Gays barred from Labor Day rallies

Gays barred from Labor Day rallies

MANILA (AFP): Leftist groups said that they would not include
homosexual groups in this year's Labor Day rallies in the
southern Philippines, the official Philippine News Agency (PNA)
reported here yesterday.

The PNA quoted Val Mante, spokesman of the Bayan (Nation), the
main leftist coalition in the southern island of Mindanao, as
saying that several militant groups protested the inclusion of
homosexual groups in the 1994 Labor Day rallies.

He said that some people were offended by the skimpy costumes
worn by the homosexuals and that they believed their inclusion
diverted public attention from labor issues.

Leftist groups traditionally hold massive street rallies
during Labor Day in the Philippines.