Slurs, verbal harassment among top SOGIESC-based issues in civil society workplaces

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MANILA, Philippines – How welcoming is your workplace, really? Can people of all identities thrive without fear of discrimination or harassment?

With the lack of national policies in place to combat discrimination, having workplaces that are inclusive to people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) are hard to find.

A recent report by the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus revealed the current state of SOGIESC mainstreaming efforts within the web of civil society organizations (CSOs) based in the Philippines.

The research, “Baseline Study and Mapping of Non-LGBTQIA+ Focused CSOs on SOGIESC Mainstreaming in the Philippines,” focused on non-LGBTQ+ civil society organizations (CSOs), who operate on broader social, economic, political, or human rights-based concerns.

Surveyed from September to November 2024, rights-based CSOs within Metro Manila made up the pool of respondents for the study, with a sizable portion coming from the Calabarzon and Bicol.

The report offered a localized perspective, building on their previous study of how Southeast Asian organizations are working to mainstream SOGIESC concepts.

What we know

Data suggested that negative comments, verbal harassment, and unfair treatment were among the top SOGIESC-based issues commonly encountered by participating CSOs. Similarly, these were also the ones mostly addressed.

This was then followed by incidents of sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and physical harassment.

Despite this, it was shown that awareness and understanding of SOGIESC mainstreaming in these organizations was high — but this was largely on an individual level more than the much broader organizational level.

SOGIESC mainstreaming involves integrating inclusive policies and programs that prevent discrimination and promote equality for people of diverse gender and identity, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals.

It should be made clear, however, that awareness does not necessarily equate to an understanding of LGBTQ+ related issues.

A significant number of organizations expressed that they were committed to SOGIESC mainstreaming but only some stated that they were likely to institutionalize it in the next three years. Cultural resistance, organizational readiness, resource limitations, and varying organizational priorities make this difficult to achieve.

A need to do more

While some CSOs have good practices in place, they are not yet enough. The findings of the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus (ASC) report show that organizations must go beyond that.

For non-LGBTQ+ CSOs and workplaces to fully integrate and absorb SOGIESC concepts in their operations, it requires close collaboration with LGBTQ+ CSOs in developing a culturally-sensitive, context-driven framework.

Meanwhile, the study generally suggested these action points focusing on organizational governance, capacity building, and solidarity building:

Integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies into organizational plans
Ensuring accountability mechanisms for implementation
Allocating budget for gender mainstreaming
Introducing key performance indicators to track SOGIESC progress
Developing LGBTQ+ leadership and SOGIESC-focused capacity building for management
Fostering strategic and sustainable collaboration between non-LGBTQ+ organizations, queer and ally groups, the media, and the local government

A window for opportunity

Referencing the recent attacks against DEI in the United States, Chris Eugenio of the Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride said that corporations are now facing challenges when it comes to staying committed to their DEI policies.

“It’s a tricky situation and for most corporate players, mainly because a lot of them are also federal contractors. They are making some very, very tough decisions with regards to their policies and their programs,” Eugenio said.

However, he also expressed that this can be a window of opportunity for those working with DEI policies.

“I look at this as an opportunity and this may be a call to action for all of us working in the DEI space, especially for us here in the Philippines, because when I think about the business case, for example, in DEI, everything is anchored on Western philosophies, Western frameworks, Western ideologies, but DEI exists in our culture as well. So, I guess this is a call to action for all of us to define DEI in our own terms,” Eugenio explained.

This is parallel to one of the study’s recommendations to contextualize and localize the concept of SOGIESC.

Not exclusive to CSOs

Integrating SOGIESC in workplaces should not exclusively apply to civil society but also to those in other settings, such as the private sector.

The report, referencing a 2024 paper by Babaylanes, said that there is a connection between LGBTQ+ inclusion in workspaces and both business productivity and economic growth, because employee satisfaction and motivation, on the individual level, play a role in improving performance.

Likewise, ASC stressed the need for more work to be done on anti-discrimination and the fight for equality. As of most recent data from Babaylanes, only 11 provinces have anti-discrimination ordinances.

Aklan recently passed its anti-discrimination policy, aiming to protect its citizens with diverse SOGIESC and other vulnerable groups from any forms of unfair treatment.

With workplace bigotry still rampant and the SOGIE Bill stalled, the fight for a more inclusive and equal Philippines remains distant. – with reports from MJ Catequista, Eujuan Rafael Ong/Rappler.com

Eujuan Rafael Ong is a Rappler volunteer for MovePH. He is a junior Public Administration student at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He also leads the ‘Fast News’ Section of NCPAG-Umalohokan, the official student publication of the UP NCPAG.

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