It's International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
IDAHOTB website. (Some groups observing the day style the acronym as IDAHOBIT or someting else.) It is now celebrated in 130 countries, including 37 where same-sex acts are illegal.May 17 was chosen because that was the date in 1990 when the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder.This year’s theme is “Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights.” This is “a great theme under which many forms of advocacy are possible: claiming our rights to live our sexualities and to express our gender(s) freely, but also demanding to be from physical violence, from conversion so-called ‘therapies’ to forced sterilisation of Trans and Intersex people,” the site states. “A theme that reminds us that many of us across the world live LGBTQI-phobias in their very flesh every day and that our bodies are being abused, ruining our lives.
Our bodies are our lives. And we have a right to live free and in dignity!”However, IDAHOTB is a decentralized observance, with organizations and individuals everywhere free to hold whatever kind of event they choose.
It is managed by a coalition of activist groups, some regional and some organized around a certain issue.Numerous governments and other institutions have recognized the day, including the European Parliament and most United Nations agencies.In the U.S., President Joe Biden issued a statement supporting the LGBTQ+ community in observance of the day.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also issued one:“International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is an opportunity to join together in condemning the vile hate that still threatens the safety, well-being and fulfillment of our LGBTQ friends, neighbors and loved ones.
