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Loud and Proud: Resisting Authoritarianism in the Philippines

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ASEAN Beat | Politics | Southeast Asia

Loud and Proud: Resisting Authoritarianism in the Philippines

The country’s LGBTQ+ community has mobilized to oppose the Duterte administration’s authoritarian turn.

Loud and Proud: Resisting Authoritarianism in the Philippines

Participants in the 2019 Metro Manila Pride March, June 29, 2019.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Pandekate

On June 26, 2020, a year ago this Saturday, 20 members and supporters of the Philippines’ LGBTQ+ community were arrested as they led a march marking International Pride Month in the capital Manila. The group, most of whom were members of a range of LGBTQ+ and women’s rights groups, were detained for five days before being released. Holding a protest rally in Mendiola, in central Manila, was a bold move: It was the first time that a group had dared to protest near the presidential palace since the government’s militaristic COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were first imposed in March 2020.

“At its very core, Pride is, and will always be, a protest; Pride means fighting back. And so we marched to Mendiola, demanding the right to health, economic aid, and democracy,” said Carla Nicoyco, chairperson of the LGBTQ+ organization Bahaghari Philippines. Nicoyco was among the 20 detained and charged with resistance and disobedience to authority, illegal assembly, and violation of Republic Act No. 11332, the Law on Reporting of Communicable Diseases.

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