Queering Local Governments: LGBTIQ+ Movement Organizations as Strategic Brokers for Sexual Citizenship in Philippine Local Governments

Abstract

The advocacy for sexual citizenship in the Philippines has been arduous. This manifests in the decades-long assertion of the LGBTIQ+ movement for the passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill which penalizes discriminatory acts based on categories of sexuality and gender. But the last decade witnessed success in localizing antidiscrimination legislation through the passage of many city and municipality ordinances. This political phenomenon created another space for LGBTIQ+ organizations to assert sexual citizenship in government policy and decision making. This paper explores how these organizations broker for recognition, inclusion, and acceptance of the LGBTIQ+ community in Quezon City and Manila. Using focused-group interviews with LGBTIQ+ movement organizations and strategic brokerage as an analytical frame, this paper finds that queering local governments observes a process where organizations proactively bridge the gap between communities and governments. Their roles as strategic brokers start with linking community concerns to state officials, networking with other organizations, translating LGBTIQ+ narratives for local policy making, and transacting with local officials. In the process of brokering, these organizations not only fight for sexual citizenship but maintain the civic space by capacitating local communities to initiate engagement and reminding the government of its responsibilities mandated by the ordinances. Amidst the many challenges in brokering, LGBTIQ+ organizations continue to persist and resist in and beyond these new spaces of contention and collaboration.