A potential boon for members of the LGBTQ+ community arises. Representative Pantaleon Alvarez has once again filed House Bill (HB) 2264, also known as the Civil Partnership bill, in the 18th Congress.

“This bill… hereby proposes to allow couples to enter into a civil partnership, whether they are of the opposite or of the same sex,” said Alvarez. “It aims to be a landmark effort to provide civil rights, benefits and responsibilities to couples, previously unable to marry, by giving them due recognition and protection from the State.”

Picture this. If this bill passes, members of the LGBTQ+ will finally be allowed the same rights that cisgendered heterosexual people have simply because they are cisgendered heterosexuals. That means the right to own conjugal properties, the right to intestate succession and the right jointly adopt children. These may seem like basic things, but they have long been denied to LGBTQ+s who have continued to fight for them.

However, HB 2264 was already brought to the eyes of the 17th congress who failed to see its importance and, thus, did not pass it. A lot of this happens because people believe they will be unaffected by a situation no matter what the outcome is. In fact, this is an infamous Filipino attitude known as the bahala na attitude. This is a very dangerous outlook that has slain a lot of good ideas, obliterated songs that were never recorded and incinerated college papers that were never written.

IF the bill passes, members will finally be granted the same rights as heterosexuals.

But really though, there is a lot of danger in just sitting on the fence. Who knows what things we continue to let pass under our noses just because we shrugged. So let’s try again.

Here I am, a tiny gay girl, trying to explain why civil rights are important even if you won’t be directly affected by its passage or non-passage (oh, but you will). One might argue that LGBTQ+s have literally marched the streets doing this but for some reason the idea doesn’t seem to get through. We’ll keep at it anyway. Like a 900-year-old Jedi Master once said, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Alright. Think for a moment about the kind of culture you want your society to perpetuate.

Do you want to continue a cycle of exclusion and bullying brought about by apocryphal ‘truths?’ Depression in LGBTQ+ and questioning youth? Adults struggling to just exist in a law-filled society where the laws in effect do not protect them?

Or do you want a culture that has the courage to go against institutionalized untruths that constantly bars citizens from having equal rights?

Do you want a culture wherein LGBTQ+ and questioning youth are taught that they are less than others because of something completely out of their control thus leading them to no longer have faith in our justice system?

DON’T let other people’s beliefs hold you back out of fear of what’s on the other side.

Or do you want our children to know that they are accepted as integral members of society which in turn allows them to grow up to be productive adults in our communities?

Are you the kind of person who lets their beliefs lead them and the people around them to light? Or are you prone to letting those beliefs hold you back out of fear of what’s on the other side?

That’s all it really takes. The fight for the Civil Partnership Bill is in effect. It really doesn’t take that long to figure out where the path of the light side is. We hope to see you there.