International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biophobia, Sunday 17 May

04 May 2020

Colour their world

LGBTIQ people around the globe will celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Biophobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) with colour and creativity on Sunday 17 May.

This year’s celebration will be held on the day, 30 years ago, that the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

IDAHOBIT will be a little different in 2020 due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, but it will still be celebrated by schools and communities seeking to create a broader understanding of the difficulties LGBTIQ people face every day.

Sexuality and gender identity or intersex status aren’t always visible and homophobia, biophobia, interphobia and transphobia can occur online and face to face and often prevent people from being themselves.

Our national statistics are alarming – 75 per cent of Australia’s LGBTIQ youth experience some form of discrimination, 61 per cent experience verbal abuse and 36.2 per cent of Trans Australians experience depression.

IDAHOBIT aims to encourage workplaces and community organisations to create a culture in which everyone, including all LGBTIQ people, feel safe and included.

What can you do on IDAHOBIT?

All funds raised during the event will go to programs that support LGBTIQ Australians.

Encourage your family, friends and school community to celebrate IDAHOBIT and fight homophobia, biophobia, interphobia and transphobia.

For resources including posters, signs, toolkits and Zoom backgrounds click herCelebrations for IDAHOBIT will brighten everyone’s spirits

At home

How about hosting a rainbow-filled night at home? Get your family together and connect with others online using FaceTime, Google Hangouts, the House Party app or Zoom.

Watch a film on Netflix, Stan, Foxtel or another platform – perhaps one with a LGBTIQ theme – and review it via email, letter, online or in a shared phone call.

You might like to encourage friends or family to stay in for the night and donate the money they would have spent going out to support LGBTIQ youth.

At school

Encourage staff and students at your school to stand out against homophobia, biophobia and transphobia by hosting a rainbow clothes day and asking for a gold coin donation to IDAHOBIT.

Decorate the school in bright colours, add student names to a colourful banner and raise a rainbow flag for the week.

Share your events and activities on Facebook, Instagram and the school website.

For more ideas and information click here

To donate click here