In another bewildering round that is Filipino politics, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa recently proclaimed his support for same-sex marriage—but it comes with a contradictory condition, in no surprise to anyone.
Read more: No, Sen. Sotto, you can’t call queer people ‘homo sapiens’
During the Senate hearing of the anti-discrimination bill on the wake of the incident with Gretchen Diez last week, Dela Rosa directly addressed the LGBTQIA+ community. “I’d like to manifest na ako po, I’m on your side,” he says. “Ako nga, I’m advocating, kung pwede magpakasal kayo parehong lalaki, parehong babae. Okay lang sa akin, walang problema. Magsama kayo, magpakasal, walang problema sa akin.”
There’s one thing that’s a big no-no for him, though: Transgender women using female-designated toilets.
Read more: A transwoman’s arrest for using the women’s CR shows why we need SOGIE education
“Pag in-allow kasi natin ‘yan… hindi naman kailangang you just consider one portion of the society, kung hindi lahat i-consider mo yung mga maapektuhan na grupo din like yung totoong babae din,” he says, harking back to the possibility of transgenders harassing other women (with no previous data to back it, mind you), and then pulling the “sisters and daughters” card.
This marks another day where a senator has proven to be clueless about LGBTQIA+ affairs, after Sen. Sotto’s “homo sapiens” quip last week. For anyone who may need enlightenment: You can’t have one or the other. The fight for inclusivity encompasses each letter of “LGBTQIA,” including all rights that are fought by them—be it marriage or using a toilet. Now if only certain senators can remember that.
Photo from Inquirer.net