May 17th, International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

[Behind the Aegis]

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia[1][2][3] is observed on May 17 and aims to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBT rights work worldwide. In the 9th edition, in 2013, commemorations took place in almost 120 countries, in all world regions.[4]

The founders of the International Day Against Homophobia, as it was originally known, established the IDAHO Committee to cooordinate grass-roots actions in different countries, to promote the day and to lobby for official recognition on May 17. That date was chosen to commemorate the decision to remove homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1990.[5]

The day was conceived in 2004. A year-long campaign culminated in the first International Day Against Homophobia on May 17, 2005. 24,000 individuals as well as organizations such as the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the World Congress of LGBT Jews, and the Coalition of African Lesbians signed an appeal to support the "IDAHO initiative". Activities for the day took place in many countries, including the first LGBT events ever to take place in the Congo, China, and Bulgaria.

In 2009, transphobia was added to the name of the campaign, and activities that year focused primarily on transphobia (violence and discrimination against transgender people). A new petition was launched in cooperation with LGBT organizations in 2009, and it was supported by more than 300 NGOs from 75 countries, as well as three Nobel Prize winners (Elfriede Jelinek, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, and Luc Montagnier). On the eve of May 17, 2009, France became the first country in the world to officially remove transgender issues from its list of mental illnesses.[7][8]

---snip---

Biphobia was added to the name of the campaign in 2015.[11]

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Homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia are not abstract concepts to GLBT people and those people who love us. From marriage equality (now in the SCOTUS), to being secure in our jobs and homes (27/29 states allow for GLBT people to be fired from their jobs or kicked out of their homes), to being included in hate crime statistics (some states do NOT report anti-GBLT crimes), our lives are often affected by those who hate us. It isn't limited to the United States. All over the world GLBT people fight for equality, while being raped, tortured, imprisoned, murdered, and even put to death by "the state."

Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgender people are everywhere. We are span all ethnicities...all ages...all economic classes...all religions, and atheism and agnosticism...all nationalities. We are your moms and dads, your brothers and sisters, your neighbors and co-workers, your friends and loved ones. We are people. Our lives matter.

Say "NO!" to homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia!

[Sherman A1]

1. It would be so very easy in this world

if we would all treat others, the way we would like to be treated.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Yes, it would!

[Cassidy1]

2. This is a good first step, but much more work needs to be done.

There are still hardcore zealots against this. Some of them are employers, educators, etc. Recognition days are great, but you still need laws with teeth. Society has come a long way in employment, but much needs to be done. There is too much bullying and too much discrimination. It all starts with language. I would like to see words like faggot, queer, etc. be treated like the N word. This is actually the last frontier, so it will take much more for this to stick. We need stricter penalties in school, the workplace and elsewhere when hurtful language is used. If it is malicious with intent to defame or denigrate, then pass laws where appropriate.