The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) political party Ang Ladlad, keeping the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from implementing its resolution to ban the group from running in this year’s elections.

Comelec earlier disqualified the party for supposedly advocating “immorality” and posing a “threat to the youth.” Ang Ladlad brought the case to the SC with a 26-page petition.

“A cursory perusal of the Comelec thesis reveals that the commission equated Ang Ladlad’s tolerance of the beliefs of those ‘differently oriented’ with the petitioner-applicant’s purported acts or practice of immorality,” it said.

The petition accused the poll body of violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees a person’s civil rights despite sexual preference, and argued that Comelec’s rationale was rooted in religious beliefs which according to the 1987 constitution should be separated from matters of the state.

Although the TRO is effective for an “indefinite” time pending the SC’s decision on Ang Ladlad’s petition, the group has considered it a victory.

"Nung nagpadala ang Comelec nung November ng kanilang decision na Ladlad should not be allowed to run because they are immoral...tawa ko nang tawa [When Comelec first announced their decision in November, that Ladlad should not be allowed to run because they are immoral, I just laughed and laughed],” said Ang Ladlad head Danton Remoto.

“Sabi ko, ano nangyari sa sa Comelec? Ang IQ bumagsak...Ayan tuloy, dinampot sa kangkungan [I asked, what happened to Comelec? It’s like their IQ crashed. Naturally, they lost]."

“We are the first gay and lesbian party in the world,” Remoto added. “Nothing can stop us now.”