‘Bisdak Pride’ Condemns Laude’s Killer

The Bisdak Pride Inc., on Wednesday released its official statement against the death of one of their members, condemning the author of the crime.

“The death of our dear transgender sister Jennifer Laude of Olangapo City, at the hands of suspect American serviceman Joseph Scott Pemberton moved us because Jennifer belongs to an already marginalized group, aptly called sexual minority or community – or those persons with different sexual orientation, gender identity and expression – commonly known as lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT)”, Roxanne Omega Doron, Executive Director of the Bisdak Pride, Inc. said in an emailed statement.

Doron described the LGBT community as internationally protected by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC), including the Philippines, when it voted to support LGBT rights.

Doron quoted Executive Director Jessica Stern of the International Gay and Lesbians Council and Lesbians Human Rights Council, saying the UNHRC has taken a fundamental step forward by reaffirming one of the United Nations’ key principles – that everyone is equal in dignity and rights.

Doron also recalled in 2007, the Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity were released by a group of 29 international human rights experts.

According to Doron, the principles affirm binding legal standards with which all States must comply and they were adopted by a group of distinguished experts in international law following a meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Among the group of experts who attended the meeting were a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN independent experts, current and former members of human rights treaty bodies, judges, academics and human rights defenders, Doron added.

Doron stressed that in the Philippines, only a handful of cities, namely Cebu, Davao, Quezon, and San Fernando in Pampanga, passed an ordinance protecting the rights of LGBTs.

He said in theory, the passage provides a ‘blanket’ protection, punishing the culprits which violate such rights.

The case of Jennifer Laude is different, unique, and troublesome, because it is not just between a man and a transgender woman; it also involves the Philippines and the United States bonded by an unjust and unequal Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) in favor of the latter, Doron said.

She said the ‘unjustness’ of such military agreement was exemplified by the notorious Daniel Smith case –whitewashed and forgotten.

In 2007, Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, a US serviceman was acquitted by the Court of Appeals (CA) of raping “Nicole,” a teenage Filipina, said Doron.

Doron hinted,”applying it to the Philippine context with our own culture and tradition in relation to our acceptance and tolerance to the practices of gay community is a challenging and daunting task ahead of us”.

“Nevertheless, regardless of who Jennifer is, a crime is a crime, and we don’t want another “Daniel Smith”, Doron’s statement concluded.