Gays in the Philippines are celebrating a Philippines
Supreme Court ruling which says that has allowed gay political group Ang Ladlad to register to contest election to be held in a month's time.
The decision overturn's the Philippines' electoral commision's ruling disqualifying Ang Ladlad’s petition to run in the party-list polls. The
Court said Comelec erred in applying religious belief against gays and
lesbians in implementing the law on qualification of party-list groups.
"We won! We won! Philippine Supreme Court says YES to Ang Ladlad partylist," the party said in a one-line statement sent to supporters on Facebook and Twitter. "Long live LGBTs!."
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"We won! We won! Philippine Supreme Court says YES to Ang Ladlad partylist," the party said in a one-line statement sent to supporters on Facebook and Twitter. "Long live LGBTs!."
In banning the party from the election a Comelec commissioner who is also a lay church minister cited the Koran and the Bible that he says explicitly condemn homosexuality.
But the Supreme Courrt noted that "the LGBT sector has been historically disadvantages and
discriminated against because of negative public perception, and has
even alleged acts of violence perpetrated against the LGBT community by
reason of their sexual orientation and gender identity." In a unanimous vote the Court maintained that moral disapproval
“is not a sufficient governmental interest to justify exclusion of
homosexuals from participation in the party list system.”
