Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
WE do not allow (a member of the) LGBTQ (community) to perform a special number or even be a guest speaker on our podium or ministry pulpit.”
The Church of God World Missions said this when it defended its decision to turn off the lights and sound system while political blogger Sass Rogando Sasot, a transgender woman, was delivering a speech during the graduation ceremony of the Southern Philippine Institute of Science and Technology (SPIST) last Friday at a church-owned facility in Cavite. LGBTQ stands for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.”
In a statement issued over the weekend, Church of God senior pastor Bishop Anthony Velasco said the school was aware of this rule before it was allowed to rent the venue.
Velasco said it was the school management who asked them to use the church facility for the graduation ceremony.
He said “with the desire to be of service,” the church granted its permission provided SPIST will abide by certain conditions.
Aside from prohibiting the participation of an LGBTQ member in the ceremony, the other conditions include not using the “sanctuary, particularly the pulpit” for any political endorsements and that a reasonable amount of donation be made by the school for the church upkeep.
Velasco said SPIST made a payment concurring with these requirements.
He, however, said they found out on the eve of the event that the school “[did] not intend to do [its] part of the bargain” as it will be having Sasot, a prominent transgender woman and an LGBTQ activist, as guest speaker.
The church administrator was constrained to give SPIST the option to look for another venue and the payment will be returned or change their LGBTQ guest speaker.
Velasco said the school apologized and promised to replace its guest speaker.
On the day of the event, they learned that the school was pushing through with Sasot as speaker.
The church warned SPIST that if the latter violates the church’s religious belief, they will have no choice but to turn off the lights and sound system as the “final recourse to keep the sanctity of the pulpit.”
“This last and drastic option has been clearly communicated to them because we really cannot allow our pulpit to be desecrated. We expected that this final verbal agreement would be respected by the school and by the guest speaker, but it turned out otherwise,” Velasco said.
“I respect school institutions. I respect the LGBTQ community. They are human beings and for this reason we should respect life. But how about respect for one’s belief? Respect for church’s rules and regulations, respect for the holiness of the pulpit?” he added.
In a separate statement, Sasot confirmed that the school still pushed for her to speak even if the Church of God threatened that they will turn off the lights and sound system and that they will not allow the graduation to finish.
“While I was speaking, the Church of God fulfilled their threat,” she said.
“The Church of God doesn’t want me to speak at the graduation of students renting their venue because I am a woman of transgender experience and that I am a BBM (President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos) supporter. I was double-canceled,” Sasot added.
