by Jes B. Tirol

Proem

Last week the country of Ireland voted overwhelmingly (62% approved) to change their constitution in order to allow the same sex marriage.  The most Roman Catholic country in Europe is the first country in the world to change their constitution to allow the same sex marriage.  Other countries only allowed the same sex marriage by legislation.

The Philippines is one of the two Christian countries in Asia (the other is East Timor in Indonesia), will it follow the lead of Ireland?

Kuráng

The concept of the same sex, lover-like relationship is not something new to the Bisayans.  The Sugboanon language has already a term for it, kuráng.  The word kuráng can be used as adjective or a noun.

In our society and culture a kuráng is considered as a sexual variance.  In some places, it is tolerated and in others it is hated.

Scientific Findings

Recent scientific findings indicate that homosexuals are not only found in humans.  There are also homosexuals in plants, animals, insects, and fishes.

If you will put in a fishpond all female “Tilapia” fishes, eventually one of the females will transform itself into a male.  If you will observe the “Tilapia”, both the male and the female will care for their young by placing them inside the mouth.

In a poultry where all hens are raised to produce eggs artificially, eventually a hen will transform itself into a cock or rooster.  I observed it twice already.

I once had a cat that was male because it had the male genitals.  One night, a female cat came near our male cat.  It was our male cat that run and uttered a pitiful cry when it was pursued by the female cat.  Therefore I concluded that there is a cat that is a báyot = homosexual.

The scientific findings that homosexuals and lesbians are found throughout nature have emboldened the human homosexuals and lesbians to be considered as “normal” humans.  It is not their fault that they are homosexuals or lesbians because nature itself has made them so.

Religious Belief

The Judeo-Christian-Muslim religions and other oriental religions do not include same-sex marriage in their teachings.  However, in Europe before the Christian Era, the same-sex relation was very common.  Alexander the Great had both a male and female partner.  In the letters of Julius Caesar, he always requested for a young man to become his sexual partner.

Therefore we can observe that same-sex marriage will be easy for them to accept because historically it has been practiced in Europe.

In Ireland the most important argument used by the pro-same-sex marriage was the complete separation of Church and State.  If the State will allow same-sex marriage, then the Church can do nothing about it.  Therefore only civil marriages will occur because no priest will solemnize a religious marriage.

Inherent Problems

There are still inherent problems to be resolved in same-sex marriage.  If both partners are male, who will be the husband and who will be the wife?  Or will both of them be called husbands? If both are female, will they both be called wife?  (Note: There is no problem in Tagalog because both husband and wife are called “asawa”, which is only wife in Binisayâ.  Husband is bána.)

If the couple will want to raise a family, how will they do it?  If both are females, anyone of the partners can have artificial insemination to produce a child.  If both are males, will they adopt a child?  Bear in mind that in the religion of Islam, adoption is not allowed.  In Muslim countries the Koran is above the constitution.  That is why it is next to impossible to have same-sex marriage in Muslim countries.

Impotence or the failure to consummate the sexual act is a ground for divorce or annulment.  The same sex marriage has already the built-in advantage for a ground for divorce or annulment of marriage.  Is it not unfair to the heterosexual marriages?

I Can Foresee a Racket

The law on same-sex marriage does not specify only the gays and lesbians can do it.  The “straight” or normal male or female can also do the same-sex marriage.

In the United States of America, there are now 37 States out of the 50 States that allow same-sex marriage.

Supposing a “straight” Filipino or Filipina is already in the United States and has acquired US citizenship, it will be easy for him/her to help the TNT (Tago Ng Tago) Filipino by marrying them and they become US citizen also.  It is alright if the partner is of the opposite sex.

The possible racket is like this; the “straight” Filipino/a will marry another “straight” Filipino/a of the same sex.  Once the partner becomes a US citizen, they will divorce.  It will of course be done with a “fee”.

If the US citizen Filipino will let his “straight” male friend from the Philippines go as tourist to the United States and they marry there, the male friend from the Philippines can no longer be deported.

I know of a US citizen Filipino now living in the Philippines who goes to the US to marry Filipinas for a fee, and petition for US citizenship.  He comes back to the Philippines.  When the Filipina wife becomes a US citizen, he goes back for a divorce.

Now that same-sex marriage is allowed in some States in the United States, the same modus operandi can be used to marry the same sex partner in the United States.

Here is another tactic that can be used by lawyers.  If there is a crucial witness that can cause conviction to the accused, let the accused marry the witness.  A spouse can not be forced to testify against his husband or wife.  It is one advantage of same-sex marriage.  Even if the accused and witness are both males and both females, they can still marry.