International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

A PRIVILEGED MOMENT THAT EVERYONE, AT ALL LEVELS, CAN USE AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH THE MEDIA, P O L I C Y M A K E R S , P U B L I C OPINION, OTHER CIVITL SOCITY OR RELIGIOUS GROUPS, OR ANY O T H E R S T A K E H O L D E R O R CONSTITUENCY TO DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY. -Louis George, PhD-
Founder of the InternaKonal Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Background:! Fact Sheet:!

Country Participation:!

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Types of Regional & International Actions Surrounding IDAHO! 0 1 A WINDOW INTO THE WORLD! A Few Types of National Actions Surrounding IDAHO! Posters from the IDAHO Global Campaign:! IDAHO Lesson Info Packet! IDAHO Brochure:!23 12 14 16 18

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Background:
Following other initiatives such as the National Day Against Homophobia created in 2003 in the Quebec province of Canada by the Fondation Emergence and celebrated in June, Louis-Georges Tin, a French university lecturer, campaigner for Black and LGBT Rights and chief editor of the Dictionary of Homophobia, launched in August 2004 an initiative to create an International Day Against Homophobia that is global in scope. He launched an appeal For a universal recognition of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) and proposed that this day be fixed on May 17th, to commemorate the World Health Organizations decision to remove homosexuality from the list of mental activities take place in many countries in the world. The first LGBT events ever were organized in Congo, China and Bulgaria. Joseph Borrell, President of the European Parliament made a statement supporting the IDAHO and invited Tin to the conference the EU Parliament organized for IDAHO 2006. By that time a new campaign had been launched calling For a universal decriminalization of homosexuality and by May 17th 2006 it had attracted support from several Nobel Prize winners (Desmond Tutu, Amartya Sen, Elfriede Jelinek, Dario Fo, Jos Saramago), artists (Merryl Streep, Cindy Lauper, Elton John, David Bowie), intellectuals (Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, Bernard-Henri Lvy), NGOs (ILGA, FIDH), politicians, etc... For IDAHO 2006 again, the IDAHO Committee and GayRussia co-organized the first GayPride in Moscow, preceded by an International IDAHO conference that brought together many activists, organizations and politicians from around Europe and North America. In July 2006, thanks to the efforts of Fondation Emergence, the Montreal Conference on LGBT Human Rights, organized in the wake of the Outgames, included in its Declaration of Montreal a strong recommendation to all Governments to recognise May 17th as the International Day Against Homophobia.

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disorders. By May 17th 2005, as a result of a year long campaigning effort, 24000 people worldwide and reputed international organizations like ILGA, IGLHRC, the World Congress of LGBT Jews, the Coalition of African lesbians, to name but a few, had signed the IDAHO appeal. In May 2005 already, the IDAHO saw some

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Poland

Over the past seven years IDAHO has grown to over 90 countries around the world. It has touched lives of millions of people and started conversations that were not previously had. Because of IDAHO, the world is conscious

Trinidad & Tobago

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

52%
OF AMERICANS FIND HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS "MORALLY ACCEPTABLE"
(Gallup Survey, May 2010)

5x
YOUNG DUTCH LGBT PEOPLE ARE UP TO FIVE TIMES AS LIKELY TO ATTEMPT SUICIDE AS THEIR HETEROSEXUAL PEERS
Social and Cultural Research Agency (SCP) www.scp.nl/english/

91%
OF DUTCH PEOPLE CLAIM TO ACCEPT HOMOSEXUALITY
http://www.scp.nl/english/Publicati...

48%
OF FRENCH PEOPLE ARE IN FAVOR OF ADOPTION BY SAME-SEX COUPLES
(French Center for Research on Lifestyles - CREDOC, July 2010)
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COUNTRIES RECOGNIZE SAME SEX MARRIAGE RIGHTS
Wikipedia wikipedia

45%
OF AMERICANS FAVOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR SAMESEX COUPLES
(Pew Research Center 2010) Pink News Same-Sex Marriage USA

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COUNTRIES IN 2010 PROSECUTE PEOPLE ON GROUND OF THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION
ILGA report on State sponsored Homophobia ILGA website

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COUNTRIES IN 2010 PROSECUTE PEOPLE ON GROUND OF THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION WITH CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
ILGA report on State sponsored Homophobia ILGA website

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EVERY 16HRS ONE TRANSGENDER PERSON IS MURDERED
ALL OUT website www.allout.org
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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Fact Sheet:
Russia

Canada

Since 2005, May 17 has been dedicated to the Interna9onal Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), marking the day in 1990 when the World Health Organiza9on removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. IDAHO unites millions of people all over the world in an unprecedented show of global solidarity in support for the upholding of human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and in calling for an end to the discrimina9on and violence that plagues their lives. Human rights viola9ons targeted at people on the basis of their sexual orienta9on or gender iden9ty are a global phenomenon and include the denial of employment, housing, medical services and educa9on, and rape, torture and murder.

IDAHO is supported by many high-prole people, including Nobel Prize winners Desmond Tutu, Amartya Sen, Elfriede Jelinek, Dario Fo and Jose Saramago; actors and musicians Lady Gaga, Meryl Streep, Cindy Lauper, Elton John and David Bowie;, and intellectuals Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler and Bernard-Henri Levy. IDAHO is ocially recognized by The EU Parliament, Belgium, the UK, Mexico, Costa Rica, Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Spain and Brazil. In countries such as Brazil, Argen9na, Canada and Italy, IDAHO has been recognized by ci9es, local councils and regional governments. IDAHO is breaking records for global mobiliza9on and outreach, with an es9mated 200 million people exposed to campaign messages around the globe. Each year, IDAHO focuses on a specic campaign issue based on the pressing needs of LGBTI organiza9ons and groups worldwide. This years campaign is the IDAHO Lesson, addressing discrimina9on and harassment based on sexual orienta9on and gender iden9ty in schools.

Turkey

Cuba

IDAHO is now celebrated in more than 100 countries, with advocates staging hundreds of ac9vi9es, events and ac9ons the world over.
Canada

Brazil

The three overriding objec9ves of IDAHO are: To provoke ac9on globally, from debates to exhibi9ons and demonstra9ons; to reinforce the visibility of ac9vists throughout the world; and to have IDAHO recognized as a na9onal day in as many countries as possible and have it adopted at the interna9onal level.

IDAHO has developed a strong presence of social networks, with nearly a hundred pages, groups and events set up specically for IDAHO iniKaKves.

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Country Participation:
The EU Parliament, thanks to an ini9a9ve from the EUP Intergroup, on LGBT Rights Belgium, thanks to the Associa9on Europenne des Droits de lHomme The UK, thanks to the eorts of Derek Lennard from Galha Mexico, upon an ini9a9ve from MP David Sanchez Camacho. Costa Rica, thanks to the eorts of the organisa9on CIPAC The Netherlands, following ac9on by COC ACT-UP and the IDAHO Commidee teamed up to get France to recognise the Day In Luxemburg an alliance between the Green Party and the LGBT o r g a n i s a 9 o n R o s a L e t z e b u e r g achieved to get the Day on the countrys agenda. In Spain, the mobilisa9on of na9onal coali9ons brought recogni9on of the Day from the Parliament In Brazil, relentless eorts of the umbrella organisa9on ABGLT have lead to President Lula announcing the recogni9on at na9onal level on IDAHO 2010 In many countries like Brazil, ArgenDna, Canada, Italy, ... the Day has been recognized by ci9es, local councils, regional governments,... ArgenDna, Bolivia, Australia, CroaDa, etc, na9onal authori9es have been called upon by their civil socie9es to have the Day recognized and ac9ve lobbying is on its way to success. In LaDn America, a network of organiza9on was formed to capitalize best prac9ce around the objec9ve of the ocial recogni9on of the Day.

Cuba

Israel

Mongolia

Fiji

Croatia

Bangladesh

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TYPES OF REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS SURROUNDING IDAHO

Types of Regional & International Actions Surrounding IDAHO

AS I AM ONLINE ACTION The objective laid out by some conservative movements to cure people of their sexual difference inspired the IDAHO Committee to launch a participatory online campaign to celebrate people in their uniqueness. People were asked to send testimonials, artworks, photos or videos celebrating the joy of being who they are, and the refusal to be cured, repaired or otherwise normalized. The campaign received contributions from various continents, which can be viewed on the As I Am website. CURES THAT KILL REGIONAL CAMPAIGN With technical help from the IDAHO Committee and financial support from Dutch Philanthropy HIVOS, organizations in 12 Latin American countries united in a powerful campaign using the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia as a focus point for action around the region. The campaign, entitled Cures that Kill,* aims to combat the growing influence of organizations, most of which hold dogmatic religious positions, which promote the idea that sexual and gender diversity can be cured through what are labeled reparative therapies. By raising awareness of the wrongness of reparative theories, of the harm they provoke, and of the violation of human rights they represent, the campaign aimed to deconstruct the popular support they draw from and to discredit the scientific varnish that dogmatic discourses often try to cover up with. WALK WITH PRIDE 'Walk with Pride (WWP)' is a project by Charles Meacham and Sarah Baxter to photograph and document gay pride parades around the globe. The images that make up the Walk with Pride photo collection were taken by photographer Charles Meacham during the 2009 and 2010 pride season, and showcase 15 different global prides. The WWP project partnered with the IDAHO Committee to organize exhibitions of this collection in cities around the world in celebration of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. The exhibition was inaugurated at the European Parliament by its President , Jerzy Buzek, and Ulrike Lunacek and Michael Cashman, Co-Presidents of the European Parliaments Intergroup on LGBT Rights. It was also displayed in various cities in the USA, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Australia, Belarus and Taiwan. http://walkwithpridenow.com UNITED NATIONS ENTITIES Ahead of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, the UN Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights issued a pamphlet, entitled The

United Nations Speaks Out: Tackling Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The pamphlet is a collaborative effort between OHCHR, UNDP, UNAIDS and WHO. It carries excerpts from many strong statements on the subject by the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other senior UN officials, as well as by the UN treaty bodies, special rapporteurs and other UN agencies. The pamphlet was published in English, Spanish and French by the UN, and many versions in local languages were produced in time for IDAHO activities by civil society groups, with the logistical and financial support of the IDAHO Committee.

universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. UNDP also issued a specific address on the Day, emphasizing that stigma, prejudice, and repression pervasively undermine human rights and inflict grave harm not only on individuals but on development as well. While the increased engagement of UN Agencies in the celebrations of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia has been applauded by activists, a specific request toward the World Health Organization has been voiced by the IDAHO Committee and a large alliance of Asian organizations. The alliance urged the WHO to renew its commitment to ensuring that the 1990 decision to declassify homosexuality from the list of mental disorders translates into legislative changes, including decriminalization of same-sex relationships, anti-discrimination laws, and protective measures for sexual and gender minorities.

EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS Almost all major EU institutions marked the International Day against Homophobia. The European Parliament, the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the Joint parliamentary ACP assembly as well For the first time in history, the Day as the Fundamental Rights Agency was also marked by an official address from UNESCO. After years all issued statements on this occasion. The only main EU of lobbying the institution, the institution not to do so was the IDAHO Committee was particularly happy to hear Director General Irina Council of the European Union, Bokova express the commitment of currently chaired by Hungary, whose government is also displaying the institution to the fight against aggressively homophobic policies discrimination on the basis of at home.The European Parliament sexual orientation and gender also hosted the Walk with Pride identity. The speech was delivered exhibition, (for further details, see at an event co-organised by the article below). The Fundamental organization of LGBT UN staff Rights Agency announced a new GLOBE. initiative to measure homophobia and transphobia in Europe. The EUUNAIDS has marked the wide online survey will capture the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia with a actual experiences of discrimination and hate crimes felt by LGBT message from Executive Director Mr. Michel Sidib. In his statement, people. M Sidib reminded us that The AIDS response has shown that when people are stigmatized because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, they are less likely to access the HIV services they need. He called on governments to create social and legal environments that ensure respect for human rights and

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While the documentation of homicides against trans people is indispensable for demonstrating the shocking extent of human rights violations committed against trans people on a global scale, the need for in-depth research lead the project to evolve towards the current Transrespect versus Transphobia METRO WEEKLY WITH Worldwide (TvT) project, with a LADY GAGA research team from over 15 partner The global free daily paper METRO marked the Day in all organizations in Africa, Asia, its 19 national editions, which Central and South America, Europe, North America and were distributed to Oceania. 17 million people and included a full two-page article on human rights and LGBT people, an initiative that was part of a much noticed special issue edited by pop star Lady Gaga. The diva, who is well-known for her commitment to LGBT rights, expressed her wish that Humanity could find Togetherness. We are all different and it is that which makes us the same. Be RAINBOW FLASHMOBS yourself, love who you are and be proud. You were born An impressive list of 50 cities participated in the second edition of this way, baby. the international initiative inviting people to gather in public on May 17 and release balloons in the colors of the rainbow flag. Originally started in Russia, this year the initiative gained also the participation of activists from Germany, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Singapore, Czech Republic, Belarus and TRANS MURDER Poland. The initiatives site MONITORING PROJECT provides reports, videos and (TMM) pictures. 'The Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM)' project launched an interactive map on May 17th, a date that the Trans community now increasingly refers to as IDAHOT to increase the visibility of transphobic violence. The project was initiated in April 2009 to systematically monitor, collect and analyse reports of homicides of trans COURAGE UNFOLDS people worldwide. The new This year, the International Day interactive map for the first against Homophobia and time visualises a great portion Transphobia provided Asian of the 604 reported murders organizations and coalitions with of trans people that the TMM the opportunity to hold public has documented since screenings of the documentary January 2008. 'Courage Unfolds'. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the organization Lesbian Advocates Philippines (LeAP!) co-produced this video, highlighting the struggles and triumphs of LGBT activists in Asia and promoting the use of international human rights law as a tool for social change. Courage Unfolds is the culmination of two and a half years of gathering stories from sixteen countries across Asia. Screenings and community discussions took place in Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong and New Zealand to mark IDAHO. The video is currently being translated into Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, Hindi, Khmer, Mongolian, Nepali, Thai and Vietnamese. ensuring full legal equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. ILGA Europe also teamed with the European Commission to display on May 17 the exhibition Different families same love, at the ECs headquarters in Brussels. PROGETTO GIONATA The 'Gionata Project' aims to bring Christian believers from all denominations together over Ecumenical Vigils of prayer for victims of homophobia and transphobia. It is organized by GLBT Christian groups with the support of Gionata, the Italian project on faith and homosexuality promoted by the European Forum of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Christian groups. This fifth edition of the initiative took place in 18 Italian cities, and was also celebrated in Spain, Peru and Kirghizstan.

STATE-SPONSORED HOMOPHOBIA REPORTS The international LGBTI organization ILGA launched its annual Statesponsored Homophobia Report, a world survey of laws prohibiting same sex activity between consenting adults at London Universitys Institute of Commonwealth Studies. In addition to ILGAs world map on Gay and Lesbian rights, ILGA-LAC, Pan Africa ILGA and ILGA-Asia also produced regional maps. All material was made available in Spanish, Portuguese and French. Meanwhile, the European branch of ILGA launched the updated version of the Rainbow European Map and Index, which look at progress made by European countries towards respecting human rights and

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

A WINDOW INTO THE WORLD

Gauging sociopolitical oppression of gender and sexual minorities through a global comparison of law enforcements response to IDAHO

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia gives the world a unique opportunity to come together around a common cause. It also allows organizers to see from the global perspective the way in which the LGBTI community is characterized from region to region. Looking at law enforcement alone, organizers can see how from country to country, there is a lot of work to do. Its a fascinating insight into regional socio/political environments. In Honduras where demonstrators were protesting the arbitrary murders of young trans women, armed military personnel ensured that peace and order were maintained. In Turkey, demonstrations for IDAHO were tightly observed by local law enforcement ensuring that protestors didnt get too out of hand. In russia, activist faced not only neo-nazis threatening violence, but a police force sympathetic to those same neo-nazis. Activists were beaten up and thrown in paddy wagons. In countries where it is still illegal to be gay, activists fear arbitrary arrests for certain mannerisms that suggest they are different. Comparatively, in progressive countries you see a different story unfolding before the publics eyes. In these spaces, it is the police force that are not only maintaining order for the events and actions held around the world, but it is members of the police force who are engaging organizers throughout the entire

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commemoration of IDAHO. In the UK we saw police officers enjoying the festivities of the day in uniform. In the US we had law enforcement sitting on discussion panels identifying ways to protect and serve gender and sexual minorities. In Australia you had out LGBT officers representing their work places. There of course is a spectrum upon which law enforcement in any given community can be measured. As an international organization working on these issues, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia sits in a unique position to bare witness to this global comparative process. Year to year it is the IDAHO

committee that is able to see how addressing various universal principles and respecting individual community members for where they are at in relationship to the world matters. The IDAHO committees driving principle is to serve the community found around the world. By offering this space in numerous ways, IDAHO sets the stage for global action. It also allows for intangible conceptions, such as the recent SOGI report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights calling for governments to implement training for law enforcement to become realized through global engagement of these issues via the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

A FEW TYPES OF NATIONAL ACTIONS SURROUNDING IDAHO

A Few Types of National Actions Surrounding IDAHO

debate on Homosexuality and Faith and a community celebration China: The Day was celebrated in 20 cities this year, up from 3 for IDAHO 2009. For the first time, top Chinese media ran special features on LGBT issues to commemorate the Day. LGBT activists once again marched against homophobia on their bikes, riding even through Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but also in various other cities in the country. At selected landmarks, volunteers handed out brochures and stickers with antihomophobia slogans. In the wake of the Cures that Kill campaign, activists in China also joined in the IDAHO celebrations by producing a documentary on the situation of reparative therapies in China. The film brings together powerful testimonies from individuals who were promised a cure for homosexuality, and from sexual health therapists who testify against this approach. The documentary was screened publicly at an event hosted by the British and French Embassies The Courage Unfolds Video

Brazil: At the federal level, the Brazilian LGBT federation, which unites 237 groups, organized on May 18 its second National March against Homophobia and Transphobia, in which several thousand participants marched on the Congress in Brasilia, where the 8th National LGBT Seminar was taking place. The days program also included an ecumenical vigil, which was held as part of the Cures That Kill campaign. The event was conducted in partnership with social networks Avaaz.org and AllOut.org who projected onto the wall of the National Library photographs of supporters of the international Stop homophobia in Brazil campaign. Burma/Thailand : Burmese LGBT activists living across the border in Thailand gathered to speak out against abuses committed by police and government forces in Burma. Music, theater, dance, speeches and film screenings marked the event, which attracted people from Rangoon, Mandalay, Moulmein, Meiktila and other parts of Burma, as well as from Thailand, the Philippines, the US and Europe Cameroon An alliance of human rights groups and LGBT activists organized a training workshop for legal professionals, human rights defenders and advocates on how to address legal issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity. The workshop aimed to increase stakeholder capacity to avoid arrests, face procedural matters and free suspects held in jail. A day of celebrations was also organized by and for the LGBT community of Douala, including a

Domincan Republic: Armed with syringes, surgeons masks marked with the gay flag, and pamphlets, a group of Lesbian activists blitzed the streets of Santo Domingo. The activists held their first Vaccination Campaign against Homo/lesbo/ transphobia, to raise public awareness on the pathological nature of homo/ transphobia and to challenge the false, widespread assumption that it is homosexuality and gender diversity that should be cured. Honduras: Facing a climate of strong social and political homophobia and transphobia, with 34 LGBT people killed over the last 18 months, several organizations in Honduras organised on the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia the Journey of the Different Kiss, which lead them, despite attempts by police forces to disrupt it, to the Secretariat of Justice and Human Rights, the Presidential Residence, a police station, the Municipal City Hall, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Congress. The Day provided an opportunity for numerous allied organizations and movements to voice their support for the LGBT struggle for equality.

wearing t-shirts with the most common swear-words used by Hungarians for sexual and gender minorities, while shouting out messages like, Homophobia is a disease, not homosexuality. At the end of the march, candles were lit in remembrance of victims of homophobia. A video of the event was immediately posted on websites of local media known for being antiLGBT rights and on those of violently homophobic groups. Meanwhile, the Institute of Sociology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, together with Hungarian LGBT NGOs, organized a conference on "How to Combat Homophobia and Transphobia in Present-Day Hungary"

Cuba: From May 3 to May 19, Cuba celebrated its fourth annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia with a two-weeks long Jornada contra la homofobia. Mariela Castro Espn, the daughter of Cuban President Ral Castro, lead the countrys celebrations in Havana and Santiago de Cuba (Cubas second largest city). Under the slogan "Humanity is Diverse", the events included Pride marches, symposiums, lectures, film screenings, art exhibits and a theatre festival, headlined by Cuban superstar, singer Haila Mompie

Kenya: Members of the gay and lesbian community, male and female sex workers, representatives of the police force, health care providers and legal professionals came together to mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia in the city of Kisumu. In Nairobi, LGBT activists teamed up with the Kenyan Human Rights Commission for a public discussion on homophobia and faith. The Kenyan Human Rights Commission also revealed its landmark study, "The Outlawed Amongst Us", highlighting police abuse, including sexual assault, blackmail, and harassment, against LGBT people in Kenya Lebanon: The blogger community launched an online initiative to collect testimonies of victims of homophobia and transphobia, both as means to empower the community and to support and strengthen the advocacy agenda. Quotes from the testimonies were posted on flyers around Beirut to raise consciousness.

Hungary: Activists in Budapest chose a more provocative approach to IDAHO celebrations this year, as they marched through the city center

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problems faced by the LGBT community in Serbian society South Africa: Franois Nel, the newly elected South African Mr. Gay World 2011, paid tribute to activists throughout Africa and stood up against corrective rapes in South Africa by editing a special IDAHO video and holding a public community event in Pretoria on May 17 Trinidad & Tobago: In Trinidad and Tobago the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia was celebrated for the first time. Activists held a series of consultations with various ministries to discuss ways to improve the lives of LGBT people in their community. In a key stepping stone for future advocacy in a country where samesex relationships are illegal, the Coalition managed to meet with Ministries for Labour, Justice, Science, Energy, Planning, Finance, People and Social Development, Trade, Legal Affairs, Public Administration, National Security and Tourism, as well as with the Attorney General. Turkey: For the 6th year, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in Turkey was marked by an International Meeting against Homophobia, which gathered activists from Bosnia Herzegovina, Lebanon, Serbia, Croatia, Palestine, Israel, Armenia, Georgia, Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro, Egypt and Iran (and with participation from Sweden). The International Meeting concluded with a Pride March across the Capital Ankara, where supporters rallied to ask for the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity to be enshrined in the countrys constitution. The march provided Iranian LGBT refugees in Turkey with the space to conduct their first-ever public demonstration. LGBT organizations and campus groups from Diyarbakir, Kayseri, Adana, Eskiehir, Izmir and Istanbul also joined the march. Uganda. The training, focusing specifically on Transphobia, aimed at helping participants understand their role as part of a global network of human rights defenders and to develop advocacy strategies at local level. The training session ended with a candlelight vigil in honor of LGBTI human rights defenders around the world, with a special dedication to Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato.

Nepal: The Day was marked this year again in Nepal with a large series of events including a seminar with the Nepal Medical Council, fashion shows, radio and TV talk shows and much more. The Nepali government has been urged to make Nepal the first Asian country to give the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia official recognition.

Sri Lanka LGBT groups once again commemorated IDAHO this year with a Raise the Rainbow Flag in Solidarity campaign, which called on foreign missions, NGOs, grassroots organizations and individuals to raise the rainbow flag on May 17. In addition, the same campaign urged Facebook users to change their profile pictures to a rainbow flag. IDAHO Posters Philippines: were distributed and exhibited in Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and foreign missions, shops, NGO transgender activists marched offices and many other venues in to the House of Colombo and Kandy. IDAHO Representatives on the eve of Advertisements were published by the International Day Against newspapers in English, Sinhalese Homophobia and Transphobia and Tamil languages, reaching out dressed in colorful rainbow to all Sri Lankan ethnic costumes and holding picket communities, despite the signs, seeking the passage of homophobic refusal by some of the a long-delayed measure largest national papers. Sri Lankan protecting human rights based activists also translated, published on sexual orientation and and distributed the UN brochure on gender identity. Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in both Tamil and Singhalese. Other noteworthy IDAHO events included the countrys first-ever public panel discussion on religion, homosexuality and homophobia Serbia: Event organizers in Belgrade worked with the city council for the first institutionally sponsored commemoration of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. After a successful first Belgrade Pride last year and following government interest in this mater, IDAHO was marked with the three-day-long "Loud & Queer" arts festival, featuring national and guest artists and including drama shows, concerts, photography exhibitions, film screenings and several panels discussing how artists can engage to address and overcome Tajikistan: Tajik activists organized the "Equal rights and equal opportunities" festival, which was attended by representatives of various governmental institutions, international organizations and NGOs. The festival included arts performances, lectures on resenting stigma and discriminations and a fashion show. A Tolerance march was also on the program, with activists dressed in rainbow colors handing out campaign messages to the public. A series of trainings for journalists resulted in a range of supportive articles in major newspapers, the best of which was awarded a prize from the LGBT organizations, thereby inaugurating what should become an annual highlight in Tajik IDAHO celebrations.

USA: A number of events were held throughout the United States to mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. Notably, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a powerful statement of support for the day on behalf of the Obama Administration and called on all nations to decriminalize homosexuality. Several US embassies around the world also organized meetings, discussions and public events with local community members where ambassadors underlined the United States commitment.

Uganda: With a sense of temporary relief created by the shelving of the infamous Ugandan Kill the Gays bill, human rights groups hosted a training seminar for human rights defenders from throughout

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwean activists commemorated the Day by releasing an official statement regarding the treatment of LGBTI people throughout the country. The group specifically highlighted the institutionalization of homophobia and transphobia and called upon authorities to protect individuals who are being targeted because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity or expression, rather than contributing to their harassment

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Posters from the IDAHO Global Campaign:

Every year there are creaKve posters that reect the diversity of the IDAHO campaign. These posters are just a few examples of how local advocates have adapted IDAHO to their day.

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International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

IDAHO Lesson Info Packet

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IDAHO Brochure:

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