Today, 17th May, is IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia). It is a day to drive awareness of the violence, discrimination, and repression that the LGBTQIA+ community faces worldwide.

A brief history

In 2005, the first IDAHO day was inaugurated. The 17th of May was chosen as that was the day that homosexuality was removed as a mental illness from the International Classification of Diseases in 1990.

Since the first IDAHO in 2005, the day has grown to raise awareness of human rights for all areas of the LGBTQIA+ community, becoming IDAHOBIT.

Where we are now

Even with broad social progress in Australia, sexuality and gender-diverse communities still are subjected to bias and prejudice. This can have significant impacts on the physical, mental health and well-being of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. You just need to look at the current discussions that are happening as part of the 2022 Federal election to see that Australia still has a long way to progress before real equality is achieved.

I encourage everyone to go out and enjoy the celebrations planned for IDAHOBIT: hold an event at work, or at your school. It is important to remember that days of recognition like IDAHOBIT need to go beyond waving a rainbow flag.

Days of recognition need to be used to further the discussion on how to be more inclusive at work, school and in the community as a whole. We all need to work together to make society more inclusive and remove the violence and discrimination that the LGBTQIA+ community still faces on a daily basis.

More information on IDAHOBIT day can be found at:

IDAHOBIT Website
Minus 18 Org: How to have a Great IDAHOBIT at work
Minus 18 Org: How to have a Great IDAHOBIT at school