International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)

May 17 is the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia – or IDAHOBIT.

International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)

 

May 17 is the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia – or IDAHOBIT. The main purpose of IDAHOBIT is to raise awareness of violence, discrimination, and the repression of LGBT+ communities world-wide.

Shaun Kennedy, National Equality Diversity and Inclusion Lead CGL
Shaun Kennedy, CGL National Equality Diversity and Inclusion Lead

In turn, it provides an opportunity for organisations and individuals to engage in dialogue with the media, policy makers, public opinion and the wider civil society.

This year’s theme for IDAHOBIT is justice and protection for all. Within the UK when it comes to being lesbian, gay, bi or trans, it is sometimes easy to take justice and protection for granted, particularly as LGBT+ rights have advanced so much over the past 20 years.  However, there are still many gaps in the law and LGBT+ people continue to experience discrimination and injustice in their daily lives. For example, according to research conducted by Stonewall:

  • One in five LGBT people in the UK have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months
  • Two in five trans people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months
  • Four in five anti-LGBT hate crimes and incidents go unreported, with younger LGBT people particularly reluctant to go to the police

In many places around the world, LGBT+ people also face injustice and live in fear and danger. The latest International LGBT Association (ILGA) global report on State-sponsored homophobia, lists 72 states that still criminalise same-sex sexual relations. In 45 of these States the law is applied to women as well as men. Many more States restrict the freedom of speech on gender and sexual diversities or put other forms of legal pressure.

This is why more legal and policy reforms are essential to ensure justice and protection for all LGBT+ people around the world.

Within Change Grow Live, I feel immensely proud to work in an organisation where I feel I can be myself and where my diversity and identity are genuinely valued. This year’s achievement in Change Grow Live becoming a Stonewall top 100 employer is a testament to the fact that we are building a positive working culture.  I fully recognise, however, that there is always be more to be done to improve our equality and inclusion practices. We will continue to focus on improving the experience of our LGBT+ staff, volunteers, service users and their allies.

Read the full article at www.changegrowlive.org

 

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This content was created by CGL, and first appeared on www.changegrowlive.org