GENDER AND SOCIETY – GE 23

(GROUP 3) Lesson 5 – GAY ISSUES AND TRANSGENDER ISSUES

“* Gay Marriage , Gays in Military”

Introduction

Each and every one of us dream of walking in the aisle and get married to the
one we love may it be the same gender or to the opposite one, as long it is the one
that we love. That is why Gay marriage is being pursued by most of the rainbow
community. For them to be given the opportunity to be tied down legally and in the
eyes of God. But there are some countries that do not allow such a thing that it
became a social issue.

Likewise, there are people who are not satisfied with their looks because they
feel that they are being trapped in a wrong body that they wanted to change their
gender biologically through surgery. So when a man looks like a woman now, the
question is would they have the same privilege like a normal woman has and a vice
versa to the woman becoming a man physically. Issue came out when a transgender
wanted to have the same rights just like a normal woman do. Example is using the
comfort room which of this two CR should they go to the male or the female.

I. ARGUMENTS AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE

All people should have the same rights and liberties that all citizens of the United
States have. LGBT persons are not second class citizens, separate, or segregated
people. There are 1,049 protections, benefits, and responsibilities extended to married
couples under federal law in 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.

In Korea on the other hand, got the first public gay marriage in March 7 , 2004.
Movie director and profucer Kim-jho Gwang-soo received much media attention for tying
a knot with Kim Seung-hwan, the head of the gay film distributor Rainbow Factory in
Septer 2013.
What is Discrimination?

States protect married couples in important ways, hospital visitation, right to

inherit, medical decisions in an emergency; all these are denied LGBT persons

There are some religions that celebrate or accept LGBT marriages, to have them
be classified as illegal or unconstitutional is impinging on their freedom of religion. LGBT
Relationships are said to be Immoral. In Leviticus 18 & 20 labels homosexuals as
abomination and sentences them to the penalty of death.

Arguments against Gay Marriage

Some of the arguments against gay marriage is that same sex couples provide
a bad environment for raising a child because the child will turn out gay and some
people think that gay people are all pedophiles.

But in repeated studies show that it is love and care that are central to raising
children. Children of LGBTQ couples do not have higher incidences of child abuse as
far as research is concern.

Is Filipino Ready for same Sex-Marriage?

The Philippines is ranked as one of the most gay-friendly nations in Asia. The
country ranked as the 10th-most gay-friendly in a 2013 global survey covering 39
countries, in which only 17 had majorities accepting homosexuality. Titled "The Global
Divide on Homosexuality", the survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed
that 73% of adult Filipinos agreed with the statement that "homosexuality should be
accepted by society", up by nine percentage points from 64% in 2002.

The high percentage of LGBT acceptance in the Philippines stem mainly from the
historical acceptance and role of LGBT people in indigenous animistic anito religions
before the advent of Islam in the late 14th century and Christianity in the early 16th
century; as well as growing public awareness on LGBT discrimination. Despite this,
LGBT people in the Philippines still experience discrimination and disadvantages in
comparison to the heterosexual population.
 Many people have concerns about the intense scrutiny given gay marriage and
of the consequences of fighting for marriage equality. Language and ideology behind
the gay marriage issue may be too narrow. But what about nuclear family, do they fit
in or not to fit in?.

All LGBT couples as permanent, monogamous, and desiring of a nuclear family

structure?. These are some of the legal issues that concern gay marriage. That is
Legal recognition for a wide variety of relationships should be available, as well as
access to all to government support programs. But that would not be easy but not
impossible to happen.

Public Sector Equality Duty

To have due regard to the need to:

• Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct
prohibited by the Equality Act.
• Advance equality of opportunity
• Foster good relations
II. GAY IN MILITARY: POLICY OUTCOME

Argument
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is
not imperative for national security,
operational readiness, and is out-dated. This
policy discriminates not only homosexuals
but women as well. The U.S. military
undermines its credibility by ceasing to cite
other foreign militaries when the anecdote no
longer conforms to the argument of the
United States.
Don’t Ask:
Commanders or appointed inquiry officials shall not ask, and members shall not
be required to reveal, their sexual orientation.

Don’t tell:
A basis for discharge exists if…”the member has said that he or she is a
homosexual or bisexual, or made some other statement that indicates a propensity or
intent to engage in homosexual acts…”

Don’t Pursue:
More than a dozen specific investigative limits as laid out in Department of
Defense instructions and directives comprise “Don’t Pursue.” It is the most
complicated and least understood component of the policy. These investigative limits
establish a minimum threshold to start an inquiry and restrict the scope.

On December 22, 1993, Secretary of Defense Aspin released new DOD

regulations to implement the statute enacted the preceding month. Language in these
regulations indicated that the Secretary was trying to incorporate both the restrictions in
the law, and the President’s desire to open military service “to those who have a
homosexual orientation.”

The policy stated: A Service member may also be separated if he or she states
that he or she is a homosexual or bisexual, or words to that effect. Such a statement
creates a rebuttable presumption that the member engages in homosexual acts or has
a propensity or intent to do so. The Service member will have the opportunity to rebut
that presumption, however, by demonstrating that he or she does not engage in
homosexual acts and does not have a propensity or intent to do so.

Investigation

Only a service member’s commanding officer may initiate an inquiry into

homosexual conduct.
In order to begin an inquiry, the commanding officer must receive credible
information from a reliable source that a service member has violated the policy.

President Obama States….

Discrimination of any type should be prohibited, even in the military. He will

work with military leaders to repeal the current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy, to allow
gays in the military.

Military Readiness

We gave to understand that homosexuals do not damage morale, discipline,

and good order in those countries that have open service. There 24 nations allow
homosexuals to serve in armed forces. No study has shown any of the 24 nations that
allow homosexual soldiers to serve in uniform has suffered a decline in performance .
In Israel, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, and Japan experience homosexuals
serving openly as a “non-event”.

III. TRANSGENDER ISSUES

Sex, Gender & Bipolarity

Sex is defined as the anatomy of a person. The traditional view of sexes have women
and men separated, but sex in nature recognizes intersexed and “transsexual”
individuals.

Definitions/Terms
In the LGBT community, there are ways people define themselves, just like mini
communities within a high school:
Drag Queen: Female-emulating male, usually campy, often (not always) gay
Butch: Masculine-appearing person
Femme: Feminine-appearing person
Drag King: Male-emulating woman
Crossdresser: Polite term for transvestite

Transgender Movement

Many in the Transgender movement feel that the mainstream LGBTQ movement is
under representing the Transgendered. Some feel that for the sake of assimilation of
gays and lesbians the transgender issues are swept under the rug.
There are also some that feel the movement is too fractured, With so many
acronyms and sub groups, there are a lot of different needs.
Public Sector Equality Duty
Due regard:
 Remove or minimise disadvantage
 Take steps to meet diverse needs
 Encourage participation
Where does the Equality Act apply?
 Applies to the public and private sectors
 Services and public functions
 Premises
 Work
 Education
 Associations, including political parties
 Buying or renting a property

Sogie Bill

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE, Tagalog:

Equality Bill, also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB), is a bill that was
proposed by the Congress of the Philippines. It is intended to prevent various economic
and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination against people based on their
sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. The current version of the bill is
sponsored by Kaka Bag-ao, Geraldine Roman, Tom Villarin in the House of
Representatives, and Risa Hontiveros in the Senate. The version in the House of
Representatives passed its third reading most recently on September 20, 2017, but died
in the Senate. It has been refiled for the 18th Congress.

Link: SOGIE Equality Bill. (2019). Retrieved 16 July 2020, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOGIE_Equali
References:

Links:
Activity 6. (2020). Retrieved 16 July 2020, from
http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduse

Anon (2020). Retrieved 16 July 2020, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40782.pdf

LGBT Issues . (2020). Retrieved 16 July 2020, from

https://www.slideshare.net/JohnMarlouSalido/lgbt-issues

LGBT rights in the Philippines. (2020). Retrieved 16 July 2020, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_Philippines#:~:text=The%20Family
%20Code%20of%20the,not%20prohibit%20same%2Dsex%20marriage.&text=Allowed
%20for%20individuals%20but%20not%20allowed%20for%20same%2Dsex%20couples

Thinking About Women: Sociological Perspectives on Sex and Gender, 8th

edition edited by Margaret L. Andersen and Dana Hysock. (2020). Retrieved 16 July
2020, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10