza Calzado, Charo Santos-Concio, Dingdong Dantes, Joey Mead King, Divine Lee, Karen Davila, Chot Reyes, Tootsy Angara, BJ Pascual, Samantha Lee, Christine Bersola-Babao, Rajo Laurel, Tim Yap, Anne Curtis, Mari Jasmine, Laureen Uy, Pia Wurtzbach, Lorenzo Tañada III, Vice Ganda, Arnold Van Opstal, and Chel Diokno.

[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] In March 2018, a small group of Christians protested at the Senate against the SOGIE bill by calling the proposed legislation an "abomination", adding that homosexuality is a "sin" according to the Bible and that identifying as part of the LGBT community is a lifestyle.

[36][37] Numerous influential personalities, including political allies of the three senators who oppose the bill, sided with the calls to pass the landmark proposal.

[38][41] Versions of the SOGIE Equality Bill were refiled in the 18th Congress by Senators Risa Hontiveros,[42] Leila de Lima, Francis Pangilinan,[43] and Imee Marcos although she is against divorce and same sex marriage stating that it is "too complicated".

[50] Religious leaders also gave their support for the SOGIE Bill, such as Koko Alviar of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Aglipayan Church),[51] Sister Mary John Mananzan, OSB, executive director of the Institute of Women's Studies of the Catholic St. Scholastica's College,[52] Bishop Solito Toquiero of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines,[53] and Pastor Kakay Pamaran of the Union Theological Seminary.

[56] Various personalities announced their support for the SOGIE Bill, namely: Anne Curtis,[57] Heart Evangelista, Catriona Gray, Pia Wurtzbach, Judy Taguiwalo,[58][59] Iza Calzado, Nadine Lustre, Janine Gutierrez, BJ Pascual, Mari Jasmine, and Samantha Lee.

[63] In September 2020, groups again called to pass the SOGIE bill after President Duterte gave an absolute pardon to a former US Marine who has been convicted of homicide in relation to the killing of trans Filipina Jennifer Laude.

[69] In November 2022, the Philippine delegation to the country's 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations outright rejected several recommendations, including the passage of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill.