by Elise
In early February, the Philippines Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples do co-own property they acquired during their relationship. The ruling was regarding Article 148 of the family code that is about property rights for cohabiting couples who cannot marry. Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier wrote of the “glaring yet unjustified difference in the treatment of heterosexual couples vis-à-vis their homosexual counterparts.” The case originated from a same-sex couple who bought a house together, but named only one of the partners as owner. After buying, living on and renovating the property, they separated. The registered owner later insisted she was the full owner, even though she acknowledge her previous partner as co-owner who helped acquire and renovate the property.
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The Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic invalidated the discriminatory portions of the National Police Code of Justice and the Military Code of Justice regarding sexual orientation, saying they are unconstitutional. Its ruling decriminalizing same-sex relations is the Dominican Republic’s first step for human rights regarding sexual orientation, said Patricia J. Santana Nina, a human rights defender who, along with Anderson Dirocie, both of Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, brought the lawsuit. While many lauded the ruling, religious and political opposition was swift. President Luis Abinader, the Minister of Defense and the Director of the National Police, stated that they would continue to enforce the, now unconstitutional, codes, rules and regulations. The reactionary Partido Revolucionario Moderno (Modern Revolutionary Party) stated, “If we are a conservative country with moral and spiritual principles, why do they insist on this woke, globalist agenda?” Nevertheless, the court said, “no rule issued by state authorities or individuals may in any way diminish or restrict a person’s rights on the basis of their sexual orientation.”
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Professor Rodríguez. Photo taken from her University profile.
Students of University of California-Berkeley Professor Juana María Rodríguez, from the Department of Ethnic Studies, are creating new Wikipedia pages and editing others for historical accuracy to preserve LGBTQ+ history through stories and biographies. Rodríguez mentored these students since 2016, and thinks the work is especially important during Trump’s second term, when the LGBTQ+ community, especially Trans people of color, are increasingly under fire. Trump made clear his vendetta against Trans inclusion as soon as he took office and targeted policies he labeled diversity, equity and inclusion. Because of Rodríguez’s students’ work, there are now 63 new articles, more than 3,000 new citations, and 588 articles have been edited. UC-Berkeley is one of a declining number of institutions of higher learning in the U.S. still offering Gender and Sexuality Studies, Ethnic Studies and African American Studies.