Ladlad

Ladlad (Tagalog for "coming out," "Unfurled", from the swardspeak pagladlád ng kapa unfurling one's cape),^[1] formerly Ang Ladlad LGBT Party Inc.^[2][3] and sometimes colloquially known as "the LGBT party", is a Filipino lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) political party. It was founded on September 1, 2003, by Danton Remoto.^[4] They sought party-list representation at the House of Representatives in the 2010 and 2013 elections but failed to win a seat. They were delisted as a partylist organization by the COMELEC in 2015 but remain an active organization.

The party's official motto is "Bukas isip. Bukas puso." ("Open mind. Open heart.")^[3]

History

Ladlad first tried to register with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in 2006,^[2] with the hopes of appearing on the 2007 ballot, but was denied for supposedly not having enough members.^[5][6] COMELEC further denied Ladlad's petition to be allowed to run in the 2010 elections, this time on the grounds of "immorality".^[7] However, on January 12, 2010, the Supreme Court granted a temporary restraining order, thereby allowing Ladlad to participate in the 2010 elections.^[8]

On April 8, 2010, the Supreme Court overturned the ban in the case of Ang Ladlad v. COMELEC (G.R. No. 190582), allowing Ladlad to join the elections.^[2] The party received 113,187 votes or 0.37% (excluding votes from Lanao del Sur), below the optional 2% threshold and was not able to win a seat in Congress.

In the 2013 elections, the party also failed to reach the minimum two percent of votes cast and failed to win a seat. Consequentially their COMELEC delisted their registration along with 38 partylist groups which failed to win a seat in two consecutive elections, barring the party from running in the 2016 elections.^[9]

Programs and platforms

The organization's goals are focused toward human rights, and the organization fights for equal rights among all Filipinos, whether they are LGBTQ or not.^[5]

Ladlad has the following platforms:^[3]

1. to pass an anti-discrimination bill that would guarantee LGBTQ Filipinos equal opportunities and treatment;
2. funding employment opportunities and welfare programs for impoverished and disabled LGBTQ Filipinos;
3. setting up of centers for LGBTQ youth and seniors in need of protection.

Same-sex marriage is not part of the party's platform,^[10] although it would add it if it were to achieve the passage of its desired anti-discrimination bill.^[11]

Electoral performance

See also

• LGBT rights in the Philippines

References

1. ^ Manalansan IV, Martin F. (2003). Global Divas: Filipino Gay Men in the Diaspora. Duke University Press. doi:10.1215/9780822385172. ISBN 978-0-8223-3204-6. (a) The term coming out has been translated in swardspeak as pagladlad ng kapa, or "unfurling the cape." (b) "The Americans are different, darling. Coming out is their drama. [...] Maybe their families were very cruel. Back home, who cared?" [...] [S]ilence stands in sharp contrast to the kinds of discursive norms of coming out.
2. ^ "www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2010/apr2010/gr_190582_2010.html". 2010-04-08. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021.
3. ^ "About Ladlad". Ladlad. 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
4. ^ Coloma, Roland Sintos (2013-09-01). "Ladlad and Parrhesiastic Pedagogy: Unfurling LGBT Politics and Education in the Global South". Curriculum Inquiry. 43 (4): 483–511. doi:10.1111/curi.12020. ISSN 0362-6784. S2CID 219287795 It was founded on September 1, 2003 and ratified its constitution and by-laws on March 25, 2004.
5. ^ Pascual, Patrick King (2012-09-17). "Ladlad: Nine years of fighting for LGBT rights". Outrage Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
6. ^ Aning, Jerome (2007-03-01). "Gay party-list group Ladlad out of the race". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
7. ^ "CHR backs Ladlad in Comelec row". ABS-CBN News. November 15, 2009. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
8. ^ Romero, Purple (2009-01-12). "Supreme Court issues TRO for Ladlad". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
9. ^ Granali, Rima (16 February 2015). "What to do? Ang Ladlad party list in quandary". Philippine Daily Inquirer
10. ^ Jorge Cariño (December 9, 2009). "Church not anti-gay, says priest". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
11. ^ Dizon, David (2015-06-29). "LGBT group: Anti-discrimination first, gay marriage later". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 2020-06-07.