The students of University of Philippines celebrated Pride and it’s too cute for words

‘I was born this gay’ | Photo: @franceskills/Twitter

Hundreds of students of the University of Philippines came out for equality on 19 September.

They celebrated Pride with a special march in Quezon City, the most populous in the archipelago.

While the capital Manila also celebrated the LGBTI community with its own Pride parade last 30 June, it was time for Quezon City’s students to show their support to LGBTIs.

Filipino students took to the streets

Those participating in the parade unfurled the rainbow flags and yielded placards and signs with the slogan Tumitindig Tumitindi. It means ‘rising upwards’ in Tagalog, the second most-widely spoken language in the Philippines.

Despite the heavy rain, students took to the streets and adorned the university building, dating back to the early 20th century, in rainbow colors. During the march, many shared their snaps on social media.

LGBTI rights in the Philippines

Although the Philippines don’t formally prohibit same-sex marriage, there is no formal recognition of same-sex couples.

In fact, the Family Code of the Philippines contains a definition of marriage which excludes same-sex pairs. It is, in fact, ‘a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman’.

Moreover, adoption is not possible for same-sex couples. However, single individuals can adopt children.