editorial i wrote (about homophobia)

Homós: (one and the same); Phóbos: (fear)

Homophobia – an "irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuals".

In the Philippines, which we all know as a country being inhabited mostly by religious people, the larger population believes that homosexuality is a sin. I wouldn’t oppose to that, nor would I state if I agree or if I don’t.

The thing is, whether homosexuality is a sin or not, is there any way homophobia, or any form of sexual prejudice, can be reasonable enough to become acceptable, religiously speaking or not?

Homophobia, in almost any place in the world, is described as the discrimination against homosexuals. And discrimination, I believe, should never be right in anybody’s eyes, just as racism and antisemitism could never be right as well.

Homophobia can somehow be considered a form of bigotry in that it seeks to a group of people to deny their humanity and their personhood, and in no way could it make the society better, in fact it could even put human equality at its worst.

I’m not, in any way, saying that homosexuality is right, we just have to understand that we, as well, don’t have the right to force people out of where their dignity lies comfortably just because our beliefs are against it.

After all, we do have different beliefs, don’t we?

And actually, I don’t think homophobia has more to do with homosexuality being a sin or not, maybe it’s really just about the equality and the acceptance for the people for who they really are.

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i felt a bit awkward when i wrote this because first of all, it was my first time writing an editorial, and second, this was a hard subject (a sensitive one, even), and i should really choose and be really careful on how i would interpret the idea. it felt like a very touchy subject and i almost ditched it, but i felt like this has to be shared somehow. so yeah... i did submit it, and so far the editor-in-chief of my batch and the higher batch liked it. i hope the same goes with the other people though.