I am favor of Same Sex Marriage in the Philippines primarily because this is a right of every Filipino LGBT.

Marriage, I firmly believe, is a fundamental right. Whether you are LGBT or not, marriage must be available to those
who want it.

Actually, Same Sex Marriage is not a religious issue, it is a human rights issue.
As of this date, I had conducted more than 196 weddings since 2009. Most of my weddings are lesbian
relationships, I had only 22 man to man weddings.

MARRIAGE IS ABOUT MUTUAL LOVE, RESPECT AND SUPPORT

I do not want to single out Marriage for Same Sex alone. I believe understanding Same Sex Marriage is
understanding Marriage as it is.
Marriage for some people is something that is forceful and that you can not get away from it once you avail it.
Marriage is something, for them, are required to love your partner no matter what. This is unfair.
Marriage is about mutual love, respect and support.
MUTUAL LOVE
In any relationship, love must be the central aspect of marriage. It is love that makes the relationship, in the first
place. Without love, we can not have a good and stable relationship. Thus, mutual love must be essential is
marriage.
RESPECT
Respect is universal. Respect is not gain but due to everyone. Respect your partner is another thing that marriage
must be remembered and understand. Without respect for each other is like treating with each other with no honor
and dignity to one's being.
SUPPORT
We have to admit, we can not survive in a relationship without supporting each other both emotional and material
things. To say that many of us think that the socio-economic aspect of life that one must take to consider in order to
have a good marriage. This is also part of that concept of marriage but this is not the only one. A person who love
his/her partner must responsibly support his/her partner for both of you to survive.

NEW FAMILY, NEW LIFESTYLE

Family is always associated with children. Without children they think that it is not a family. This is not true. Family is
not created because of the children. The essence and nature of the family in not on the blood nor on the children, it
is about acceptance, belongingness, communication or connectedness, responsibility, and empowerment.
When you have new family, whether with a child/children or not, your life will be different. You are most likely a

mature and responsible person. Everything that you do you will always think of your partner, your new family. Every
single move and actions must be central to your relationship as partners, as family. You will have a new set of
lifestyle.

THE ISSUE cannot be ignored, as legislators and voters around the country grapple with whether and how to
recognize same-sex relationships.
Traditionally in this country, marriagehas been defined as a religious and legal commitment between a man and
woman,as well as the ultimate expression of love.
On the other side, gay marriage, also known as same-sex marriage, is marriage between two persons of the
same sex. Homosexual relationships are increasingly gaining acceptance in other countries, but still banned in the
Philippines. A same-sex marriage opponent argues that marriage between a woman and a man is the fundamental,
cross-cultural institution for insuring that children have loving, committed mothers and fathers while on the other
side, a same-sex marriage advocate argues that recognizing same-sex unions would be good not only for gay people,
but also for society at large, since society has an interest in supporting stable, loving relationships for all its
members. The question here is, Is it already a fascinating time for social revolution? Or is it still needed for us to
nurture the traditional family values essential to our society?
Possible reasons for same sex marriage:
1. Homosexuality is an accepted lifestyle nowadays with most evidence strongly supporting biological causation.
2. It doesn't hurt society or anyone in particular. Therefore, denying these marriages is a form of minority
discrimination.
3. Legalizing same sex marriage will be a big help for orphanages since same sex partners cannot pro-create which
would probably brought them to adopting orphans.
4. The only thing that should matter in marriage is love.
5. The same financial benefits that apply to man-woman marriages apply to same-sex marriages.

Best Answer: Yes, this is about granting people one of the most basic human rights. It does not harm anyone if a samesex couple get married, but denying them that right is a form of discrimination that is harmful to society.

The Philippines is ranked as one of the most gay-friendly nations in the world, and the most LGBT friendly in Asia.
[3]

The country ranked as the 10th most gay-friendly in a global survey covering 39 countries, in which only 17 had

majorities accepting homosexuality. Titled "The Global Divide on Homosexuality," the survey conducted by the Pew
Research Center showed that 73 percent of adult Filipinos agreed with the statement that "homosexuality should be
accepted by society," up by nine percentage points from 64 percent in 2002. [3]

Having said that, the LGBT community remains as one of the country's minority sectors. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals,
and transgenders often face disadvantages in getting hired for jobs, acquiring rights for civil marriage, and even in
starting up personal businesses. This has led to the rise of the cause for LGBT rights, defined as the right
to equality and non-discrimination.[4] As a member of the United Nations, the Philippines is signatory to
variousinternational covenants promoting human rights.[5]

MANILA, Philippines (CNS) -- Appealing to the traditional values of Filipino Catholic families, Pope Francis made one of his strongest
calls as pope against movements to recognize same-sex unions as marriage.
"The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage," the pope said Jan. 16,
hours after warning that Philippine society was "tempted by confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage and the family.
"As you know, these realities are increasingly under attack from powerful forces which threaten to disfigure God's plan for creation and
betray the very values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture," he said.
Pope Francis made his remarks at a Mass in Manila's cathedral and then at a meeting with families in the city's Mall of Asia Arena.
At the latter event, the pope called on his listeners to resist "ideological colonization that threatens the family." The Vatican spokesman,
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said later that the pope was referring to same-sex marriage, among other practices.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, who was present at the reporters' briefing, cited claims by African bishops that foreign aid to their
countries is sometimes offered on the condition that they accept "alien" views of sexuality and marriage.
Civil law in the Philippines does not recognize marriages or unions between people of the same sex.
The pope's comments came less than a week after a speech to Vatican diplomats in which he criticized "legislation which benefits
various forms of cohabitation rather than adequately supporting the family for the welfare of society as a whole," saying that such
legislation had contributed to a widespread sense of the family as "disposable."
In November, Pope Francis told an interreligious conference on traditional marriage that preserving the family as an institution based on
marriage between a man and a woman is not a political cause but a matter of "human ecology," since "children have the right to grow
up in a family with a father and mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child's development and emotional maturity."
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Jose Maria Bergoglio opposed same-sex marriage in Argentina, calling it an "anti-value
and an anthropological regression" and "destructive of the plan of God," and writing that it expressed the "envy of the devil." But he did
not repeat such statements following his election as pope.
When asked why he had not spoken about Brazil's legalization of abortion and same-sex marriage during his July 2013 trip to the
country, the pope said the "church has already spoken quite clearly on this. It was unnecessary to return to it."

In an interview published in September 2013, Pope Francis told Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro: "We cannot insist only on issues
related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these
things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of
the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time."
The pope's latest statements come during a year of preparation for the October 2015 world Synod of Bishops on the family, following an
October 2014 extraordinary synod on the same topic.
At the earlier gathering, a midterm report stirred controversy with remarkably conciliatory language toward people with ways of life
contrary to Catholic teaching, including those in same-sex unions. While such unions present unspecified "moral problems," the
document stated, they can exemplify "mutual aid to the point of sacrifice (that) constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners."
That language was absent from the final report, which quoted a 2003 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:
"There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan
for marriage and family."
In a December interview with Argentine journalist Elisabetta Pique, Pope Francis described the midterm report as "merely a first draft,"
and said it had mentioned "positive factors" of same-sex unions in an effort to help families support their gay members.
"Nobody mentioned homosexual marriage at the synod; it did not cross our minds," the pope said.

CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas. INQUIRER FILE

Leaders of the Philippines dominant Catholic church have called on individuals and politicians to
actively oppose same-sex marriage, after new efforts by activists to have same-sex unions legalized
in the conservative nation.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a statement Sunday saying
individuals should refuse to take part in ceremonies celebrating same-sex relationships and
politicians should resist legalizing marriages of homosexual couples.
A homosexual union is not and can never be a marriage as properly understood and so-called, the
CBCP said in the statement posted on its website.
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There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be similar or even remotely
analogous to Gods plan for marriage and the family.
It added that Catholic lawmakers have a moral duty to express their opposition clearly and
publicly and to vote against a law.
CBCP president Bishop Socrates Villegas confirmed to AFP on Monday that the statement was the
position of the church, which is followed by more than 80 percent of Filipinos.
READ: Same-sex union not marriage, says Archbishop Villegas

The statement comes as activists push to have same-sex unions legalized, which would require a
law to be passed in the deeply conservative country where divorce and abortion are still illegal
largely due to Catholic pressure.
Earlier in August, two same-sex couples applied for marriage licences in a Manila suburb but were
turned down. They later brandished a sign saying We were denied in front of a rainbow flag.
Small independent churches aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have
also sprung up, sometimes conducting unofficial weddings for their members, while several
Filipino celebrities have come out in favor of same-sex marriage.
The LGBT community have meanwhile been increasingly vocal about the issue on social media.
While expressing compassion for homosexuals, the CBCP said sexual attraction towards the same
sex is in the light of our understanding of marriage, objectively disordered.
Gay rights have been in the spotlight around the world following the US Supreme Courts landmark
ruling to legalize gay marriage in June.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in Taiwan in July calling for the legalization of gay marriage,
while pressure is mounting on the Australian government for a parliamentary vote on the subject.
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