Be Informed
Awareness is the first step in solving a problem.
What is the problem and where does it happen?
According to American Psychological Association in 2019, discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age or sexual orientation. One form of discrimination is having unequal treatment at workplace. Occupational inequality is a term used that affects the socioeconomic status of an individual which is linked with their access to resources like finding a job, buying a house, etc. If an individual experiences occupational inequality, it may be more difficult for them to find a job, advance in their job, get a loan or buy a house. This may have a long history to many people, one way or another, there are legal laws to protect those individuals.
Who are Affected?
Though occupational inequality can be applicable to all people, the campaign will be focused to a specific community which is the LGBTQ+. The new United Nations study entitled, LGBTI People and Employment: Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics in China, the Philippines and Thailand in 2018 shows the high levels of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in three different countries. 21% of respondents in China, 30% in the Philippines and 23% in Thailand – reported being harassed, bullied or discriminated against by others while at work because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).
Also, they showcased that the respondents reported a range of negative experiences in the workplace, including people making jokes or slurs about LGBTI persons, gossiping or sharing rumors, or making critical comments about how they dress, behave or speak. Some 10% of respondents in China, 21% in the Philippines and 28% in Thailand believed that they were denied a job due to their SOGIESC. In China, the Philippines and Thailand, more than two-thirds said they had seen a job advertisement that explicitly excludes their SOGIE in the job requirement.
That being said, it makes concrete recommendations for governments, the private sector, civil society, multilateral agencies and non-government organizations to take action to improve the situation for LGBTI people in employment settings. Moreover, among the three countries in the study, only Thailand has a national law, the Gender Equality Act B.E. 2558 (2015), that provides protection against discrimination based on gender expression. In the Philippines, some limited legal protection for LGBT people exists at the local level. Local ordinances, along with other grounds, protecting people against discrimination based on SOGIE only exist in 5 provinces, 15 cities, 1 municipality and 3 barangays (villages). China’s national labor law currently does not specifically provide protections to LGBTI people against discrimination in the workplace.
Why is it Happening?
The LGBTQ+ Community has long been a subject of discrimination in the society. Whether it be in their own neighborhood, their workplaces, or in public places, there is no denying of the fact that many people still treat the said community differently and unfairly. On a paper written by the UNDP and USAID Being LGBT in Asia: The Philippines Country Report, it is stated that the LGBT advocacy in the Philippines dates back to the 16th and 17th century and in the 1960s. All things considered, the LGBT community in the Philippines was treated well in the form of various literatures and pride movement, making the country one of the most gay-friendly nations in the world and is currently the most gay-friendly in Asia.
However, no country is perfect. Although the Philippines has been up in the ranks of the friendliest places for the LGBT community, they still face discrimination, violence, and unjust treatment. The CNN Philippines reported that workplaces in the country implement no rules against SOGIE-related discrimination. At the same time, a study conducted by the Human Rights Campaign showed that the likelihood of the LGBT community experiencing rape, physical violence, and stalking is higher than those of straight men and women. This leads us to question why the LGBT community is still under the discriminated group even though the ranks say the opposite.
One of the top reasons why the LGBT community face discrimination is because they belong to the minority. The LGBT community makes up only 10% of the world’s population, according to Alfred Kinsey. Furthermore, approximately 12 million Filipinos out of 110 million are part of the said community. This makes them the inferior group in the country with little to no lawful and special protection. Although there are laws protecting the said population, they are oftentimes inadequately enforced and ignored by the general public.
Schools also play a major role in the discrimination of the LGBT community. Most queer students face bullying, abuse, ridicules, and stalking in the school grounds. Though there are laws like the Child Protection Policy and the Anti-Bullying Law of 2013 that address violence based on gender identity and sexual orientation, without effective implementation and monitoring the rules seem like papers just signed for no purposes whatsoever.
Another reason is that some religious groups treat homosexuality and the likes as immoral and a “sin to God” and going as far as rejecting the LGBT community from their establishments and refuse to give service to them. This is because the Philippines is recognized as a religious country due to the fact that more than 86 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholics. Although some Catholic churches are accepting of the LGBT community, most Catholics, especially those who are elderly and devoted, still shun homosexuals.