Rapid Scoping Review 2025: Philippines

Feminist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and more (LGBT+) movements in the Philippines face mounting challenges that are deeply rooted in cultural, religious, and political dynamics. Machismo culture continues to reinforce strict gender roles and perpetuate male dominance, leaving little room for gender equality. Women’s rights groups and the Church have also dismissed efforts to recognise sex work as labour, arguing that it exploits women’s poverty. This environment has significantly shrunk the space for sex work activism. This brief explores the context of rollback, the landscape of anti-rollback actors, counter-rollback strategies, and gaps and areas for future research and work.