Welcome to everyone,
If I may make a friendly announcement - this Sunday May 17th - people around the world will be recognizing the *5th Annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia* (IDAHO).
For those who are curious, I'll provide a bit of history about the day. To start, one of the major founders of the International Day Against Homophobia is Louis-Georges Tin - a university professor, intellectual, and homosexual rights activist - who "took the initiative of launching a International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, and founded the IDAHO Committee, an international association aiming at developing this initiative" in 2005. More follows below, including the relevance of the day for LGBTQ (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and queers) and allies. I also include some personal reflections below about why this day is important to me too...
Some More History and Pictures for Reflection on the Day ~
For the history of this important day, we can consult Idahomophobia.org below. Para más información en Español, Haz Click Aquí. Pour plus d'information en français, Cliquez Ici.
May 17 was chosen because the date is the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s May 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. This victory of the lesbian-gay-bisexual and transgender (LGBT) cause was a historic step towards considering freedom of sexual orientation and gender identity as a fundamental basic human right...Countless activities are organized by associations all over the world. The IDAHO Committee itself also organizes seminars, events, and conferences every year.
The IDAHO Committee also prides itself on the following actions, beginning in 2005 ~
On the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia 2005, the first public gay and lesbian demonstrations were held in China, Congo, and Bulgaria. These were historic events in each country concerned. In 2006, the IDAHO Committee co-organized the first Moscow Gay Pride.
Results of these activities are not, of course, always solely attributable to the IDAHO Committee or the World Day against Homophobia. Nonetheless, our work makes a significant contribution to advances in LGBT rights by creating a unique moment when mobilization takes place all over the world, generating in its turn other forms of mobilization and showing policy makers the collective strength of the worldwide LGBT movement.
This day is important to me because I too am a gay person. Throughout my life, I have lived with homophobic bullying and prejudice. I'm not saying I've suffered any more than the next person, but my larger goal here is to spread the word about this significant day. I think the main causes of homophobia are fear and ignorance and I believe we can overcome homophobia by working together to dialogue and educate. That's what this day is all about really - discussion and learning. If you would like to get involved with the over 300 organizations in 75 countries, Click Here to visit the Idahomophobia.org website. They have lots of great ideas for how people can get involved...
And Here's Some Quick Facts About Issues Involving Homophobia from www.NOW.org ~
- Students who describe themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered are five times more likely to miss school because of feeling unsafe. 28% are forced to drop out. --National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, "Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization," New York, 1984.
- The vast majority of victims of anti-lesbian/gay violence - possibly more than 80% - never report the incident, often due to fear of being "outed." --New York Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project Annual Report, 1996.
- 85% of teachers oppose integrating lesbian, gay and bisexual themes in their curricula. --"Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth," 1993.
- Due to sexual orientation discrimination, lesbians earn up to 14% less than their heterosexual female peers with similar jobs, education, age and residence, according to a study by the University of Maryland. --Badgett, M.V. Lee, "The Wage Effects of Sexual Orientation Discrimination," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, July 1995.
- 42% of homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. --Orion Center, Survey of Street Youth, Seattle, WA: Orion Center, 1986.
- More than 84% of Americans oppose employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. --Survey Conducted by Newsweek, January 1997.
- 75% of people committing hate crimes are under age 30 - one in three are under 18 - and some of the most pervasive anti-gay violence occurs in schools. --New York Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Report, 1996.
- Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are at a four times higher risk for suicide than their straight peers. --Gibson P., LCSW, "Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide," Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1989.
- A survey of 191 employers revealed that 18% would fire, 27% would refuse to hire and 26% would refuse to promote a person they perceived to be lesbian, gay or bisexual. --Schatz and O'Hanlan, "Anti-Gay Discrimination in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Physicians," San Francisco, 1994
Here's Some More Recent Data About Homophobic Bullying from www.Stonewall.org.uk ~
- In Social exclusion, absenteeism and sexual minority youth (Rivers, I. 2000), 72% of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults reported a regular history of absenteeism at school due to homophobic harassment. 50% who had been bullied at school had contemplated self-harm or suicide – 40% had made at least one attempt to self harm.
- In one survey (Bullying – don’t suffer in silence , DfES, 2002), 82% of secondary school teachers said they were aware of verbal homophobic bullying and 26% were aware of physical homophobic bullying.
- Research carried out in 2003 found that 51% of gay men and 30% of lesbians reported being bullied physically at school, compared with 47% of heterosexual men and 20% of heterosexual women. (Mental health and social wellbeing of gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in England and Wales, Royal Free College and University College Medical School, 2003)
- The Bullying of sexual minorities at school: its nature and long-term correlates (Rivers, 2001) studied the types of bullying experienced by 190 LGB adults, and found that:
*82% of respondents had been subject to name-calling
*71% had been ridiculed in front of others
*60% had reported being hit or kicked
*59% had rumours spread about them
*58% had been teased
*49% had their belongings stolen
*27% had been isolated by their peers
*11% had been sexually assaulted by either peers or teachers, whilst at school.
- Research carried out in Reading by ReachOUT noted that Black and Asian LGB young people faced a number of additional problems on top of the bullying, including racism, homophobia from within their own communities and conflict around their identity.
- An estimated 2,725 young people call ChildLine each year to talk about sexual orientation, homophobia or homophobic bullying. Males account for 55% of the calls about these issues, even though they account for only 25% of total calls to ChildLine. Boys were more than twice as likely to report being physically bullied. 60% of the young people who called Childline about sexual orientation, homophobia or homophobic bullying were 12-15 years old. (ChildLine, Sexual Orientation, homophobia and homophobic bullying).
If you would like to learn more about combatting homophobia, or the International Day Against Homophobia, please visit the following resources below. We can each make a difference if we act. I leave you with a little video from the Idahomophobia.org site, which encourages LGBTQ people to participate in a video project. Thanks for reading! Let's also talk this up among our friends!!!
- Idahomophobia.org
- Homophobiaday.org
- International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission