Pia Wurtzbach: “Being gay is not a crime! Living with HIV is not a punishment!”

Mariing kinundena ni Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach ang ginawang pagsasapubliko ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at media sa mga nahuling labing isang (11) kalalakihan sa ginawang buy bust operation sa Taguig.

Kung saan pinangalanan ng PDEA ang mga naaresto at inilabas din sa social media ang mga larawan nito.

At, tinukoy pa ng naturang ahensya na nag – positibo sa HIV ang isa sa mga suspek.

Sa isang post ni Pia sa Instagram, nagpahayag ito ng kanyang hinaing sa naging aksyon ng ahensya at media.

Aniya, ayon sa RA 8504 o ang Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998, hindi dapat i-anunsyo ang pagkakaroon ng HIV ng isang tao.

Dagdag pa ni Pia, hindi lamang trauma sa mga naaresto ang maidudulot nito kundi mapapalala pa nito ang “HIV situation” sa bansa.

Binigyang – diin naman ng beauty queen na hindi krimen ang pagiging LGBT at hindi parusa ang pagkakaroong ng HIV.

Sa huli, nanawagan si Pia sa PDEA at media na gumawa ng hakbang kaugnay sa insidente.

Habang pinayuhan naman nito ang publiko na huwag husgahan ang mga taong may HIV at respetuhin ang LGBT.

Universe, listen to this. A few days ago a drug bust happened in a high scale hotel in Manila Philippines involving 11 supposedly gay men. Two of them were suspected of selling/distributing drugs. During the operation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) found out that one of of them was HIV positive. PDEA and local news outlets decided to expose the identities of these men to the media. Their mugshots, names, and the HIV status of one of them were released. Was this really necessary? I understand that what the men were supposedly doing was illegal and they should face legal consequences. But there was absolutely no need to expose and publicly shame them. It’s illegal to publicly announce one’s HIV status (RA8504). What has been done has not only traumatized the men that were involved; it has also worsened the HIV situation in the Philippines. We’re working so hard in educating the people properly on HIV/AIDS, on taking away the stigma. Because of what PDEA and the news outlet have done, some people are now associating drugs and immorality with being gay. It’s ridiculous. The whole point of this drug raid was to arrest the men for their supposed crime, which was selling/distributing and using illegal narcotics. Being gay is not a crime! Living with HIV is not a punishment! Come on, Philippines. We are already taking small steps forward to improve acceptance, tolerance and understanding. We cannot take big steps back. To PDEA and the news outlets, take steps to mend the situation. Sa aking mga kababayan, wag po tayo maging judgmental. Hindi immoral ang maging bakla, hindi dapat ituring na kaparusahan ang HIV. At lalong hindi ito biro na dapat pag-pyestahan at pagtawanan. To my beloved LGBT community, stay strong. We’ll win this.

A post shared by Pia Wurtzbach | Miss Universe (@piawurtzbach) on Nov 28, 2017 at 5:31pm PST

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