Fridae

The series presents 10 movers and shakers in Asia – the world's most populous continent – who are set to bring about positive change in their local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. 

Danton Remoto, of the Philippines' Ang Ladlad – Asia's only LGBT political party – shares with Fridae's Manila correspondent Laurindo Garcia the group's plans after winning a mandate to represent LGBTs as a party-list group in the May 10 elections.

Columnist Joseph Gonzales of the Freeman, a newspaper in Cebu, Philippines reacts to the news that although the Supreme Court has recognised Ang Ladlad to be a legitimate political party, it has said that the decision is not meant to suggest the "impending arrival of a golden age for gay rights litigants."

The LGBT community in Philippines won a political victory this week as the country's highest court recognised Ang Ladlad, a LBGT group as a legitimate political party for the first time and can participate as a party-list group in next month's elections.

The Philippnes Commission on Elections (Comelec) has upheld a recent decision in which it barred Ang Ladlad, a LBGT political party, from running in the national elections next year.

After weeks of heated debate about the separation of church and state an alliance between various Filipino LGBT organisations and youth groups brought their grievances to the headquarters of the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec)  Wednesday morning and demanded a recent discriminatory ruling be struck down. Laurindo Garcia reports from Manila.

The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has issued an action alert to demand that the Philippines Commission on Elections (Comelec) grants the immediate accreditation of an ‘LGBT political party’ Ang LADLAD so that its member(s) can run for a seat in the Lower House of the Philippines Congress in the May 2010 national elections.

Danton Remoto, head of gay group Ang Ladlad, on Wednesday vowed to run as a senator in 2010 after the group was denied accreditation based on “moral grounds."