In a time of celebration when we seem to sweep our struggles under the rug, grief is what will make us look closer and ground us back to a brutal reality: We are being killed and will continue to be killed if we don’t address the queer community’s biggest elephant in the room–that our lives have been made intolerable by the government’s blatant neglect and inaction for 24 years delaying the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill.
We are told to grieve privately, for it is deemed a personal experience. But for us, a community marginalized simply because we exist, grief has been our default response, making it profoundly political. This collective grief thus should be made public—on deaths sought by publicly spewed hate, on deaths of hopes and dreams for an inclusive, shared future, and to the many memories of children disowned by their own parents for being their authentic selves.
It is ironic for the community to continue putting the fun in what should be a raging funeral. We dance and march, but behind the rainbows and glitters yet lies a sobering truth: unemployment, discrimination, and violence persist at home, at schools, in workplaces, and in the communities. With 55 new HIV cases daily and an economic crisis looming, our community’s struggles only intensify. Visibility and representation are sadly not enough.
As we gather tomorrow to celebrate Pride and fight for our human rights, freedoms, and dignity, may we be reminded of our collective power to define our ultimate victory worthy of celebration: a Philippines that’s respectful and accepting of queer lives, protective of our livelihoods, and supportive of diverse ways of living.
We in DAKILA call on everyone to grieve it all—the lives, hopes, and dreams we lose in our pursuit of justice, and to grieve together as we endure the long, challenging road to liberation.
No more delaying tactics. It’s time for those in power to respond to our rallying cry: Pass the SOGIE Equality Bill now!
#PassSOGIEBillNow!
#PassADBNow!
For media inquiries and further information, please contact:
Press Contact:
John Joshua Barbo
Public Relations Manager
DAKILA
info@dakila.org.ph | +639625281145
ABOUT DAKILA:
DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism is an organization of artists, cultural and development activists, students, young professionals, and individuals creatively building a movement of heroism toward social transformation.
