Structural-Systemic-Cultural Violence against LGBTQs in the Philippines

Abstract

While the 1987 Philippine Constitution contains humanrights and social justice provisions for everyone certain sections of society still do not equally enjoy all human rights, and socialinequality and social injustice prevail in the country. Filipinolesbians, gays, bakla, bayot, bisexuals, tomboy, transpinys, and queers (LGBTQs), in particular, continue to experience prejudice, discrimi-nation and violence. Forty-six years ago, Johan Galtung argued that Yiolence is present Zhen human Eeings are Eeing influenced so that their actual somatic and mental realizations are below their potential realizations (Galtung, 1969, p. 168). Structural violence, he added, is a type of violence where no actor commits it but is nonetheless built into the structure and shows up as unequal power and consequently as uneven life chances (Galtung, 1969, p. 171). Lastly, Galtung also introduced cultural violence‘ wherein aspects of culture, the symEolic sphere of our e[istence e[emplified Ey religion andideology, language and art, empirical science and formal science areused to justify or legitimize direct or structural violence (Galtung,1990, p. 291). Using Galtung’s framework and human rightsreports and submissions particular to Filipino LGBTQs, this paper a) investigates the existence and prevalence of hate, discrimination, and violence against members of the community and b) argues that the prevalence of such, including the violation of human rights, is systemic, structural and cultural. Investigating the prevalence andthe root causes of hate, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQs is essential for attaining social justice in the Philippines and forfulfilling all human rights of all Filipinos.