This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: As the party did not enter the 2019 election,[1] and won no votes in it,[2] it might be defunct. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2020)

Ladlad
LeaderDanton Remoto
SpokespersonBemz Benitez
FoundedSeptember 1, 2003 (September 1, 2003)
HeadquartersMetro Manila
Membership (2009)22,000
IdeologyHuman rights
LGBT rights
Civil libertarianism
ColorsPink
SloganBukas isip. Bukas puso.
Seats in the Senate
0 / 24
Seats in the House of Representatives
0 / 312
Website
www.ladladpartylist.blogspot.com

Ladlad (Tagalog for "coming out," lit. "The Unfurled", from the swardspeak pagladlad ng kapa lit. unfurling one's cape),[3] formerly Ang Ladlad LGBT Party Inc.[4][5] 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.[6]

The party's official motto is "Bukas isip. Bukas puso." (Open mind. Open heart.)[5]

History

Ladlad first tried to register with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in 2006,[4] with the hopes of appearing on the 2007 ballot, but was denied for supposedly not having enough members.[7][8] COMELEC further denied Ladlad's petition to be allowed to run in the 2010 elections, this time on the grounds of "immorality".[9] However, on January 12, 2010, the Supreme Court granted a temporary restraining order, thereby allowing Ladlad to participate in the 2010 elections.[10]

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.[4] 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 barring the party from running in the 2016 elections.[11] The party did not enter the 2019 race, despite being qualified to.[1]

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 LGBT or not.[7]

Ladlad has the following platforms:[5]

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

Same-sex marriage is not part of the party's platform,[12] although it would add it if it were to achieve the passage of its desired anti-discrimination bill.[13]

Popularity

The party's low popularity is seen as being due to the country's opposing influential Catholic figures who oppose Ladlad's goals and congressional bid.

Recent trends, however, have lessened the percentage of Filipinos who closely follow traditional Catholic teachings,[14] and LGBT causes have gotten more visibility in the country as can be seen by the huge influx of attendees of pride parades, such as the Metro Manila Pride March, which more than 70,000 attended in 2019.[15] While more Filipinos are coming out, some scholars caution that this isn't the best way to gauge the prevalence of LGBT people, as Filipino culture may view coming out as "gratuitous", "excessive", and "American".[3][16]

Electoral performance

Election Votes % Seats
2010 114,120 0.38% 0
2013 100,700 0.37% 0
2016 Disqualified*
2019 Did not enter race[1]
2022 Did not enter race

*Parties that didn't win for two consecutive elections are barred from running in the next immediate election.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "LIST: Party-list groups hoping to join 2019 elections". Rappler. October 19, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  2. ^ Per COMELEC
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ a b c Ang Ladlad v. COMELEC, G.R. No. 190582 (Supreme Court of the Philippines 2010-04-08), Text.
  5. ^ a b c "About Ladlad". Ladlad. 2010. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  6. ^ Coloma, Roland Sintos (September 1, 2013). "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.
  7. ^ a b Pascual, Patrick King (September 17, 2012). "Ladlad: Nine years of fighting for LGBT rights". Outrage Magazine. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  8. ^ Aning, Jerome (March 1, 2007). "Gay party-list group Ladlad out of the race". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  9. ^ "CHR backs Ladlad in Comelec row". ABS-CBN News. November 15, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  10. ^ Romero, Purple (January 12, 2009). "Supreme Court issues TRO for Ladlad". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  11. ^ "What to do? Ang Ladlad party list in quandary". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  12. ^ Jorge Cariño (December 9, 2009). "Church not anti-gay, says priest". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  13. ^ Dizon, David (June 29, 2015). "LGBT group: Anti-discrimination first, gay marriage later". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  14. ^ "Power of the Catholic Church slipping in Philippines". Christian Science Monitor. March 6, 2013. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  15. ^ Magsambol, Bonz (June 29, 2019). "Record-breaking: 70,000 Filipinos join Metro Manila Pride 2019". Rappler. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  16. ^ Nadal, Kevin L. (2009). Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice. AuthorHouse. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-4389-7118-6.
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