Should there be new laws for the protection and representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines?

The LGBTQ+ community has long been marginalized in Philippine society.
The 2005 study led by Eric Julian Manalastas, faculty member of the Department of Psychology, UP Diliman, finds that one out of four Filipinos do not want LGBTQ+ individuals as neighbors; while four out of ten Filipinos consider homosexuals as unjustifiable. Furthermore, Manalastas finds that “same–sex sexual orientation appears to be related to elevated suicide risk among young Filipina women.” In addition, Manalastas also stated that “Sexual minority Filipina women were up to twice more likely to report having thought about committing suicide and having attempted to commit suicide, compared to heterosexual counterparts.”
In 2007, to give voice to the marginalized LGBT sector, the group called Ang Ladlad LGBT Party filed before the Commission on Elections a petition for registration as a sectoral party under the party–list system of representation.  On the ground that Ang Ladlad did not have enough members nationwide, Comelec rejected the 2007 petition of the said party list. This has resulted to many Filipinos debating whether or not there should be new laws that need to be introduced in order to protect the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines. More people have pushed for this, however, authorities in the legislative branch have not approved the passage of the presented bills.

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