IDAHOBIT is May 17
Details
When — 17/05/2024
Where — International
Category — Event
May 17 is IDAHOBIT
May 17 is the International Day against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination, commonly referred to as IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia & Transphobia).
From https://www.idahobit.org.au/news/the-history-of-IDAHOBIT-may-17:
IDAHOBIT is the anniversary of May 17, 1990, 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:
The first Mardi Gras pride march was held in Sydney in 1978, which was met with violence from police. Those who marched were beaten inside police cells and had their names published by the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tasmania was the last jurisdiction in Australia to decriminalise homosexuality in May 1997. The majority 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.
The first IDAHOBIT was held in 2005 and is today acknowledged by millions of people globally. 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.
Minus18 Foundation (www.minus18.org.au), an Australian youth driven organisation for LGBTQIA+ youth, is a leader in change, building social inclusion, and advocating for a discrimination free Australia. They share a magnitude of great resources to educate and assist people with getting involved in the elimination of discrimination, including the six tips below which they shared on their LinkedIn page today for IDAHOBIT: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/minus18-inc_may-17-is-the-international-day-against-lgbtqia-activity-7197004251099774977-tc_J/?utm_ :
1. Listen and Learn
Listen to the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people. Check out content creators, listen to podcasts and attend inclusion training.
2. Inclusive Language
Use terminology that includes LGBTQIA+ people. For example, use the word "partner" to avoid assuming someone's gender.
3. Be Visible
Signal to others that you're someone who'll support them. You could wear rainbow, share social media content and get involved with queer events.
4. Show Your Pronouns
Showing your pronouns shows others you'll respect theirs too! Wear a pin, or add yours to your email signature or social media profile.
5. Use Your Voice
Stand up for LGBTQIA+ people and speak up against discrimination, even if the person being talked about isn't around.
6. Advocate for Inclusion
Build LGBTQIA+ inclusion in to your everyday life and advocate for others to do the same. You can learn more from organisations who do this work each day.
Based in the South West region, OUT South West aims to promote community awareness and inclusivity of the LGBTQIA+ Community in the South West. In support of young people in the community, OUT South West is hosting an IDAHOBIT Glow Fest tomorrow 18 May, at the Koolambidi Woola Function Room (Bunbury).
We all have a responsibility to ensure the places we live and work are free from discrimination. Inclusive language has been a dedicated passion of mine for the past few years, in particular with the gender imbalance of most workplaces in the mining & minerals resources industry. Through the utilisation of inclusive language such as “team” instead of “guys/girls”, “resource hours” instead of “manhours”, or referring to someone's “partner” instead of assuming a heterosexual default, we can ensure all employees are welcome and feel seen in our workplaces.
My personal contribution this IDAHOBIT, in addition to launching this blog post to share the great resources out there, is the addition of pronouns to my email signature. While I do not have a personal aversion to someone referring to me by pronouns other than “she/her”, it is my hope that by sharing pronouns on my work and company signatures that other employees can rest assured that I will make it a conscious effort to respect their own.
More Information
For more information, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/outsouthwestwa/
How Can I Help Out?
It’s never too late to start being a visible ally and promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion in your workplace and community circles. Try out some of the suggestions above from Minus18 Foundation, and suggest to others that they also research ways they can show their support.
To support young LGBTQIA+ people, you can also donate here:
$20 - Is enough to provide a young person with resources on sexuality and gender identity.
$50 - Sends an LGBTQIA+ teen to the life-affirming Queer Formal for free.
$188 - Provides LGBTQIA+ education resources to one Aussie classroom.
Minus18 Foundation Ltd is a registered Australian charity, and all donations are tax-deductible.
