International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

IDAHoBIT is a very special day of remembrance and awareness for the LGBT community. The day raises awareness to help make a stand against violence and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and is marked worldwide, including countries where same sex acts are still illegal.

This year's theme is ‘Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights- more info can be found on their website- https://may17.org/

When did it begin?

The day was created back in 2004, and the date (17th May) was chosen when the World Health Organisation (WHO) finally declassified homosexuality as a mental illness- but this wasn’t until 1990.

How is it celebrated?

Here in the UK, there are several festivals and events that help mark this special day. Such as in Leeds, from 20-22nd May they host the Leeds Queer Film Festivaldetails can be found here- https://www.leedsqueerfilmfestival.co.uk/

There is a whole host of other events online and across the country that you can sign up to here- https://may17.org/country-page-2022-uk/

Why is the Name IDAHoBIT or IDAHOTB Lately that several groups translate the “I” with “intersexism”. Some consider this term to be vague and misleading. So, please refrain from using the term “intersexism” and prefer the term “intersexphobia”. Please also note that the name of the Day currently does not explicitly include Intersexphobia as there is no global consensus among the Intersex communities that this should be included in the remit of May 17

To stay in the loop please follow @may17org on Twitter and get involved where you can with your teams to recognise the day!

Written by Megan Caulkett, Pride in Food Co-Chair