MANILA, June 25, 2013 — This week, as Pride Month draws to a close, GALANG applauds the efforts of UP student organizations in making the campus a safe, welcoming place for the LGBT community. The University Student Council, UP Babaylan, and other advocates have been vocal in their support of policies and legislation that safeguard the rights of LGBT individuals, including the much lauded Anti-Discrimination Bill. In celebration of this tradition of acceptance and respect, GALANG and its three partner organizations will attend the university’s Pride March for the first time on Thursday, June 27.

The theme of UP’s Pride March 2013 is a simple statement of solidarity: Live Free. You’re Safe in UP. GALANG’s founding director, Anne Lim, is hopeful that this theme may inspire other institutions to stand with the LGBT community against bigotry and intolerance. “UP’s faculty and student body are models of integrity and compassion. Their support changes the landscape of the movement and sets the standard for political alliance,” Lim asserts. “We’d like to see other prominent institutions rise to that standard.”

GALANG will also attend the annual Baguio Pride March Sunday, June 30. The Baguio Pride Network organized the march with a theme that promotes the empowerment and visibility of the LGBT community. Stand Up. Stand Out. Stand Proud. Building a world that is free and equal! This will be GALANG’s fifth year attending the event.

GALANG Philippines is a lesbian-initiated, lesbian-run feminist human rights organization that works with urban poor lesbians, bisexual women, and trans men (LBTs) who struggle with the multiple oppressions of class, poverty, sex, gender identity/expression, and sexual orientation.