Same-sex marriage in the Philippines recently became a hot topic again because of the oral arguments that happened at the Supreme Court. According to ABS-CBN News, there were two rounds of arguments, lasting three hours in total, on the petition filed by lawyer Jesus Nicardo Falcis III in 2015 to legalize the act.
For those at home, they got their live updates from media outlets and the Supreme Court PIO’s Twitter account. One thread in particular caught everyone’s attention and it contained quotes from Atty. Fernando Perito, counsel for intervenors, who drew flak for what he said during his opening statement.
“It’s like marrying my pet dog,” Perito said. He made it clear from the start that he’s against same-sex marriage, but the way he emphasized his points was unacceptable and offensive.
Perito: it's like marrying my pet dog #FalcisvCRGOrals
— Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office (@SCPh_PIO) June 26, 2018
The comment above can be perceived two ways. First, Perito sees it as an unnatural act and compares it to beastiality and even incest (“If I cannot marry my sister, is not discriminating, your Honor?”). Or, he thinks that passing same-sex marriage into law will convince people to marry just for the heck of it. Perito did say that members of the LGBTQ+ community just “want to be treated specially.”
Perito: if i cannot marry my sister, is it not discriminating, your Honor? #FalcisvCRGOrals
— Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office (@SCPh_PIO) June 26, 2018
Perito also argued that there is no need for a same-sex marriage law when there’s no prohibition to love and be loved. What he doesn’t understand is that these people are looking for the same rights that straight couples get when they wed.
We understand that not everyone will agree in the passage of same-sex marriage. But there should be a way to express it through proper, rational dialogue and not resort to insensitive remarks. Don’t be like Perito who likened it to marrying a pet dog. (Fun fact: perrito is also the Spanish translation for puppy. Fitting.)
People in the LGBT community are humans too and they shouldn’t be treated less and looked down on. Don’t and act like you’re above them just because you’re a heterosexual, cisgender person.
Oh, before I forget: Don’t be a homophobe.
Art by Marian Hukom
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