Transgender lawmaker says sky won’t fall with same-sex marriage law

The sky will not fall and the economy won't crash if a same-sex civil union bill is passed.

This was the statement made by Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, the first transgender woman to be elected in Philippine Congress, as she threw her support behind House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez's plan to craft a measure legalizing union between LGBT members.

At the same time, Roman gave the public a glimpse of what Alvarez's controversial measure could possibly contain.

After having an "exchange of ideas" with her, Roman said Alvarez seemed determined to push for the following civil rights for LGBTs: the right to inherit property, the right to decide on the fate of their partner, and "possibly" the right to adopt.

Roman clarified that what Alvarez would be pushing for through his bill is same-sex "civil union" and not "marriage," saying religion has "exclusive hold" on the latter term.

"Civil rights po ang gusto namin, so labas po ang religious beliefs dito," she said, adding that Alvarez had even told her plans to also push for "civil partnerships" regardless of gender.

'Not same banana'

Roman also said the pending anti-discrimination bill, which she is also pushing for, and Alvarez's proposal are two different things, and are not interdependent with each other.

Just last month, Roman made her first ever privilege speech as Bataan congresswoman, in which she urged her fellow lawmakers to support her anti-discrimination bill.

She said more than 150 congressmen and congresswomen have already thrown their support behind her measure.

"I would say that the anti-discrimination bill has nothing to do with same sex civil union. One does not take away or add to the other... Wala po itong [same-sex union] kinalaman sa anti-discrimination bill. It is not the same banana," she said.

Roman urged not only her fellow congressmen but also the public to "maintain an open attitude and study the proposal first. Let's not be too quick to judge."

She said she was not worried at all if the Catholic church would rally against Alavarez's bill. "Malakas din naman ang oposition ng Simbahan kay Presidente [Rodrigo Duterte noon]. May nangyari ba?" said Roman.

She said she did not want to view their advocacy as a fight against the church but rather a fight for civil rights.

"The sky will not fall if a civil union bill is passed. Hindi naman siguro babagsak ang ekonomiya. What we will have are happier citizens. Live and let live," Roman said.

Earlier in the day, several opposition congressmen from the Magnificent 7 minority bloc said Alvarez's bill might not get prioritized because the House of Representatives would have to focus on other bills such as the anti-discrimination and divorce bills.

Mixed reactions

Reactions to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez's plan to file a bill supporting same-sex marriage were mixed, with one lawmaker saying the Philippines might not yet be ready for it.

Both Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano and Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque Jr threw their support behind Alvarez's planned measure, the draft for which the Speaker said was still in its initial stages.

“Inabot ko pa po yung time that certain issues were considered taboo like the RH Bill, and it took a long while for us to even attempt to discuss this in what I feel is a healthy and a productive way," Cayetano said.

"But I feel that the time has come that we should be able to set aside our biases, our discomfort, because as legislators, we should be able to talk about this issue whenever it affects the lives of our kababayans,” she added.

For his part, Roque said: "I am supportive as the bill will promote the people's right to privacy and the right to happiness, the latter being a penumbra of right to life."

Alvarez said his bill would be his way of respecting and upholding the dignity of LGBTs.

He said he decided to craft the bill on his own volition, without prodding from any lobby group.

"Alam mo, tignan mo ang Constitution natin. May provision doon guaranteeing happiness sa mga Pilipino. Bakit naman natin ipagkait iyon," Alvarez said.

"Tayo naman ay nakikiisa sa ating mg akapatid na LGBT. Kung happy sila doon. Bakit naman natin hindi suportahan," he added.

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, however, said while he was not opposed to such measure, it was not the right time to push for the civil union between members of the same sex.

"Hindi naman sa ayaw ko, palagay ko lang hindi pa handa ang society. May mga kaibigan naman ako sa LGBT... Never naman na nagpakita sila sa akin na kailangan ipasa itong same sex marriage,” said Tiangco.

Just the same, the lawmaker said he was willing to attend deliberatons on the bill. "Baka naman mali yung aking pagtantya baka naman marami talagang may gusto  so mabuting mapag-usapan," he said.

Tiangco said he believed that "you can love each other without getting married."

The lawmaker said laws on conjugal ownership could instead be amended to accomodate same-sex couples, instead of legalizing their marriage.

Alvarez said his proposed law, which he hopes would get passed during the current 17th Congress, would contain among others a provision on conjugal ownership.

Asked what prompted him to craft such a measure, Alvarez said: "Kasi dumadami na iyong population ng LGBT. Kailangan din natin protektahan sila." —NB, GMA News