Philippine celebs come out in support of LGBT equality |

Philippine celebrities have been coming out in support of LGBT rights as a billoOwb4ke=t1#100)f0#[email protected]$8yl$y(xPFyV*De)H(&m to protect rights continues to stall in the nation's congress.

A long-awaited bill that would criminalize discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE) is one of the slowest-moving bills in the nation's history.

Senator#RWYCfC3$Ef%btB_=XUqOZD5F8M+^lu-E%[email protected]*o% Risa Hontiveros filed the bill in 2016. And, lawmakers and rights activist originally drafted the law nearly 20 years ago.

The House of Representatives passed tOU^2F#*XXAl9AW)m%58rnx-0comR+eCrW6LNF(_kfNOnA5mvhVhe bill in 2017 with unanimous support from 198 lawmakers.

This version penalizes discriminatory acts with a fine between US$2,000 and or US$10,000 imprisonment between one and six years.

But, conserZCG&ScjKoWvfr337UPA_Fq1JQO7!8ay=3Qn4E+Ps$NiLCAjg%gvative lawmakers, including anti-LGBTI boxer Manny Pacquiao, have stalled it in the Senate.

Actress, TV host, and renowned socialite Heart Evangelista took s-#Yf8QS*tW4+MyxZzi7he!)G&yHV*e1qvEHFX&x&DBMi&BGBjto Instagram to support the bill, saying "Equality is everything".

Equality is everything. 🏳‍🌈 I am #ComingOut4Equality to support the SOGIE Equality Bill to protect the rights and welfare of the LGBTQ+ community. A little goes a long way. Our support means the world. ❤

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Equality is everything. 🏳‍🌈 I am #ComingOut4Equality to support the SOGIE Equality Bill to protect the rights and welfare of the LGBTQ+ community. A little goes a long way. Our support means the world. ❤
A post shared by Heart Evangelista (@iamhearte) on Sep 2, 2019 at 8:56pm PDT

Flipino-Australian actress, model, television host Anne Curtis-Smith-Heussaff said "dQIw!UPZ=MGyOi70ngrr7nwGIS(4i6KZN)S0XVFkZVtduKfKjwIt breaks my heart and saddens me that people are so against the passing of the bill when in fact, it all boils down to equal rights as HUMAN BEINGS" in an Instagram post.

With the SOGIE Bill hearing recently happening and with such a heated discussion ongoing about it being passed. I just want to share my thoughts. I am an ally of the LGBTQIA+ Community and have been open about that for years. I have friends and family wh

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With the SOGIE Bill hearing recently happening and with such a heated discussion ongoing about it being passed. I just want to share my thoughts. I am an ally of the LGBTQIA+ Community and have been open about that for years. I have friends and family who are part of this community and whom I love very much. It breaks my heart and saddens me that people are so against the passing of the bill when in fact, it all boils down to equal rights as HUMAN BEINGS... but sadly because of discrimination, a bill like this has to be made.... because, instead of kindness, compassion, respect and UNDERSTANDING it has come to a point where they need this bill to protect their rights as human beings. Equality is all they seek for. Equality regardless of what gender they identify as or how they choose to express themselves and equality as human beings and citizens of this country... just like all of US. . 📸: @bjpascual for @metromagph wearing @michaelleyva_ I still stand by these words I said for this cover in 2016... “We are all the same. We are all human beings who deserve a chance and equal opportunities in life. May it be for work, life or love we should be given equal rights”. . #comingoutforequality #sogieequalitybill
A post shared by Anne Curtis (@annecurtissmith) on Sep 7, 2019 at 5:45am PDT

Angelina Mead King, a transgender businessperson and wife of TV personality Joey Mead King, said: "The bill, once passed into law, ensures equal access of everyone to social services, education,eUh!#&xIr%[email protected]!tu(7(ySSB4K%FdBcs1phA=-Ynrc and employment."

Hello everyone! I need your help to create awareness about the SOGIE Equality Bill it aims to protect the rights & welfare of everyone against discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity & expression. The bill, once passed into law,

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Hello everyone! I need your help to create awareness about the SOGIE Equality Bill it aims to protect the rights & welfare of everyone against discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity & expression. The bill, once passed into law, ensures equal access of everyone to social services, education, and employment. On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or on all 3, post either a personal photo with a rainbow or the #ComingOut4Equality social media card with the caption that you are #ComingOut4Equality and support the SOGIE Equality Bill to protect the rights and welfare of LGBTQ+ persons. Please tag your friends to help us create awareness about this! 🏳️‍🌈❤️ #lgbt #sogie
A post shared by Angelina Mead King (@angiemeadking) on Aug 28, 2019 at 2:50am PDT

Model and beauty-pageant winner Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, meanwhile, said "very effort creates ripples of positive change that we need to finally stop stigma and discrimination (both external and within the community itself)" and shared an image explaining the differences between gender identity and sexual orientation.

Did you hear about what happened? Me too! So here, please meet the GingerBread Person ❤️ . We have different ways to promote our causes and support the 🌈 community. Some through advocating for policy, some for demand generation and some for awareness. No

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Did you hear about what happened? Me too! So here, please meet the GingerBread Person ❤️ . We have different ways to promote our causes and support the 🌈 community. Some through advocating for policy, some for demand generation and some for awareness. No action is too small! Every effort creates ripples of positive change that we need to finally stop stigma and discrimination (both external and within the community itself), Hopefully through this post I can educate someone and reach those who need to understand the concept of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sexual Characteristics (Expression). Read on and please share away: link is also on my bio https://www.genderbread.org/resource/genderbread-person-v4-0-poster
A post shared by Pia Wurtzbach (@piawurtzbach) on Aug 13, 2019 at 5:48pm PDT