IDAHOBIT, (which has gone under various similar acronyms) is The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia, and was created in 2004 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex people, and all of those with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.
It is marked annually on May 17th, across more than 130 countries, including many where same-sex acts are illegal. Thousands of initiatives, big and small, are reported throughout the planet.
Increasing knowledge on how we can best support our LGBTQ+ students and colleagues reduce discrimination, supports our diverse community and makes our environment more inclusive for all.
Below you can read the statement from the current chair of our Sexual Orientation Equality Group Martin Siegert about the day, and find out more about the history and function of the day.
If you have questions about issues of LGBTQ+ equality, you can contact EDI@exeter.ac.uk, or reach out to the LGBTQ+ Staff Networks in Exeter or Cornwall.
Statement from SOEG (Sexual Orientation Equality Group) Chair, Martin Siegert
IDAHOBIT – The International Day against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia - is a day marked annually to draw attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex people, and all of those with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.
The theme for this year is “No one left behind: equality, freedom and justice for all”, and is a reminder of the importance in our equality work and in our allyship of thinking intersectionally, and that we do not overlook or ignore the experiences of LGBTQ+ people who are multiply marginalised.
In order to stand against discrimination towards our LGBTQ+ community, it is important for us to be informed and aware of issues, and then to intervene and take action when needed. IDAHOBIT is a call to allies of the LGBTQ+ community to engage on issues impacting our LGBTQ+ community, and how to stand against discrimination whether it happens on an individual or broad scale. This could be intervening as a bystander if you witness inappropriate behaviour, reporting incidents or problems, getting involved in the work of our LGBTQ+ Staff Networks in Exeter or Cornwall, or engaging with equality work within or outside of the University.
The University has just celebrated Exeter Pride, and kicked off the Pride season in Cornwall, which represents a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate their identities, and also to protest against continuing inequalities. A few months ago, we marked LGBTQ+ History Month, which this year was themed around healthcare. While celebrating LGBTQ+ people in healthcare, we also turned our minds to the (sometimes) fraught relationship between healthcare and the LGBTQ+ community, both historically and presently. For example, we are still yet to see the conversion therapy ban promised in 2018, and access to transition healthcare remains slow with (often) years before first appointments are made.
As the chair of the Sexual Orientation Equality Group, I know we have a packed action plan around LGBTQ+ equality work. This year, with the theme of ‘No-one left behind’, we want to make sure that, for all the forward steps we have seen in LGBTQ+ equality, we are not complacent and allow for back sliding on progress, or overlooking the gaps still left to close.
The IDAHOBIT theme for 2024 is: No one left behind: equality, freedom and justice for all.
Decided during extensive consultations with LGBTIQ organisations from across the world, the theme will allow for advocacy and celebrations in many forms – be it from human rights defenders, LGBTIQ civil society groups, millions of people in our communities, and our allies.
The world has just celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — a document that is much more than a cornerstone of international law: it is a guide to navigate a deeply divided world, a set of values that everyone can live by, and ultimately a force for good. And yet, we know that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” represents a promise not yet fulfilled — for LGBTIQ people across the world, and for everyone experiencing the suffocating impact on their lives of diverse layers of inequalities. This year’s IDAHOBIT theme is a call for unity: only through solidarity for each other will we create a world without injustice, where no one is left behind.
The date of May 17th was chosen to commemorate the World Health Organisation’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
The Day represents a major global annual landmark to draw the attention of decision-makers, the media, the public, corporations, opinion leaders, local authorities, etc. to the alarming situation faced by people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.
May 17 is now celebrated in more than 130 countries, including 37 where same-sex acts are illegal. Thousands of initiatives, big and small, are reported throughout the planet.
Mostly, we see IDAHOBIT used in the UK to stand for: International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia, with all terms being used exapansively to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, nonbinary, intersex people, and all of those with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.
Even if every year a “global focus issue” is promoted, IDAHOBIT is not one centralised campaign; rather it is a moment that everyone can take advantage of to take action, on whatever issue and in whatever format that they wish.
Many different entities participate in the global mobilisation around the date and, as a consequence, it receives many different names. Some organisations add Lesbophobia or Intersexphobia as distinct focuses.
Acronyms also vary, from the initial IDAHO to IDAHOT or IDAHOBIT.
The Day is not one central trademarked brand and everyone is free to communicate as they wish. Events around 17 May go by different names and acronyms, and that’s okay. The Committee who started working around the date back in 2004 currently uses IDAHOBIT, and the groups posts will therefore use the hashtags #IDAHOBIT and #IDAHOBIT2024.
Although we have seen the translation of the “I” as “intersexism,” this is a term sometimes considered to be vague or misleading. After consulting with Intersex organisations, IDAHOBIT ask everyone to please refrain from using this term and use the term “intersexphobia” instead. Also note that there is no global consensus among Intersex communities that this should be included in the remit of 17 May, though many choose to hold space for intersexphobia in these discussions and activism work.