December 3rd, 2009 Programs and Committees

Policy Advocacy and Research

R-Rights’ main innovation to LGBT advocacy in the Philippines is the establishment of a legal & policy “think tank” dedicated to LGBT issues.  Through the production of strategic policy studies and research papers, and proposed legal reform measures, it also aims to foster an informed, rational, & objective discourse on LGBT issues.

Some notable works by R-Rights members presented locally and internationally are the following:

“Knowing Where We Stand: Filipino Lesbians and the Law”, National Lesbian Symposium, April 2005, Quezon City (by Germaine Leonin)

“Unmasked: Instances of Discrimination against Filipino Lesbians”, National Lesbian Symposium, April 2005, Quezon City (by Angie Umbac)

“Boxing with the Shadows: LGBTs and the Law”, Pink of Health: ProGay LGBT Leadership Conference, August 2005, Davao City (by Gari Bernal)

“Common Charges filed against LGBTs”, Gay Men Support Group (GMSG) Paralegal Training Workshop, October 2005, Quezon City (by Gari Bernal)

“The Filipino Transexuals’ Legal Issue: Altering One’s Birth Certificate”, Society of Transexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP), March 2006, Quezon City (by Germaine Leonin)

“Promoting LGBT Rights under Sexual Orientation Law: A Call for True Legal Pluralism”, presented before the International Congress for Legal Pluralism, June 2006, Depok, West Java, Indonesia (by Germaine Leonin)

“LGBT Rights Advocacy: The Struggle for Equality and Respect”, IDEALS’ Gender Sensitivity Training, June 2006, Quezon City (by Germaine Leonin)

“CEDAW and its Relevance to Lesbian Rights: A Situationer/Analysis”, Convocation on Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights, November 2006, Quezon City (by Germaine Leonin)

“LGBTs and Mass Media: The Philippine Experience”, Special Problems in Journalism, UP College of Mass Communications, June 2007, Quezon City (by Germaine Leonin)

“Political Economy and Human Rights: Its Impact on Lesbians as Sexual Minorities”, National Consultation Dialogue with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, September 2007, Manila (by Germaine Leonin)

Training, Education and Capability-Building
A vital element of LGBT advocacy work depends on information campaigns and consciousness or awareness-raising through education, trainings and capability-building activities.

As such, R-Rights’ has conducted numerous Round-Table Discussions and Focused Group Discussions on a variety of topics relevant to Filipino LGBTs. The widely popular “Dyke Dialogues and Rainbow Exchange Series” has generated a lot of interest and support from the LGBT Community and has even attracted non-LGBTs on certain occasions. Besides encouraging discourse on LGBT concerns, it has provided LGBTs some basic knowledge on Philippine law and human rights entitlements.

On the other hand, R-Rights members have given numerous interviews to students on LGBT issues, and have spoken in several school fora and symposia of leading universities and colleges around the country.

Publications, Resources and Documentation

Another important tool of advocacy work is the availability of resource materials consisting of publications and documentations. R-Rights aims to have a legal resource center and/or library devoted to sexual orientation law.

The widely acclaimed “PINK CARD” project sought to educate LGBTs about their basic human rights, and to inform them of what to do in case they are arrested or criminally charged for offenses commonly filed against LGBTs. And as a follow-up to the highly praised “Pink Card” for gay men, R-Rights also came up with the “Lilac Card” on basic rights in the workplace, and the “Blue Card” for lesbian relationships. Like the Pink Card, these handy, pocket-size pamphlets took a long time coming, but still proved to be invaluable resource materials on basic human rights for the local LGBT community.

Direct Legal Services

R-Rights’ direct legal services are grounded on the concept of developmental legal aid. Thus, its type of legal assistance is primarily aimed at empowering the LGBT Community by making them familiar with their basic human rights under Philippine law and by giving them a working knowledge of various legal mechanisms and procedures.

R-Rights has assisted in several cases affecting the specific legal rights of LGBT individuals by providing legal advise and counseling. This is done through emailed legal queries on different LGBT issues or in the form of phone-in queries similar to “emergency hotline” services.

Similarly, R-Rights has also drafted numerous legal documents, from complaint-affidavits, to Special Powers of Attorney (SPAs), property arrangements, and co-parenting agreements.

On the other hand, R-Rights members has never stopped assisting LGBTs in legal trouble through its constant QRTs (Quick Response Team) where R-Rights members find themselves in police stations or security offices of institutions and establishments at odd hours of the day.

Campaigns, Networking, and Media Relations

R-Rights actively campaigns for the mainstreaming of LGBT legal issues and has issued press releases and statements, as well as Letters to the Editor (LTTE) to national newspapers.

R-Rights purposively networks with other NGOs, always on the lookout for other sectors and organizations it can collaborate with and build up as allies. It has recently worked with the UP Law Paralegal Volunteers Organization (UP PVO), Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), Lunduyan ng Sining (LNS), Radar Pridewear, UP Film Institute, Society of Transexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP), Cebu Pride, and Cagayan de Oro People Like us (CDO PLUS).

R-Rights members likewise participate as individuals in local networks and coalitions like Task Force Pride (TFP) and Ang Ladlad LGBT Party, Inc.(Ang Ladlad), and has affiliations with Lawyers for Liberty (LIBERTAS). It will soon become part of the Alternative Law Groups (ALG), a network of NGOs catering to marginalized sectors.