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STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. ___
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CHAPTER V: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE)
MODULE OVERVIEW
The SOGIE Equality Bill aims to protect people who are continually harmed from a
societal and institutional level. It is about ensuring that people are protected from abuse,
dehumanization, and violence. Seeking an end to abuse is not about special treatment. It is
about wanting to be respected as human beings.
MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define the meaning of SOGIE.
2. Differentiate the sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
3. Discuss sexual orientation and gender identity and expression or SOGIE.
4. Explain how SOGIE is a universal human characteristic.
LEARNING CONTENTS
The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill, also
known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB), is a bill that was proposed by the Congress
of the Philippines. It is intended to prevent various economic and public accommodation-
related acts of discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation, gender
identity or expression.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Describes to whom a person is sexually attracted. Some people are attracted to people of a
particular gender; others are attracted to people of more than one gender. Some are not
attracted to anyone.
1. Asexual - not sexually attracted to anyone and/or no desire to act on attraction to
anyone. Does not necessarily mean sexless. Asexual people sometimes do
experience affectional (romantic) attraction.
2. Bisexual - attracted to people of one’s own gender and people of other gender(s).
Two common misconceptions are that bisexual people are attracted to everyone and
anyone, or that they just haven’t “decided.” Often referred to as “bi.” See also
Pansexual/Fluid and Queer.
3. Gay - generally refers to a man who is attracted to men. Sometimes refers to all
people who are attracted to people of the same sex; sometimes “homosexual” is
used for this also, although this term is seen by many today as a medicalized term
that should be retired from common use.
4. Lesbian - a woman who is attracted to women. Sometimes also or alternately
“same-gender-loving woman” or “woman loving woman.” See also Gay.
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5. Pansexual/Fluid - attracted to people regardless of gender. Sometimes also or
alternately “omnisexual” or “polysexual.” See also Bisexual and Queer.
6. Questioning - one who may be unsure of, reconsidering, or chooses to hold off
identifying their sexual identity or gender expression or identity.
7. Queer - traditionally a derogatory term, yet reclaimed and appropriated by some
LGBTQ individuals as a term of self-identification. It is an umbrella term which
embraces a matrix of sexual preferences, gender expressions, and habits that are
not of the heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary majority. It is not a
universally accepted term by all members of the LGBT community, and it is often
considered offensive when used by heterosexuals.
8. Straight - attracted to people of the “opposite” sex (see below); also sometimes
generally used to refer to people whose sexualities are societally normative.
Alternately referred to as “heterosexual.”
GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION
The ways in which a person identifies and/or expresses their gender, including self-
image, appearance, and embodiment of gender roles. One’s sex (e.g. male, female,
intersex, etc.) is usually assigned at birth based on one’s physical biology. One’s gender
(e.g. male, female, gender queer, etc.) is one’s internal sense of self and identity. One’s
gender expression (e.g. masculine, feminine, androgynous, etc.) is how one embodies
gender attributes, presentations, roles, and more.
1. Androgyny - The mixing of masculine and feminine gender expression or the lack of
gender identification. The terms androgyne, agender, and neutrois are sometimes
used by people who identify as genderless, non-gendered, beyond or between
genders, or some combination thereof.
2. Cisgender - A gender identity that society considers to “match” the biological sex
assigned at birth. The prefix cis- means “on this side of” or “not across from.” A term
used to call attention to the privilege of people who are not transgender.
3. Crossdresser - Cross-dressing refers to occasionally wearing clothing of the
“opposite” gender, and someone who considers this an integral part of their identity
may identify as a crossdresser (note: the term crossdresser is preferable to
transvestite and neither may ever be used to describe a transsexual person). Cross-
dressing is not necessarily tied to erotic activity or sexual orientation.
4. Genderqueer/Third Gender/Gender Fluid - These terms are used by people who
identify as being between and/or other than male or female. They may feel they are
neither, a little bit of both, or they may simply feel restricted by gender labels.
5. Intersex - A general term used for a variety of genetic, hormonal, or anatomical
conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that
doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. Some intersex individuals
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identify as transgender or gender variant; others do not. (Note: hermaphrodite is an
obsolete term that is not currently considered appropriate.)
6. Transgender - First coined to distinguish gender benders with no desire for surgery
or hormones from transsexuals, those who desired to legally and medically change
their sex, more recently transgender and/or trans has become an umbrella term
popularly used to refer to all people who transgress dominant conceptions of gender,
or at least all who identify themselves as doing so. The definition continues to
evolve.
7. Transsexual - The term transsexual has historically been used to refer to individuals
who have medically and legally changed their sex, or who wish to do so. Most
transsexual people feel a conflict between their gender identity and the sex they
were assigned at birth. Other labels used within this group are MtF (maleto-female)
or trans woman, and FtM (female-to-male) or trans man.
8. Two-Spirit – A person who identified with the Native American tradition of
characterizing certain members of the community as having the spirit of both the
male and female genders.
OTHER COMMONLY USED TERMS
1. Biphobia - Aversion of and/or prejudice toward the idea that people can be attracted
to more than one gender, and/or bisexuals as a group or as individuals, often based
on negative stereotypes of bisexuality and the invisibility of bisexual people.
2. Coming Out – The process of acknowledging one’s sexual orientation and/or
gender identity or expression to oneself or other people.
3. Gender Binary - A system of classifying sex and gender into two distinct and
disconnected forms of masculine and feminine. It can be referred to as a social
construct or a social boundary that discourages people from crossing or mixing
gender roles, or from creating other third (or more) forms of gender expression. It
can also represent some of the prejudices which stigmatize people who identify as
intersex and transgender.
4. Heterosexism - The presumption that everyone is straight and/or the belief that
heterosexuality is a superior expression of sexuality. Often includes the use of power
of the majority (heterosexuals) to reinforce this belief and forgetting the privileges of
being straight in our society.
5. Homophobia - Negative attitudes and feelings toward people with non-heterosexual
sexualities; dislike of, or discomfort with, expressions of sexuality that do not conform
to heterosexual norms.
6. Internalized Oppression - In reference to LGBTQ people, internalized oppression
is the belief that straight and non-transgender people are “normal” or better than
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LGBTQ people, as well as the often-unconscious belief that negative stereotypes
about LGBTQ people are true.
7. LGBTQ - An acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. This is
currently one of the most popular ways in U.S. society to refer to all people who are
marginalized due to sexual orientation and/or gender identity, although other letters
are often included as well to represent identities described above.
8. Transphobia - Negative attitudes and feelings toward transgender individuals or
discomfort with people whose gender identity and/or gender expression do not
conform to traditional or stereotypic gender roles.
LEARNING ACTIVITY
CASE ANALYSIS
Write a case analysis on the Jennifer Laude murder case.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/timeline-jennifer-laude-killing-joseph-scott-pemberton-
release
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SUMMARY
The labels were created to recognize the identity of those who are considered outside the
norm of society. These words and terms were popularized to show those who fell outside
the norm that they are not alone, and that there are others facing the same struggles. While
these are usual words used when discussing LGBT issues, they are in no way stable, fixed,
or exclusive. They are temporary, as the terminologies for sex and sexuality can change
depending on the direction of the LGBT movement.
These scenarios are brought to light because of how trans issues are slowly coming to
public awareness, but the same issues have been faced by women throughout history.
REFERENCES
Rodriguez A., & Rodriguez, A., Gender and Society, C & E Publishing Inc., 2018
https://www.cosmo.ph/lifestyle/sogie-bill-philippines-a613-20190919-lfrm
https://www.chp.edu/-/media/chp/departments-and-services/adolescent-and-young-adult-
medicine/documents/gender-and-sexual-development/basic-definitions-sogie.pdf?la=en
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