“Laude’s death personifies the death of Philippine sovereignty and the light penalty imposed on Pemberton proves that despite the President’s independent foreign policy, that Americans continue to have the status of conquering colonials in our country,” Roque said in a written statement.
Duterte, who has faced widespread charges of human rights abuses in part for his aggressive approach to the nation’s war on drugs, has also faced questions about his approach to LGBTQ rights. Though he told an LGBTQ conference in 2017 that he would protect the queer community and once expressed a willingness to hire LGBTQ people in his administration, has has also denounced marriage equality and awkwardly told a crowd last year that he “used to be gay” but was “cured.”
Pemberton’s release drew criticism from a series of LGBTQ groups in the Philippines.
The Lesbian and Gay Legislative Advocacy Network, or LAGABLAB, is a coalition of Filipino LGBTQ organizations that especially took issue with Pemberton’s housing placement at the Philippines’ military headquarters.
“The early release of Pemberton is another injustice to the memory of Jennifer, her family, and the country,” the group said in a tweet. “Jennifer’s life is not worth six years of solo and comfortable stay in Camp Aguinaldo.”
Another Filipino queer group, Bahaghari, condemned the release in a Facebook post, saying that the entire case from the beginning has been a “massive slap to Jennifer’s family.”
“The feeble conviction set a terrible precedent for the LGBTQ+ community and the Filipino people: under the VFA, if a US soldier brutally murders a transgender woman in Philippine soil, they would ultimately roam free after as little as six years of incarceration,” the group said. “In Pemberton’s case, it was ‘incarceration’ in an exclusive [Joint United States Military Advisory Group] compound inside Camp Aguinaldo where only American personnel and Philippine officials with clearance may enter. It is no stretch to assert that Pemberton has, in fact, been serving ‘jail time’ comfortably, at ease, and with impunity.”
Bahaghari added, “Pemberton’s release is two-pronged. Firstly, it represents the unfettered violence and injustice the LGBTQ+ community continues to face. Moreover, it symbolizes the Philippine government’s continued submission to US imperialism. Justice for Jennifer cannot exist without both being decisively ended.”
This article first appeared on gaycitynews.com. To sign up for the Gay City News email newsletter, visit gaycitynews.com/newsletter.