International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia

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The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) is marked on May 17 every year, all over the world. It aims to organize international events in order to achieve recognition and respect for members of the LGBT population in the world. Unlike the LGBT Pride Day, which puts emphasis on the pride one feels about his or her sexuality and the refusal to be ashamed about it, the IDAHO puts emphasis on the fact that homophobia and transphobia are harmful and need to be destroyed and that we need to fight them openly.

The date May 17 was chosen to mark the day when homosexuality was removed from the International List of Diseases of the World Health Organisations, May 17, 1992.

Below we offer a list of announced events to mark IDAHO day in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia.

Albania
The Diversity Festival will be held in Albania and LGBTIQ activities will get, for the first time, the central place in the open. As announced by the organizers of the festival, PINK Embassy/LGBT Pro, this will offer a unique opportunity to unite the civil society, institutions and citizens in the celebration of IDAHO day. Mistakenly announced as the first Pride Parade in Albania, the festival intends to just articulate the needs and problems of the LGBTIQ community in the country, in a slightly different way. The series of activities will take place tomorrow, 10:00-13:00 hours, and the proceedings will start with a press-conference in which representatives of civil society and public institutions, as well as international associations, will present their messages against homophobia and transphobia. Representatives of the Ministry of Labour, the Dutch and American Ambassador, the Ombudsman and National Commissioner for Prevention of Discrimination will also take part in the press conference.

They will present the new brochure “My Rights that Can be Protected by the Commissioner for Prevention of Discrimination”. Afterwards, the "City of Colours" exhibition of photographs, video, installations and mini documentaries, describing the plurality of Albanian society, supported by COC Netherlands. The Diversity Festival will conclude with the screening of “Small Town Boy”, a film about the situation of LGBTIQ persons in Albania.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
On the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, the Sarajevo Open Centre (SOC) will organize the following events:
On May 16, at 18:00 hours, screening of the film "Prayer for Bobby",
On May 17, at 18:00 hours, public debate: LGTB rights in the Western Balkans, with Gordan Duhaček (Zagreb Pride), Damir Banović (Faculty of Law, Sarajevo), Ljiljana Zurovac (BiH Press Council) and Goran Miletić (Civil Rights Defenders), moderated by Saša Gavrić from SOC, and
On May 18, at 11:00 hours, promotion of "Born to be Gay: A History of Homosexuality“ by William Naphy (translated by Arijana Aganović)

Croatia
On IDAHO day, Iskorak and Kontra associations organize a protest action every year, with the aim to inform the public about the violations of human rights of LGBT persons. The action will take place on St. Mark's Square in Zagreb, in front of the Government of Croatia, at 10:00 hours.

The organizers need YOU for the action! And they add:
We will have a huge rainbow flag that has to be carried by at least 15 persons. We will present the representatives of the Government with our demands, which include, among others, the initiative to adopt a national plan for the fight against homophobia, which became an urgent matter after last year’s incidents during the Split Pride, so that even EU had to call on the Government to adopt such a plan in a resolution.

Iskorak and Kontra presented the draft-national plan to the Ministry of the Judiciary, but have not received any response so far. We want to create the pressure through the media and push the Government to take action to adopt the national plan.

17. May 17, 2012 The “Le Zbor” choir will perform at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Zagreb. Late that night (at 00:27 hours), the 1st Programme of the Croatian TV (HTV) will air the "God Save Le Zbor" documentary. You can see the trailer here:

On Friday, May 18, the Partycipation will be held, an event held for the past four years to avoid that IDAHO will remain just a mark on the activist calendar. The enigmatic DJ duet PopShop, the Hemendex band in their DJ set incarnation, Austrian bands Just Friends and Lovers and Plaided in their first appearances in Zagreb, will fill the Medika centre with joy and dance. Zagreb Pride invites you to go and get your dose of joy.

Macedonia
A group of organisations for sexual and healthcare rights will organize and IDAHO event that will present images of homophobia. Like last year, the Coalition for Sexual and Health Rights of Marginalized Communities will present the “awards" to most homophobic persons in the country, in Skopje's main square. Later, at the GEM Club (the Menada Club in Skopje’s Old Bazaar), the Coalition will hold a screeing of the film "Bent" by Sean Mathias, which will be followed by a discussion and a party.

Serbia
Labris, organisation for lesbian rights, and Women in Black will hold an info-stand in downtown Belgrade, on the Republic Square, on May 17, and will distribute educational publications: “Who is straight and who is gay”, A to Z Miscellany of Lesbian and Gay Human Rights, What your heart tells you – coming out stories, Peace Activism in Religions, and Researching Peace in Our Times. The info-stand will also have "living books”, with two Labris activists responding to questions on lesbian existence, their coming out experiences and other questions. The stand will also distribute leaflets with information on IDAHO day.

Last week, in invitation was extended to the institutions that have human rights at the top of their agendas to raise the rainbow flag on the IDAHO day to demonstrate their symbolic support of LBGTTIQ persons. The invitation was sent to the Office of the Commissioner for Protection of Equality, the National Ombudsman, the Youth Office of the City of Belgrade, Youth Centre in Belgrade, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Philosophy and Megatrend University.
The Equality Commissioner confirmed that her office will put up the rainbow flag on the windows in Beogradska st 70, as did the Ombusman (Deligradska st 16) and the Youth Centre in Makedonska 22.

Also on IDAHO day, at 17:00 hours, the debate “Learning from the Rainbow Books” will be organized by the Green Youth of Serbia, at the Roman Hall of the Library of Belgrade. Labris and Women in Black activists will take part in the debate.