Members of LGBT community in Lapu-Lapu City to get protection soon

Lapu-Lapu City is set to join the cities of Mandaue and Cebu as LGUs that promote gender equality after its City Council approved on the third and final reading a proposed ordinance protecting the rights of members of the LGBTQ community.  

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – The LGBT community in Lapu-Lapu City will soon have their rights protected.

This is after the city’s Sangguniang Panglungsod approved in the third and final reading a proposed ordinance that will penalize discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment of members of the city’s LGBT community.

The ordinance entitled “An Ordinance Providing for a Comprehensive Policy Prohibiting Discrimination towards Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual People (LGBTQIA+) and for other Purposes related hereto” was authored by Councilors Annabeth Cuizon and Jeorgen Eyas-Book.

The policy was passed on August 2 for the third and final reading.

Under the proposed policy, punishable acts are gender-based discrimination; denying access to private or public programs and services; denying access to establishments; verbal and non-verbal ridicule and vilification; inflicting physical harm; harassment; promotion of discrimination; and other analogous acts.

READ: Oliva won’t pursue case against man who violated LGBT Code of Mandaue City

Its first offense carries a fine of P1,500 or 48 hours of community service; the second offense is worth P2,000 or 64 hours of community service; and the offender in his third offense will be slapped with a fine of P2,500 or 80 hours of community service.

If it’s an establishment that violates the ordinance, it will be fined P4,000 for its first offense and warned of the revocation of its business permit.

If the establishment commits the same offense a second time, it will be fined P5,000, and its business permit will be revoked.

Approval of the minutes, which included the LGBT proposed ordinance, is set for August 9.

The proposed ordinance would be submitted to the office of Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan for his signature and approval. Once signed by the mayor, it becomes a city ordinance.

“This ordinance shall take effect after 15 days following its complete publication in a newspaper of general circulation,” read the final section of the proposed ordinance.

The LLC Rainbow Community, in a statement, welcomes this development and congratulates the city for becoming a gender equality city.

“Lapu-Lapu City joins Mandaue and Cebu Cities in upholding the rights of the LGBT by approving the Ordinance which prohibits discrimination among LGBTQIA+ on the basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC),” LCC Rainbow Community said in a statement.   /rcg

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