Ice Seguerra appeals to Philippine Senate to speed up same-sex marriage law

Transman actor Ice Seguerra didn’t mince words when she spoke about the delay of the signing into law of same-sex marriage which is languishing in the four walls of the Philippine Senate.

“At least in the House of Representatives, the bill is already passed. I don’t know about the senators. It seems that there are people who lobby against it,” said Ice in a mix of English and Filipino.

Seguerra, who sat as a panelist with US Embassy Political Counsellor Brett Blackshaw Wednesday night at the Cinematheque Centre Manila in the talkback section of “Pelikulaya”—an LGBTQIA+ event initiated by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)—added that it is high time that Filipinos should be open-minded about sex-same marriage.

In an open forum after the showing of the 1999 film “Boys Don’t Cry” at the FDCP Cinematheque, Ice admitted that she was moved by the acting of Hollywood actress Hilary Swank who played Brandon Teena, a real life transgender character who underwent a sexual identity crisis.

“My body was shaking towards the end of the movie,” quipped Ice who vicariously felt the discrimination experienced by Brandon in the hands of a judgmental and violent society.

“Violence against transgender or gays is still happening twenty three years after the movie was shown,” Seguerra lamented.

 “That’s why the legislative body should speed the approval of the Equality Law. We should fight for it,” he exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Brett Blackshaw, Political Counsellor of the US Embassy in the Philippines said that in a democracy there isn’t a space for sexual discrimination and any form of violence against transgender.

He said that Us President Joe Biden has been very supportive of gay rights and liberation. (Boy Villasanta)