National LGBTQIA alliance Bahaghari slammed the SMNI segment aired last October 24, which involved show anchors Jeffrey Celiz and Lorraine Badoy red-tagging Irish Inoceto, the chairperson of the Iloilo Pride Team and local partner of Bahaghari in assisting transgender students from the Iloilo City National High School (ICNHS) in their bid for gender-affirming uniform and haircut policies in their school.
“Kung sino ang tumulong, yun ang ired-tag. This must be the motto of SMNI, which has done nothing but vilify advocates and generate threats to the life, liberty, and security of those who merely extend their kindness and help others. We condemn the heinous red-tagging committed by Jeffrey Celiz and Lorraine Badoy against our local partner Irish Inoceto as false, baseless, reckless, and dangerous,” blasted Reyna Valmores, Bahaghari’s chairperson.
In the said SMNI segment, the news anchors claimed that Irish was a “CPP-NPA member” who is now “targeting” children at Iloilo City National High School for NPA recruitment. This exchange came after Badoy insensitively laughed while trying to recall what the acronym “LGBTQIA” stood for.
“(SMNI’s) claim that we are ‘targeting’ students at ICNHS for NPA recruitment is a demonstrable lie. It was actually the transgender students themselves at ICNHS who reached out to us for help. They felt deep emotional distress because of their school’s grooming policy, which would force them to cut their hair, and in turn, cut their confidence, expression, and sense of worth as students. What is wrong with providing them assistance in drafting gender-affirming policies? More disturbingly, why is SMNI equating this to armed rebellion?” Valmores questioned.
ADVOCATING FOR GENDER-AFFIRMING UNIFORMS AT SCHOOL IS NOT NPA RECRUITMENT – BAHAGHARI #NoToRedTagging #HandsOffQueerActivists pic.twitter.com/0WajUoAEEy
— Bahaghari (@Bahaghari_PH) October 25, 2022
Bahaghari is presently exploring possible legal actions in response to SMNI’s red-tagging.
Earlier, Badoy was given a show cause order by the Supreme Court for contempt of the judiciary after she also red-tagged Judge Marlo Malagar of RTC Branch 19.
