For All Women and Girls: Debbie Dabu on ensuring lesbians’ access to healthcare

#ForAllWomenAndGirls is a rallying call for action on the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA). Debbie Dabu, President of the Lesbian Alliance Movement (LAM) – a local lesbian rights advocacy organization based in Barangay Pansol, Quezon City, Philippines, under the umbrella of Galang Philippines – talks about the importance of support from larger networks.

Dismantling discrimination

Dabu says her parents noticed that she was a lesbian since she was quite young, and she was accepted by her family. “When my family is accepting of me and loves me for what I am, it’s okay. Thus, [this gave] the confidence I think for me to really lead the organization because that’s what’s important to them.”

Dabu has been there since the beginning, when the organization was established in 2010.

Because of the support she received, she’s now giving back by supporting other lesbians when they come out. “I’m the one encouraging them to do that – to be themselves and to really be honest about what they feel and what they want to be identified with. It’s difficult at first, but once you get that acceptance it’s going to be okay. And they have a group to count on.”

She says the marginalized group of lesbian, bisexual, transexual and queer (LBTQ) women she represents desire equal treatment and opportunities, to be self-reliant and face no discrimination.

They also hope the anti-discrimination bill, currently being reviewed by the Senate, will be passed.

Support from a mother organization

“We [want to] attend the Senate hearings to have a voice and to … have the chance to interact with senators,” says Dabu. “So, it’s really important to have this organizing group, Galang, the mother organization or umbrella organization, helping us know about these opportunities and preparing us to engage with lawmakers, if and when needed. I think our voice is super important when these kinds of laws or bills are being heard.”

She says most lesbians feel unrecognized in their community and unable to fight for their rights. “There is very limited support that we get from different groups and organizations. The only group that’s helping us is Galang.”

But Dabu says there is power in numbers, and that membership in an organization is the best way to support other lesbians and raise their voices. She says her members have benefited from trainings provided by Galang, which have boosted their capacities and confidence.

“It’s so difficult to organize LBTQ communities, but through our mother organization, we feel confident because we are given trainings and workshops on how to go about doing this advocacy work and influencing the city for what we … need in terms of health services and other social protection.”

Increasing lesbians’ access to healthcare and social protection

Dabu says most lesbians are not aware or informed about the services and programmes they can benefit from. “They were saying for the longest time, it’s been difficult for them to have regular checkups, especially breast checkups, because they’re too shy about it. And they’ve been using binders for the longest time.”

In line with the BPfA’s critical concern for health care, which focuses on achieving gender equality in treatments, services and outcomes, Dabu’s efforts.

But she says LAM is now recognized and registered at the Quezon City mayor’s office, and it is currently putting together a healthcare package for the LBTQ community. “We’re really pushing and lobbying for it to be passed as an ordinance. … Also, so we want to come up with a one-stop-shop kind of centre for all the issues and concerns of LBTQ communities in Quezon City.”

They’ve even been given an office at City Hall, providing a space just for them to do just that. “We’re really seeing the importance of being networked.”