Lea Salonga presses for same-sex marriage in PH: ‘May pag-asa pa kaya?’

Image: Instagram/@juansarte

Lea Salonga reiterated her stance as an ally of the LGBT community when she took to social media recently to air her sentiments regarding trans rights and same-sex marriage.

Salonga is known for advocating gay rights and uses her online platform in voicing out her advocacies. It’s true that a picture says a thousand words when Salonga, last Oct. 24, took to Instagram to share to her fans an illustration depicting what transphobia is.

In the illustration, a beautiful butterfly can be seen introducing itself to a snail, saying, “Hello I am a butterfly.”

The snail answers back, “Hello caterpillar. You are a caterpillar.”

“Just gonna leave this here,” Salonga wrote on her post. “Trans rights are human rights, and trans people will not be erased.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpUHSlOFT1v/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1uyc7xliswpto

On the same day, Salonga took to her Twitter and wondered out loud if she’d ever see the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Philippines.

“I often wonder if I’ll ever see same sex marriage legalized in my country in my lifetime,” she wrote. “May pag-asa pa kaya? Hmmm…”

I often wonder if I’ll ever see same sex marriage legalized in my country in my lifetime. May pag-asa pa kaya? Hmmm…

— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) October 24, 2018

Her tweet has garnered almost 3,000 favorites since the time of posting, seemingly echoing the sentiments of her manifold fans.

One netizen (@elhombretequila) replied to Salonga’s tweet and told her they don’t want to redefine the definition of marriage in the Philippines for pragmatic purposes.

“For pragmatic purposes and in the spirit of harmonious coexistence, I’m not for redefining the definition of marriage in our country,” the netizen wrote. “Or forcing Churches or pastors to marry same-sex couples.”

For pragmatic purposes and in the spirit of harmonious coexistence, I'm not for redefining the definition of marriage in our country or forcing Churches or pastors to marry same-sex couples.

— El Hombre XO (@elhombretequila) October 24, 2018

Salonga replied to the netizen, telling them that she was speaking in secular terms, not religious. “Oh, I was speaking secular only. Not religious. Hence the term ‘legalized.’”

Oh, I was speaking secular only. Not religious. Hence the term "legalized."

— Lea Salonga (@MsLeaSalonga) October 24, 2018

Although many celebrities have since voiced their support for the SOGIE Bill and same-sex marriage, for some lawmakers, the concept is still pretty much unwelcome.

Last December, Senate President Tito Sotto and Sen. Joel Villanueva gave the thumbs down when it came to the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage in the Philippines. As per Sotto, such a proposal would not fly in Congress.

“[It] won’t fly,” Sotto said then. “Sogie lang hindi makalusot, yun pa?”

Meanwhile, Villanueva said that marriage is sacred and goes beyond the state. “I am against same sex marriage. Sacred ang marriage. Hindi yan usaping estado lang. Marapat yata na ipaubaya sa simbahan yan.”  /ra

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