LGBTQIA+

One way for schools to address and mitigate bullying and discrimination is to provide educational resources to students, teachers, and staff to familiarize them with LGBTQIA+ people and issues. Unfortunately, positive information and resources about sexual orientation and gender identity are extremely scarce in Philippine secondary schools. When students do learn about LGBTQIA+ people and issues in school, the messages tend to be negative, condemning same-sex relationships and transgender identities as immoral or unnatural. "There would be a lecture where they'd somehow pass by the topic of homosexuality and show you, try to illustrate that in the Bible, in Christian theology, homosexuality is a sin, and if you want to be a good Christian you shouldn't engage in those activities," Juan N., a 22-year-old transgender man who attended high school in Manila, said.

When students face these issues, whether alone or in groups, the school environment can become difficult or hostile. Students described how bullying, discrimination, and exclusion caused them to lose concentration, skip class, or seek to transfer schools, all of which jeopardized their right to an education. To make the right to an education meaningful for all students, including LGBTQIA+ students, teachers, administrators, and lawmakers must collaborate with LGBTQIA+ advocates to make schools safer and more inclusive places for LGBTQIA+ children to learn.

I hope that when all schools reopen, the bullying and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people will stop. I wish for a peaceful and loving environment in schools where everyone can express affection for one another despite their differences.

To realize that hopeful dream, the Philippine Congress should pass an anti-discrimination bill that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, health care, and public accommodations. The Department of Education should develop a system for collecting and disseminating data on bullying in schools based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Forms should be revised to more clearly differentiate and record incidents of gender-based bullying based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and these categories should be included on all forms related to bullying, abuse, or violence against children and they should issue an order requiring schools to respect students' gender identities in terms of dress codes, facility access, and participation in curricular and extracurricular activities. Local officials should pass local ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, especially in education, employment, healthcare, and public accommodations. School administrators should implement anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity, inform students about how to report bullying incidents, and specify consequences for bullying. And, as a student and fellow LGBTQIA+ member, what I can do to lessen the aforementioned discrimination and bullying is to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and spread awareness of the issues that LGTQIA+ people face. So, how about you? What can you do to help alleviate this problem?