Sen. Panfilo Lacson – who is running for the presidency in the May 2022 Philippine elections – upheld religious dominance over LGBTQIA equality by saying yes to civil union while opposing marriage equality.
As defined, marriage – currently defined by the Family Code as between a man and a woman – is a legally recognized arrangement usually consecrated by some church. Meanwhile, a civil union refers to a legally recognized arrangement created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples.
Interviewed by veteran journalist Jessica Soho for GMA News/Public Affairs, Lacson was asked if he supports marriage equality (Timestamp: 1:52:28). He answered yes to civil union, but qualified his answer by saying he isn’t for “same-sex marriage” in churches.
Overseas, Lacson’s position on marriage equality is linked to the infamous “separate but equal” doctrine in US constitutional law that allowed for racial segregation even if the US Constitution guarantees “equal protection” under the law to all people.
In the case of LGBTQIA rights – e.g. marriage equality – this creates an impression of equality, but with LGBTQIA people still not allowed to avail of services readily available to heterosexual people, they are thereby still not considered as their equals.
Sadly, following the Western approach of of focusing interviews on LGBTQIA issues only on marriage equality, Soho did not ask Lacson about his stance on the anti-discrimination law, as well as the gender recognition law to protect the human rights of LGBTQIA Filipinos.
