Quezon City to Host Special Graduation for LGBTQIA+ Students
So they can march as themselves.
(SPOT.ph) As Pride Month nears, Quezon City is on a mission to make sure graduating LGBTQIA+ students have the chance to march, strut, or even sashay on stage.
The Quezon City government will be holding a special graduation ceremony called "Graduation Rights: March with Pride in QC" on Saturday, June 22 to celebrate the right of LGBTQIA+ students to march while staying true to who they are—call it a new kind of Pride March if you will.
“Sa QC, graduation rites are everyone’s rights, regardless of expression,” Quezon City Government wrote in a post.
Also read: Is the Philippines Ready for Gender-Neutral Uniforms?
The special ceremony is open to members of the LGBTQIA+ community aged 18 and above who have been denied the opportunity to march in their senior high school or college graduation on the basis of their gender or self-expression. Just note that they must be residents of Quezon City or at least graduates of schools in the city to participate.
Discriminatory school policies remain even with the Department of Education's (DepEd) Gender Responsive Basic Education Policy in the picture. In March, a transgender student at the Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) in Manila had no choice but to cut her long hair after administration allegedly barred her from enrolling because of it, as reported by Bahaghari PH.
Several transgender students have themselves opted out of marching because they were prohibited from dressing according to their gender identity. There have even been instances of deadnaming—or the act of referring to a transgender person by a name they used prior to transitioning—during the ceremony.
Also read: 10 Local LGBT+ Organizations to Support This Pride Month (and the Rest of the Year)
How to register for LGBT graduation ceremony in Quezon City
Registration for the event is open until June 7. Make sure to sign up as soon as possible as only 500 rainbow graduates will be accepted for this year’s ceremony.
Interested participants can register online or via the QR code below.
This is the latest in Quezon City’s initiatives for members of the LGBT+ community. In 2023, the local government unit launched the Right to Care Card to authorize LGBTQIA+ couples to make medical decisions on behalf of their partners.
Also read: First in the Philippines: A Card Allowing Queer Couples to Make Medical Decisions for Partners