This June, Rolling Stone Philippines marks its second year of “This Is Not A Phase,” our storytelling campaign highlighting stories that challenge what is acceptable in Filipino LGBTQ+ culture.
Since the publication’s launch, support for the country’s queer community has grown. There is, for example, an ongoing movement to nationalize the Right to Care Card, an initiative first pioneered in 2023 by the Quezon City government that allows same-sex couples to authorize medical decisions for their partners. In 2026, a landmark Supreme Court ruling recognized the right for same-sex partners to legally co-own properties, while a 2024 Pew Research Center survey suggests that the Philippines is one of the most accepting middle-income countries in Asia toward family members.
This, however, only tells part of the story as equal rights and protections remain an uphill battle. In the same Pew survey, Filipinos are almost evenly divided on whether they’d feel comfortable (40 percent) or uncomfortable (45 percent) if their child came out, despite being one of the most accepting in Asia.
Meanwhile, the fight for the SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics) Equality Bill continues to stall in the upper and lower houses for its 26th consecutive year. The data around this is even more telling: A 2025 poll by WR Numero Research found that only 15 percent of LGBTQ+ voters rank comprehensive sex education as a top policy priority, with only 10 percent endorsing same-sex marriage.
This suggests LGBTQ+ Filipinos need to move beyond tolerance and visibility, and “This Is Not a Phase” hopes to shed light on individuals expanding the possibilities for queer Filipino life. Our main feature story spotlights four queer music collectives navigating the city’s precarious club culture, exploring how safe spaces are organized and the ways grassroots, often marginalized, communities gather. Other conversations — including with actor Nic Chien and musician Jason Dhakal, among others — confront what it takes to make your voice heard in an age where truth is increasingly flattened by the demands of respectability.
Because today, representation alone is not enough. As our panelists in this month’s Rolling Stone Philippines Roundtable suggest, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights is not the concern of the queer community alone. Premiering on June 26 exclusively on our YouTube channel, the discussion brings together Chien, former Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Arlene Brosas, film and television actress Klea Pineda, Professor Jose Antonio Clemente of the UP Rainbow Research Hub, and drag artist Superstarlet XXX to examine how the issues they face intersect with ordinary Filipinos.
This is not a phase, they say, because queer rights are human rights. When seen this way, allyship becomes urgent, and we stop asking for permission.
Stay tuned to Rolling Stone Philippines for more stories on Filipino subcultures.
