November 10th, 2009 About Rainbow Rights Project
The Rainbow Rights Project (R-Rights), Inc. is a group of lesbian and gay lawyers and legal activists who are dedicated to promoting a rational discourse on the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBTs). Following its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2005, R-Rights was formally launched in the same year at the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies. The affair also doubled as a Roundtable Discussion on gay rights and the law entitled “OUR RIGHTS: Law 101 for LGBTs”.
Since then, the group has launched the “Pink Card” which sought to educate LGBTs about their basic human rights, and inform them of what to do in case they are arrested or criminally charged for offenses commonly filed against LGBTs; the “Blue Card” which is a primer for the legal protection of lesbians in intimate relationships; and the “Lilac Card” which is a guide that outlines the rights of lesbians in the work place.
R-Rights has likewise assisted in several cases affecting the legal rights of specific LGBT individuals (i.e. discrimination case of a gay librarian against Miriam College, Fahrenheit Imbestigador expose’, harassed transgendered at G4, Makati, etc.). It has also responded to several legal queries on various LGBT issues and served as resource persons for various academic researches and fora on LGBT concerns.
During the LGBT Pride March in December last year, R-Rights co-organized the biggest all-women contingent with Radar Pridewear, Lunduyan ng Sining (LNS), and the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines.
To find out what issues are important to gay men, R-Rights conducted a forum last year entitled “M2M: A Rainbow Exchange on Living the Gay Life”. M2M was organized with the help of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC).
In 2007, R-Rights launched the Dyke Dialogues Series which aims to provide young lesbians with a venue to discuss various issues that concern the community. Most recently, R-Rights sponsored “Dyke Dialogues 3: The Sex Talk”, a forum on safer sex practices and the intricacies of lesbian relationships. R-Rights will soon be taking the Dyke Dialogues to colleges and universities in Metro Manila. The Dyke Dialogues Series and M2M Series are sponsored by Radar Pridewear.
What R-Rights stands for: Vision, Mission and Goals
Check out our achievements and activities