Catholic Group Trying To Sabotage Anti-Discrimination Bill In The Philippines

Despite a large and colorful LGBT population, the largely Catholic island nation of the Philippines still has a ways to go with gay rights. Things were looking good with Senate Bill 2814, also known as the Anti-Ethnic, Racial or Religious Discrimination and Profiling Act of 2011, but as the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is using its muscle to torpedo the legislation because it now includes sexual orientation and gender identity among other protected classes.

“[Those] people are disadvantaged not by their own choice. But the third sex, they choose this,” said CBCP lawyer Jo Imbong. “How can you give protection to a choice like that?”

Taking a page from the American bigot handbook, Imbong claimed the bill would violate the religious freedom of Catholic priests to discriminate against LGBTs and claimed that under the act, a priest who refused to officiate same-sex marriages may be fined with P500,000 and jailed for 25 years.

We’re pretty sure Imbong pulled that last part out of her ass.