What is IDAHOBIT?

What is IDAHOBIT?

It was first held in 2005 and is today acknowledged by millions of people in over 130 countries. While IDAHOBIT has evolved over these years, the purpose remains the same - celebrate the progress we have made while also raising awareness for the discrimination that LGBTQIA+ people still face today.

What does IDAHOBIT stand for?

IDAHOBIT stands for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. It has grown to be referenced to as the Day Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination to specifically include those of us who are lesbian, queer and asexual.

Why is May 17 Significant?

May 17, 1990, was when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases. While we celebrate this milestone and other advancements in LGBTQIA+ equality, the unfortunate reality is that these are all too-recent in our history

  • Tasmania was the last in Australia to decriminalise homosexuality in May 1997. A lot of Australians today were alive during a time when it was illegal to be gay.

  • The Marriage Equality plebiscite was held in 2017. While marriage equality was passed, 38.4% of Australians who voted (4.8 million people) voted against it.

Why is IDAHOBIT Important Today?

The recent nature of the LGBTQIA+ human rights movement means that stigma and discrimination are still prevalent across the world. This is also true in Australia, where:  

  • 62.1% of queer young people had felt unsafe or uncomfortable at secondary school.

  • 78% had witnessed regular negative comments about LGBTQIA+ people at their school.

  • 38.3% of queer secondary school students reported missing day/s at their educational setting in the past 12 months.

  • 68% of LGBTQIA+ employees are not out to everyone at work

  • 2 in 3 LGBTQIA+ youth experience abuse due to their identity

  • 35% of LGBTQIA+ Australians have experienced verbal abuse in the past 12 months

While experiences of discrimination most commonly occur in public and at work, there are also many instances where inequality and discrimination are still protected by government. In Australia:

  • LGBTQIA+ people can be discriminated against by religious organisations, including LGBTQIA+ teachers and students being expelled from religious schools.

  • Many intersex people experience medical procedures performed on their bodies that modify their sex characteristics without their consent.

  • LGBTQIA+ people are not adequately included in the census and other government research. This results in less data

  • Trans and gender diverse people in most states experience harsh and unnecessary barriers to updating their birth certificates, and therefore other legal documents.

BEING A GOOD LGBTQIA+ ALLY

  • If you feel safe to do so, challenge negative behaviours and viewpoints on the LGBTIQA+ community.

  • Don’t confuse gender with sexual orientation. Someone’s gender identity does not influence who they may be attracted to

  • Listen to rainbow community members and keep learning more

  • Respect People's Pronouns, if you don't know someones pronouns just politely ask or try introducing yourself and your pronouns first.

Avoid putting people into boxes. Don’t make assumptions based on people's appearance. Don’t ask overly personal or intrusive questions about someone’s body or their relationships. Focus on getting to know the individual and the things that they enjoy. Use gender neutral language in conversations. This can be tricky at first, but gets easier the more you try.

Don’t confuse gender with sexual orientation. Someone’s gender identity does not influence who they may be attracted to.

 If you feel safe to do so, challenge negative behaviours and viewpoints on the LGBTIQA+ community.  Question homophobic and transphobic language you hear in school or in the community. Ignoring poor behaviours reinforces them. Remember that allyship is a verb, your actions are incredibly important.

Listen to rainbow community members and keep learning more. If you hear someone refer to themselves with a term or pronouns, you haven’t heard before. You can ask them to explain it respectfully, or you can do some research online. There are some amazing resources available.

Remember that we’re all human and sometimes we make mistakes. If you use the wrong pronouns or accidently misgender someone. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Apologies and quickly move on. Just make a conscious effort to avoid it becoming a regular occurance.

GASP Geelong