Ongoing Projects
Student Organizing
Since its inception, Babaylanes has helped in establishing LGBTQI student organizations all over the country. This has been the organization’s original mandate which was to replicate the “Babaylan experience” — alluding to our student organizing root through the pioneering LGBTQI student organization, UP Babaylan. Babaylanes then facilitates a safe and learning environment through the annual LGBTQI Student Network Conference wherein emerging student organizations gather to consolidate action plans for the year.
Ongoing
SOGIESC and Human Rights Education
The advocacy and campaigns of Babaylanes has always been rooted on the ideas of SOGIESC Equality and Social Justice. Consequently, the organization consistently educate everyone on SOGIESC and Human Rights. This is done by providing expertise through our pool of experts and by developing modules and researches.
Ongoing
SOGIE Equality Bill Campaigns
Babaylanes has been involved in the legislative battle for SOGIE Equality Bill since it was first filed in 2000 (then called, Anti-Discrimination Bill). In fact, the original version of the bill was written by one Babaylanes’ founding members. After two decades, Babaylanes is still active voice as it currently leads the Lagablab LGBT Network, the most significant network of LGBTQI organizations in the country that lobbies for LGBTQI legislations.
Ongoing
Building Rainbow Communities
Building Rainbow Communities is a three-year project with Voice Philippines. It was conceptualized out of a series of Focus Group Discussions which surfaced the disparity in the level of engagements between provincial organizations and those based in urban metropolitan areas. Babaylanes then comes in as brokers — facilitators of information, resources, opportunities, and even social relations. The project objective is to address the disparity between groups at the center and those at the peripheries through mutual exchanges of knowledge. Although Babaylanes aims to strengthen and highlight the influencing capacities of these groups, the organization also looks forward to learning their diverse situations — taking them as considerations in setting the trajectory of the movement as a collective.
August 2021 – February 2024
Babaylanes Equality Fellowship
Babaylanes Equality Fellowship is a year-long project with the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives. It was crafted after seeing graduates of the National LGBTQI Student Network losing their access organizations and learning platforms wherein they can continue their advocacy. Furthermore, many young LGBTQI individuals do not even have the luxury of having access to any resources and opportunities. Babaylanes then aims to provide a fellowship program which will hone the skills of young and emerging LGBTQI leaders. Babaylanes hopes that graduates of this fellowship program can expand the LGBTQI network and capacitate further second-liners in the advocacy.
October 2021 – March 2023
(IM)PART Country Implementation
(IM)PART: Advocating for LGBTQI Social and Economic Inclusion is a project by APCOM supported by Voice. The project is built on the achievements, experiences, reflections and lessons learned during the implementation of Finance Inc. It aims to consolidate and expand on the achievements of, and integrate lessons and reflections from implementation of Finance Inc. It also aims to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal on of leaving no one behind and increase social and economic inclusion of LGBTQI people and communities through engaging the Asian Development Bank and the private sector/businesses in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Thailand. Babaylanes is implementing the in-country components of (IM)PART in the Philippines. Suara Kita (Indonesia), CHIas (Lao PDR), Microrainbow International (Cambodia), and APCOM (Thailand) are implementing the in-country activities in their respective countries.
October 2021 – February 2023
EMERGE Project
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. With the support of TAF, Babaylanes will be developing an online resource hub that will serve as a “one-stop” learning resource center for SOGIESC education, LGBTQI rights information, and SOGIE Equality Bill/Anti-Discrimination Bill updates. Babaylanes will also be developing a material which chronicles the developments, highs, and lows of the Phillippine LGBTQI movement’s efforts to lobby for the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill. The material will inform advocates, lawmakers, and potential supporters of LGBTQI legislations on better frames and strategies on advocating for SOGIESC-focused and LGBTQI-inclusive laws and policies.
December 2021 – March 2024