SC annuls marriage over concealed homosexuality

The Supreme Court (SC) has annulled the marriage of a woman whose husband concealed his homosexuality before they got married.

In its ruling on March 8, the SC affirmed that hiding one's homosexuality constitutes fraud under Article 45 of the Family Code, allowing for annulment if consent was obtained through deception and the couple did not continue living together afterward.

The couple met online while the man worked in Saudi Arabia; they began dating after he returned to the Philippines but avoided physical intimacy and emotional closeness.

Two months into their marriage, the husband allegedly stopped communicating and only sent a message on their first wedding anniversary. The woman later found magazines with male models among his belongings and confronted him about his sexuality, leading him to admit that he was homosexual.

Devastated, she left their home and filed for annulment based on fraud, which the SC ruled in favor of, disagreeing with lower courts' decisions.

Bahaghari chairperson Reyna Salinas criticized the ruling as stereotyping and dehumanizing, emphasizing the need for legal reforms to protect LGBTQ+ rights.