History of the Ateneo de Manila
The Ateneo de Manila University (Filipino: "Pamantasang Ateneo de Manila") is a private research university in Quezon City, Philippines. Founded in 1859 by the Society of Jesus, the Ateneo is the third-oldest university in the Philippines.
The founding of the Ateneo de Manila University has its roots in the history of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) as a teaching order. The first Spanish Jesuits in the Philippines, Alonzo Sánchez and Antonio Sedeño, arrived in 1581 as missionaries. They were custodians of the "ratio studiorum", the Jesuit system of education developed around 1559. Within a decade of their arrival, Sedeño and the Jesuits had founded the Colegio de Manila ("Colegio Seminario de San Ignacio") in the historic core of Manila, Intramuros, in 1590. The Colegio formally opened in 1595, the first school in the Philippines.
LGBT rights in the Philippines
The Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University and its branches throughout the country have been viewed as pro-LGBT since the middle of the 20th century. The university supports the "SOGIE Equality Bill", the advancement of the Metro Manila Pride March, sex reassignment surgery (such as in the case of Geraldine Roman), and same-sex marriage. The university also has inclusive gender restrooms, a move spearheaded by its Davao campus, which has the largest population of Muslim students. The same campus also held the first pride march in the Davao region.