18 June, Statement delivered by ILGA World at the 59th Human Rights Council session
Lily Dong Li Rosengard, a non-binary queer advocate and activist welcomed the Special Rapporteur’s on Freedom of Opinion and Expression most recent report on the upsurge in political disinformation and hate speech, social media platform safety backsliding, and the weakening of the integrity of traditional news media.
The statement stressed the importance of paying attention to the harmful impact of red-tagging on our trans and gender diverse communities, as the practice facilitates gender-based violence, including criminalization, surveillance, harassment, and in some cases, killings.
The statement urged the Philippines to:
1) Adopt the report recommendations, particularly those calling for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC.
2) Review and amend the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 to ensure its full alignment with international human rights norms and standards, including the protection of the rights of LGBTI persons to freedom of thought, expression, and peaceful association.
Read the full statement or watch te statement being delivered (video courtesy of UN Web TV)