During the hearing of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression equality Bill at the House of Representatives Committee on Women & Gender Equality, Deputy Speaker, and CIBAC Partylist Representative Bro. Eddie Villanueva deferred the said bill.
Then in one of his statements, Rep. Villanueva asked that instead of posing like LGTBQ+, Congress should focus on rehabilitation.
“Are we posing ourselves to be like LGBTQ+? Cant we focus on rehabilitation?” said Rep. Villanueva.
Netizens took to Twitter to express their concerns and reactions over these statements, especially about rehabilitating the LGBTQ+ community.
Among these concerns is the possibility that Rep. Villanueva is pushing for conversion therapy and psychological abuse.
https://twitter.com/dyaelgonzales/status/1323851481997479938
https://twitter.com/inaurner/status/1323866806432358401
https://twitter.com/mazda_more/status/1323884421875855361
People like you should stop thinking that homosexuality is a mental illness. You can never force someone to change their sexual preferences to fit in to your norms. #SOGIEEqualityNow #PassADBNow #TaxTheChurch https://t.co/uTQeG78kuB
— kiaralouvelle (@kronikaXXX) November 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/abby_orbeta/status/1323913142800318464
Then, another netizen cited that these ideas have no place in today’s society and even referred to the representative as a dinosaur.
https://twitter.com/dandelfin_/status/1323866875034435584
Then, other netizens pointed out that being LGBTQ+ is not a mental disorder as it was declared by the American Psychiatric Association back in 1973.
December 1973, the American Psychiatric Association took a vote and declared that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. WHY THE NEED FOR REHABILITATION PROGRAMS?
IT IS NOT, AND WILL NEVER BE, A MENTAL DISORDER. LGBTQ+ RIGHTS IS HUMAN RIGHTS!#SOGIEEqualityNow #PassADBNow https://t.co/zOJiH9dQq0
— Robert Dominic Gonzales (@robertkaaatz) November 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/bornfujoshi/status/1323881619531292672
The SOGIE bill already passed its third and final hearing back in the 17th Congress with a 197-0 vote. Congress meant to pass adopt the 17th congress version of the bill to this 18th congress and supposed to continue with the plenary hearing wherein it will be up for a vote in Congress. However, conservatives such as Rep. Villanueva have managed to defer the SOGIE bill to one more hearing under their committee.
