LADLAD CRIES FOUL ON BANNING OF GAY PERFORMERS IN PUERTO GALERA

From Ladlad Party-list's Official Blog: http://ladladpartylist.blogspot.com/ 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012

LADLAD CRIES FOUL ON BANNING OF GAY PERFORMERS IN PUERTO GALERA

THE partylist for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Filipinos, Ladlad cried foul on the alleged banning of gay performers in Puerto Galera. The party has called for a dialogue with the local officials in the island if the news reports were true.

“I will personally visit Puerto Galera and have a dialogue with the local officials about this matter,” said Ms. Bemz Benedito, first Congressional nominee of the group.

Last Sunday, Ladlad members reacted to news reports saying that bar owners were complaining to the local government officials of Puerto Galera for disallowing gay talents to perform in a show due to lewdness. The owners reportedly were alarmed because their coffers will surely get affected because their patrons are always looking for the gay performers.

“This is a clear violation of their right to work,” Benedito said. “Ladlad will oppose the approval of this measure,” she added.

On the same report, the chairman of one of the towns of Puerto Galera already refuted the claims of the bar owners, saying that they were only reprimanding the gay performers to tone down the language they are using on stage.

Ladlad further said, the remedy is an ordinance to prohibit children and an age cap on who to allow in entering such comedy bars. Prejudice must not set in this case especially to gay performers.

“In a comedy bar, children should not be allowed because of the sensitivity of the language being used in this kind of entertainment. Besides you cannot control the performers on what to say and do on stage,” Benedito stressed. “In television, you have an agency that reviews and classifies programs that suits the right age of its viewers,” Benedito added.