By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

With the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) currently deliberating the creation of an Anti-Discrimination Council, City Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr., who chairs the SP Committee on Human Rights and authored the ordinance establishing the said council, said he is currently unable to take a position on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) equality bill, which is presently under consideration before Congress.
Despite his failure to take a public stance on the proposal, during a recent radio interview, he affirmed his respect for the LGBTQ community and said it is “high time” to pay attention to the issue affecting the community. However, the city official pointed out, he hopes the LGBTQ community also respects the country’s customs and traditions as a whole.
In terms of the ordinance, a public hearing is currently scheduled to discuss the proposal with hopes for a vote by the end of September.
Meanwhile, if passed into law, the SOGIE bill would end stigmatization of the LGBTQ community in media and prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation./DGB, WDJ