What is SOGIE?
SOGIE stands for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression.
Sexual Orientation - Refers to the person's identity based on the gender of the person
they feel sexual or emotional attraction for
Gender Identity - Refers to how one identifies as; man, woman, neither, fluid, etc. A biological
male can identify as a woman. A biological woman can identify as a man.
Gender Expression - Refers to how one expresses their gender identity usually appearance, clothing
and behavior; most common classifications are masculine and feminine expression.
The "Genderbread Man", summarizing the definition of SOGIE.
Changes After Implementation
After the implementation of the SOGIE Bill, people afraid of expressing their SOGIE might feel safer as society will hopefully become more open-minded and knowledgable about the said topic thanks to the programs to be launched by the government. The summary of this bill, as we see it, is that people who belong to the LGBTQI+ will be protected from the harmful discriminatory behavior exhibited by society.
Rally in support of the SOGIE Bill
About the Bill
The bill was filed for the first time by the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Representative Etta Rosales. Failing to pass successfully, Defensor-Santiago re-filed the bill to no avail until her last term in 2016. In August of 2019, a controversy regarding the bill sparked following an incident involving transgender woman Gretchen Diez. She was told to leave the female washroom in a mall, after which she filed a complaint, which caused the SOGIE bill to be brought up and into the public eye.
Gretchen Diez speaking about the incident on a CNN news segment.
Pros & Cons of the SOGIE bill
| Pros | Cons |
| Prevents SOGIE discrimination of not only people included in LGBTQI+ but all citizens | Raises questions about biological sex specific jobs (gynecologists, priests etc.) |
| Lessens discrimination by fining violators | Programs to educate the masses about SOGIE are likely to fail or be ignored. |
| Aims to educate people about SOGIE | Corrupt officials can let the offenses pass due to connections. |
| May provide more opportunities for the LGBTQI+ community as they'll be less discriminated | |
| SOGIE-related concerns or cases will be attended to more. | |
Sources:
"Genderbread
Man"
Rally Image
Gretchen
Diez on CNN
Info about the SOGIE Bill