On December 5, the Committee on Civil, Political, and Human Rights of the House of Representatives in the Philippines approved "in principle" House Bill (HB) 2784, a comprehensive anti-discrimination bill written in collaboration with lesbian and gay community activists.

Following the recommendations of these activists, the Committee also approved two significant revisions to the bill: the inclusion of protections on the basis of not only sexual orientation but also gender identity, and the recognition of violations on the basis of both perceived and actual identity.

For more background information, please see recent International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Action Alerts: "Philippines: Activists Renew Call for Support of Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Law Protecting Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders", November 27, 2001, at http://iglhrc.org/world/se_asia/Philippines2001Nov.html

Source: IGLHRC Action Alert Update