A Gewirthian Analysis of the Rights of the LGBTQ+ in the Philippines

Abstract

Politics is essential in ensuring the state’s security to uphold the common interest and the rights of the people. This paper examines the current political climate amid the political conflicts that affect the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines due to the disproportion among the interests and beliefs of the state and the people. As such, Gewirth propounded the Principle of Generic Consistency, which focused on the imposition of duties on individual agents to do an action out of respect for one’s human rights. However, several thinkers contradicted the claim of Gewirth regarding the moral action of an individual, but I will expand on the analysis of Gewirth as to how any action of an individual does not limit the freedom of another and is a just metric. Meanwhile, an individual’s oppressive tendencies and unjust actions toward the LGBTQ+ community damage and hinder the progress toward social recognition of such rights. This is why I aim to utilize Gewirth’s analysis to show the possibilities for social justice and actualize a just society that respects and protects the human rights of a minority group in the Philippines.