QUEZON CITY – To have a closer look at the issues faced by LGBTQIA people particularly of Quezon City, an LGBTQIA summit was held here, helmed by Mayor-elect Joy Belmonte who supposedly wanted to “get to the root causes of the issues of the rainbow sector.”
According to Faustino L. Sabarez III, who helms LGBT Pilipinas, which helped organize the summit, even while having an anti-discrimination ordinance (ADO) that protects the rights of LGBTQIA people in Quezon City, the city’s LGBTQIA constituents obviously still continue to battle issues that are particular to them and their SOGIE. This is why “responses like this are important” to ensure “continued empowerment”.
Dubbed “Gender-fair City”, Quezon City’s ADO was passed in 2014. The ordinance was authored by first district Councilor Lena Marie “Mayen” Juico; and it expanded the 2003 Quezon City Ordinance No. 1309, which prohibited discrimination against homosexuals in the workplace. It also took off from former QC Mayor Herbert Bautista’s office’s order (in 2013) to create the Quezon City Pride Council (QCPC) to integrate the LGBTQIA community in government programs.
Already, according to Sabarez, the office of Belmonte is looking at creating another ordinance that will further cement the important role of LGBTQIA people in the city’s development.
