Tag: IDAHOT

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Today Is 2018’s International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia (IDAHOTB)

Around the world, millions of people in more than 130 countries will observe today as the 2018 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB).

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the alarming situation faced by lesbian, gay, bisexuals, transgender people and all those who do not conform to majority sexual and gender norms.

Even as millions of LGBTQ people around the world are standing up for visibility and fighting for their rights, many live in fear and isolation.

In most countries, LGBTQ people continue to lack fundamental rights and protections, and are at risk of discrimination and violence. In as many as 10 countries, the act of being LGBTQ is punishable by death.

And transgender people face an epidemic of violence and murder on a daily basis, including here in the U.S.

IDAHOTB is not one centralized campaign; rather it is a moment that everyone can take advantage of to take action.

Here are some facts and figures the Human Rights Campaign is monitoring around the world:

• Marriage equality is now legal in 25 countries

• 72 countries currently criminalize same-sex relationships, and in up to 10 countries, same-sex relationships may be punishable by death

• More than 2,600 murders of transgender people were recorded between 2008 and 2017, according to data from the Trans Murder Monitoring project

• A disturbing trend is emerging across the globe as governments in Lithuania, Nigeria and Russia are silencing equality advocates and organizations with so-called “anti-propaganda” laws

The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

It’s worth noting that President Obama issued a statement regarding IDAHOTB each year of his administration.

Donald Trump’s White House? Not a peep – which has become standard operating procedure for the Trump/Pence administration when it comes to LGBTQs.

“While the global LGBTQ community is filled with innovative advocates advancing equality, the Trump-Pence administration has failed to stand up in support of LGBTQ people around the world — from Chechnya to Egypt and far too many other places,” said Ty Cobb, director of HRC’s global department. “This International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, it is imperative that world leaders commit to stepping up and doing more to protect the human rights of all people.”

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Today Is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Today HRC recognizes the 13th annual International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) with the launch of a video series highlighting global innovators in the fight for LGBTQ equality.

In addition, the organization is shining a spotlight on the need for continued U.S. engagement on protecting the human rights of LGBTQ individuals around the world, especially in the ongoing crisis occurring in Chechnya.

“While the global LGBTQ community is filled with innovative advocates advancing equality around the world, we are still combatting horrendous violence in the U.S. and beyond — as we have seen most recently with the detention, torture and murder of gay men in Chechnya,” said HRC Global Director Ty Cobb. “It is disturbing that the White House is trying to build a wall around our country as LGBTQ people and others are trying to find refuge from extreme violence and persecution in places like Syria and Chechnya. Equally disturbing is the violence transgender women of color are experiencing in the United States. We call on world leaders to do more — not less — to protect the human rights of all people around the world. If we turn a blind eye when human rights are violated, we all the suffer consequences of living in a world of violence and instability.”

IDAHOT celebrates the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) resolution to declassify same-sex attraction as a mental disorder. The move followed a similar decision by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973. The WHO’s monumental change created a shift in how many LGBTQ people were treated. In 2004, LGBTQ activists gathered for the first time to mark this date with rallies in support of equality. The anniversary is now marked by celebrations, governmental proclamations, and renewed efforts to end the discrimination and violence that LGBTQ people throughout the world still face.

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Mexico’s President Denounces Homophobia, Backs Nationwide Marriage Equality

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, in observation of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, signed initiatives that would seek to add same-sex marriage provisions to Mexico’s constitution and the national civil code.

President Enrique Pena Nieto proposed Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage in Mexico, a move that would enshrine on a national level a Supreme Court ruling last year that it was unconstitutional for states to bar such couples from wedding.

Pena Nieto said he would seek to reform Article 4 of the constitution to clearly reflect the Supreme Court opinion “to recognize as a human right that people can enter into marriage without any kind of discrimination.”

“That is, for marriages to be carried out without discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or nationality, of disabilities, of social or health conditions, of religion, of gender or sexual preference,” he added.

Pena Nieto’s Twitter page and other government Twitter accounts were turned to include the rainbow colors as he made the announcement.

Although same-sex marriage is recognized in all 31 Mexican states, only 8 states have passed legislation which allows couples to marry locally.

The Mexican president’s Twitter feed was full of posts regarding today’s actions.

Worldwide, same-sex marriage is currently legal in the Netherlands (2001), Belgium (2003), Canada (2003-2005), Spain (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Argentina (2010), Iceland (2010), Portugal (2010), Mexico (2010-2016; see section below), Denmark (2012) + Greenland (2016) + Faroe Islands (2016), France (2013), Brazil (2013), Uruguay (2013), New Zealand (2013), England and Wales (2014) + Scotland (2014), Luxembourg (2015), the United States of America (starting with Massachusetts in 2004 and growing to 37 states before the 2015 Supreme Court nationwide ruling), Ireland (2015), Colombia (2016), and Finland (starting in 2017).

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President Obama Observes 2016 International Day Against Homophobia And Transphobia: “LGBT Rights Are Human Rights”

President Obama issued this statement today in observation of the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHOT).

Since 2004, the day represents an annual landmark to draw the attention of decision makers, the media, the public, opinion leaders and local authorities to the alarming situation faced by lesbian, gay, bisexuals, transgender and intersex people and all those who do not conform to majority sexual and gender norms.

On May 17, Americans and people around the world mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia by reaffirming the dignity and inherent worth of all people, regardless of who they love or their gender identity.

Our nation is committed to the principle that all people should be treated fairly and with respect. Advancing this goal has long been a cornerstone of American diplomacy, and I am proud that my Administration has made advancing the human rights of LGBT individuals a specific focus of our engagement around the world. I am also proud of the great strides that our nation has made at home in recent years, including that we now have marriage equality as a result of last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision.

At the same time, there is much work to be done to combat homophobia and transphobia, both at home and abroad.‎ In too many places, LGBT individuals grow up forced to conceal or deny who they truly are for fear of persecution, discrimination, and violence. All nations and all communities can, and must, do better. Fortunately, human rights champions and good citizens around the world continue to strive towards this goal every day by lifting up the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights. The United States honors their work and will continue to support them in their struggle for human dignity.

The date of May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.