EMERGE
Empowered Movements for Rights and Gender Equality (EMERGE) is a project supported by The Asia Foundation (TAF). It is a project led by a consortium of other LGBTQI civil society organizations—all seeking to build momentum for national policy changes that promote an end to violence, discrimination, and abuse of LGBTQI persons.
Under EMERGE, Babaylanes has been making significant strides in promoting awareness and change to support the LGBTQI community.
Resource hub
balangaw.ph
a one-stop online LGBTQI Resource Hub
balangaw.ph is our one-stop online resource center that aims to consolidate community-based research and scholarly information on all things queer to make LGBTQI-related data accessible for every one.
The primary objective of balangaw.ph is to democratize access to LGBTQI-related data, ensuring that advocates and allies can easily find and utilize this information.
book
Philippine LGBTQI Rights History Book
In addition to our online resource hub, we are currently working on a literary project that aims to document and analyze the historical evolution of the LGBTQI movement in the Philippines, particularly its endeavors in advocating for the enactment of LGBTQI-responsive legislation and policies. This book is anticipated to be a critical resource, comprising essays that delve into the pivotal moments encountered by LGBTQI activists, the political frameworks they navigated, and the strategic approaches they employed. The content is designed to enlighten advocates, legislators, and potential allies about the significant milestones and challenges that have shaped the movement’s trajectory.
Campaigns for the SOGIESC Equality Bill
We have also ventured into multimedia campaigns to galvanize support for the enactment of a national anti-discrimination law.
Among these initiatives is the “SA’N KA HAPPY?” campaign, which employs case studies to highlight the lived experiences of queer families, the importance of workplace inclusivity, and the necessity of equality within educational settings. This video campaign not only sheds light on the diverse challenges faced by the LGBTQI community but also promotes a narrative of hope and inclusivity.
Complementing this, another campaign video articulates the fundamental message that “everyone deserves a safe and accepting community.” This video features several advocates and new faces from different sectors to speak about their experiences of discrimination and to call for the passage of the SOGIESC Equality Bill. Our advocacy extends beyond digital and media platforms, as the we remain committed to onsite mobilization efforts. Our most recent lobbying activity was held at the Senate, where we joined Lagablab to urge our lawmakers to break the prolonged impasse surrounding the SOGIESC Equality Bill within the Committee on Rules.