The decision last week against Ang Ladlad (Out of the Closet), a group representing lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders, sent shock waves through the gay community.

In issuing its decision, the commission said the group “tolerates immorality which offends religious beliefs” and exposes young people to “an environment that does not conform to the teachings of our faith.” The ruling cited passages from the Bible and the Quran condemning homosexuality.

Homosexuals are generally accepted in the Philippines, despite the dominant Roman Catholic religion’s rejection of same-sex relations.

Leila de Lima, chairwoman of the Commission on Human Rights, denounced the Election Commission’s ruling as “retrogressive” and said it “smacks of discrimination and prejudice.”

She promised to support Ang Ladlad’s efforts to gain recognition as a party.

The group’s leader, Danton Remoto, a prominent gay activist and English professor at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, filed a petition Wednesday asking the commission to reconsider its ruling, which he said was based largely on religious, not legal, grounds.

There are no laws in the Philippines against homosexuality or against sexual discrimination. If his group is allowed to run and wins a congressional seat, Remoto said he hopes to push for the adoption of a proposed anti-discrimination bill that has been languishing for nine years because of insufficient support.

“The law is just silent,” he said. “We are just invisible in the law.”

He said his group’s platform does not include same-sex marriage, but pushes for nondiscrimination in the workplace and schools. He cited instances in which companies allegedly refused to hire gays and schools required parents to sign a document certifying their children were not gay.

Candidates and political parties planning to run in the May 2010 national elections have until Dec. 1 to apply with the Elections Commission, which must give its approval.

The head of the commission’s legal department, Ismael Rafanan, said Ang Ladlad’s petition will be reviewed by the seven-member commission. If it reaffirms the rejection, Ang Ladlad can bring the case to the Supreme Court for a final ruling.

There are lots of things about this country that grate and our history is a hodgepodge of greatness and shame. Yet election day mornings always stroke my patriotic genes. Sure at the end of the day I’m depressed all over again (being in the minority can do that for you), but there is something about a bunch of disparate people pulling a lever for politicians that gets me every time. USA! USA! USA! Get out the apple pie (I would prefer cherry)! Where is my baseball?

This wasn’t always the case, and I know too many liberals and conservatives who would have no problem returning to our past when it comes to voting (allowing only the “right” people access to the ballot). Thank goodness those backwood reactionaries are in the minority…at least for now.

Get out and vote, peoples. I’ll be here tonight, live blogging. Let’s go Maine and Washington! If you are in either state, let us know how things are going.

Some advice to partisans who like to attend victory speeches on an election night. If your victorious candidate is telling the crowd about the courteous phone call he had with the vanquished foe, it’s bad form to yell out “dyke.”

Last night I was at the gym, wasting my time, watching primary results for New York City. For the first time since 1975, Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau was not looking for reelection and the field to fill his post included Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. and Leslie Crocker Snyder.

Vance had the support of the retiring DA; Crocker Snyder unsuccessfully tried to unseat the iconic Morgenthau four years ago, and the election was devoid of any drama (although she did wonder at one of the debates if the “old boy network” was in play when big political players ran afoul of the law).

Technically Vance has the new gig even though he only won the primary—there is no Republican opponent. As he was giving his victory speech, he mentioned Crocker Snyder called him, and some yahoo yelled “dyke.” I’m way too old to be clutching the pearls, but the single outburst struck me as weird considering that Gloria Steinem and State Senator Tom Duane are both Vance supporters.

There is no indication Vance is some raving homophobes (while Gay City News endorsed the third candidate in the race, Richard Aborn, the paper spoke well of Vance) and holding a politician for every outburst from a supporter would mean the days of pols would be spent offering apologies. Hopefully the knot head who doesn’t understand the science behind this thing called TV, will be reprimanded by the Vance campaign.

On to better news, a big shout out to Daniel Dromm. The openly gay school teacher went against the Democratic party machine and defeated incumbent Helen Sears. Dromm will join the City Council next year, representing the 25th District of Queens.

UPDATE: Writing minus coffee is not smart. Daniel Dromm won last night’s Democratic primary. He now has to run in the general election come November, but this is NYC baby. I doubt he’ll face a credible Republican candidate. One last thing: a silent smear campaign was employed about Dromm’s past. Like most cowardly work, it failed.

UPDATE 2: One more toast to Jimmy Van Bramer. Another politician who happens to be gay, Van Bramer also beat the party machine in the hotly contested election for the 26th District of Queens. If  all goes  according to plan in November, next year’s New York City Council will have four gay members.

It’s time for political independence peoples!

I’m anti-children (don’t worry; I have none), but this moning I’m going to give the singers from Ron Clark Academy a pass. Sure this song is two steps beyond cute and I’m sort of old fashioned when it comes to school chorus (more singing and less dancing please); however, as we enter the last week-end before the election these kids have a motto we all might want to pay attention to.

And please don’t blame me if you start singing this song at work.

One of the pleasures of identity politics is watching groups argue over who is the bottom of the bottom. People, their voices tinged with furious anger, trying to explain why their group deserves the title wretched of the earth. Of course once you start engaging into this title match, logic and sanity leave the room.  Logic leaves because comparative oppression is usually played by those who know very little about what it means to be down-trodden. Sanity takes a hike because let’s be honest: what type of person puts stock into winning something that announces loser status?

When Teams Clinton and Obama were fighting it out during the primary, the oppression game was in full swing. Charges and counter charges of racism and sexism were in the air (morning Geraldine Ferraro). According to the good people at Rasmussen Reports, more Americans think race is a bigger obstacle to overcome than gender. Of course where you stand on this question, might have much to do with your race and gender, but it still strikes me as a false argument. Discrimination, whether it is triggered by gender, race, sexual orientation, keeps that  “perfect union” a bit more illusory.