Aprovechando el impulso de los videos internacionales, el Proyecto ha implementado programas en beneficio de los jóvenes LGBT en seis continentes. En respuesta a la temática global de IDAHOT 2015 y su enfoque en Jóvenes LGBTI, todos los afiliados IGB han puesto su mayor esfuerzo para ofrecer un amplio programa de acción!

PORTUGAL: Tudo Vai Melhorar  realizara una campaña de “Abrazos Gratis” en las calles de Lisboa y Porto para promover la aceptación y el amor en detrimento de la homofobia y transfobia. Exitosamente realizaron esta acción en el pasado y esperamos que tengan mayor éxito este año. (https://youtu.be/3z43NF12Q38).

MEXICO: Todo Mejora México se encuentra trabajando con la popular YouTuber Victoria Volkóva para lanzar un compilado de vídeos de sus seguidores contando en 20 segundos como todo mejora para ellos cuando no tienen que enfrentar transfobia u homofobia  (se lanzará el 17 de mayo).

ITALIA: Le Cose Cambiano, en cooperación con los estudiantes universitarios de Progetto Prisma y mujeres del Grupo InContrO Liceo Govone, junto a otras organizaciones amigables con las personas LGBT (como Amnistía Internacional) realizarán un flashmob en las calles de Bologna para IDAHOT. Éstos grupos también se reunirán el 19 de mayo para un debate sobre representación LGBT en la tienda de libros YA y el 20 de mayo para celebrar la traducción al italiano del libro de Ian Rivers “Homophobic Bullying”.

CHILE: Todo Mejora lanzará un vídeo musical que producirán con la artista chilena Francisca Valenzuela llamado Insulto, una canción inspiradora sobre la superación del acoso escolar para los jóvenes LGBT (ver el video letras aquí). Junto con GLSEN (una red de educativa basada en los Estados Unidos), Todo Mejora también lanzará la edición en español del Juego de espacio seguro, una guía sobre cómo ser un aliado para los estudiantes LGBT.

MOLDAVIA: Egali será co-anfitrión de una serie de eventos en los días previos a, en, y después de IDAHOT. Estos incluyen el 14a Festival Anual del Orgullo (titulado “Rainbows over Dniester”), la tercera Marcha Anual del Orgullo para la Igualdad, y una conferencia de familias LGBT (titulada “Nuestras familias aquí y ahora”)

BRASIL: Para el IDAHO de este año, Tudo Vai Melhorar Brasil  será co-anfitrión de “De que lado voce samba?,” un evento para resaltar el valor de la cultura y la música brasileña, mientras también se representan los aspectos de la diversidad sexual en la sociedad brasileña. El evento contará con artistas locales, actuaciones musicales, reproducciones de vídeos y exhibiciones de graffiti.

AUSTRIA: Es Wird Besser Osterreich y la Unidad Antidiscriminación para lesbianas, gays, transexuales de la Ciudad de Viena  será el anfitrión de una mesa redonda titulada “Construyendo Puentes para la Juventud LGBT” para IDAHOT. Dan Savage y Terry Miller van a participar en el panel como invitados especiales. Durante su visita al país, también van a participar en una lectura el 19 de mayo y un espacio de prensa – “Café de Derechos Humanos ” – el 20 de mayo.

AUSTRALIA: It Gets Better Australia llevara a cabo It Gets Better LIVE, un evento de multiples actividades encabezado por el grupo populares de chicas, GRL, el 3 de mayo. Ellos estarán dando un llamado para IDAHOT durante las actuaciones y esperan subir una versión grabada del evento en YouTube el 17 de mayo.

ESTADOS UNIDOS: Durante la semana del IDAHOT, el proyecto It Gets Better (junto con ‘artivista,’ Daniel Arzola) publicará de una serie de artículos y dibujos online que retratan a las distintas facetas de la identidad gay compartida por los jóvenes LGBT de todo el mundo. Además, el Coordinador del Programa Internacional del Proyecto estará en Moldavia con Egali para hablar en la conferencia de familias LGBT y para participar en el festival del Orgullo anual y marcha en Chisinau.

Siguiendo la tradición, el proyecto también realizará posteos, tweets, y compartirá todos los momentos maravillosos que ocurran IDAHOT este año. Asegúrese de revisar www.itgetsbetter.org/content/idahot para ver todas las actualizaciones increíbles que vienen de nuestros afiliados y amigos de todo el mundo!

Italy was witness to one of the strongest mobilisations for IDAHOT 2014, in Europe and worldwide. Actions took place in at least 15 cities, and countless topics and communities were the focus of activities around May 17 this year. Progressive voices of faith and individuals joined in prayer, reflection and remembrance in 14 towns and cities, as part of a Global Interfaith Prayer Initiative for IDAHOT 2014. The project ‘ddl405′ launched a video and public call for anti-transphobia and anti-intersexphobia messages to support their campaign. In the north of Italy a local youth organisation brought more than 500 people together to hug a UNESCO monument, amongst many other events.

Global Interfaith Prayer Initiative

For many years now, the Global Interfaith Prayer Initiative, organised from Italy by Gionata, an Italian Project addressing Faith and Homosexuality, and with the support of the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups, has taken place throughout the period around May 17 in various cities in Italy, and other countries. The focus of the vigil is to commemorate the victims of homophobic violence and discrimination. At the same time, organisers and participants also stand up and speak out against prejudice within the Church. The events were organised by local churches and groups, and took place in the following cities in Italy this year:

May 12: Bologna
May 15: Florence and Palermo
May 16: Padova, Parma, Pistoia and Rome
May 17: Borgo Priolo, Catania, Forano Sabino, Licata, Mantova, Pecara, Pinerolo, Rome, Torino and Trieste
May 18: Rome, Florence, Grosseto, Licata, Milan, Naples, Padova, Rimini and Trapani
May 20: Genova
May 22: Milan

The vigils and commemorations are set to continue in Italy until June 13 and will include Palermo, Livorno and Cremona.

Campaign ddl405

On the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the project ddl405 has launched their campaign video for the draft bill DDL405 to put forward to the Parliament. The bill would protect the rights of Italian transgender and intersex people, making a series of changes to the current legal framework.

The claims are to
– stop forced surgery for transgender people to enable them to legally change their name and gender;
– ease off the bureaucracy and relieve the expenses of transition;
– prevent the unconstitutional annulment of marriage in case one of the spouses changes their legal gender;
– end mutilating surgeries on intersex infants.

You can watch the ddl405 campaign video here (launched May 15):

The initiative also invited people to send in their message against Transphobia and Intersexphobia with a picture which was then published on their Facebook page.

Here is a message from Francesca Cellini, a candidate for city council in Bagno a Ripoli:

Francesca Cellini, local Italian politician, leaves her IDAHOT 2014 message.

You can find out more about the campaign on their blog and you can sign the petition here.

Free Expression Zone Bologna!

On May 17, the Cassero LGBT Center in Bologna together with ArciLesbica Bologna and other groups declared a Free Expression Zone on the Piazza dei Celestini in Bologna and later on they also took action in via d’Azeglio and Piazza del Nettuno. The public space was created into a space free from violence and racism, where all identities can be expressed. The space was created together with other civic associations active in the field of LGBT or other social justice questions. The space was occupied with workshops, small events, information tables, and activities from morning to evening.

You can find out more about the Center on their website and on Facebook page.

Casa Delle Donne di Milano

On May 18, the Casa delle Donne di Milano organised a conference with presentations and a discussion on the struggles and violence LBT women face, and on good practice to combat homophobia. They also talked about social constructions and the self-image of teenagers. Eva Schwarzwald addressed gender stereotypes and specifically body images; Helen Ibry, an anthropologist, gave a tour of Europe in twenty minutes with numeric data, legislative proposals and political situations of countries; and Milena Cannavacciuolo spoke about popular culture.

Presentation at Casa Delle Donne di Milano

Hug-In in Vicenza

Organised by the local Youth organisation Arcigay, Vicenza (Northern Italy) hosted a big ‘hug’ against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. More than 500 people gathered to hug the Palladian Basilica, a UNESCO monument.

Source: Arcigay Vicenza

Flashmob Venice

The Collettivo Stonewall Venezia LGBTIQueer organised a flashmob against Homophobia on Campo Santa Margherita, Venice. The flashmob was aimed at sparking discussion and increasing public awareness, by participants wearing a mask of Putin in the streets while homophobic insults were shouted and stories told about the impact of homophobic violence. To provide more details they also distributed flyers.

Source: Collettivo Stonewall Venezia LGBTIQ

LGBT Training in Torino

On occasion of the IDAHOT 2014, the LGBT Office of the city of Torino carried out training sessions about gender identity and sexual orientation, as part of a national strategy to sensibilize state officials and police forces.

This year is particularly important for our LGBT Office as the City of Torino, as national Secretariat of RE.A.D.Y, the Italian Rainbow Cities, Provinces and Regions, has been assigned by the national Government the meaningful task of translating in concrete actions the objectives and measures of the national LGBT Strategy.

Top level trainings on LGBT topics have already been carried out for the national Police and Arma dei Carabinieri high rank officials in April 2014 while other top level trainings are going to be hold for CEO belonging to the Minister of Labour and Regions.

Locally, the LGBT Office held its first LGBT training in the jail of Ivrea, a city nearby Torino, on gender identity and sexual orientation in detention. The session addressed police officers, psychologists and social assistants of the Penitentiary Police working in the LGBT section of the prison of Ivrea. LGBT transsexual/transgender persons are likely to experience a double suffering in detention: restrictions of freedom, and restrictions in specific areas of prisons. “Our training focused on sexual identity, applicable law, good practice for the management of transsexual/transgender and homosexual persons in jail aiming at their social and professional reintegration in society,” the organisers explained.

Further details about the national strategy are available here.

Series of Vigils Organised Across Italy

Various groups, local activists and religious leaders worked together to organise a series of vigils to remember the victims of hate crimes – for on May 17th, 2013. Coordinated by Gionata, an LGBT Christian Network, the level of mobilisation this year was unprecedented with connected events held in all major Italian cities. Local activists also reported growing support for the seventh annual series of vigils, from wider faith communities in Italy. The theme for this year’s vigils was “There is no fear in love”! (1 Jn 4, 18).

At the start of the campaign Gionata also released a beautiful short campaign video, in various languages, publicising the vigils, the IDAHO Global Prayer Initiative and the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia in general. They also made other material available in both Italian and English including bible references, and suggested forms for a vigil.

During the event, the IDAHO video, translated in the Italian language, was screened. The city’s Mayor made an opening speech highlighting the fact that progress had been made in recognizing the rights of LGBT people. Celebrations ended with a gift from the XXVII Torino GLTB Film Festival: A video produced by the students of the European Institute for Design of Torino representing a positive vision of the future in which humankind will have forgotten the meaning of discrimination.

About 100 people also gathered in Turin’s Castello Square, each wearing a white T-shirt with the words “Victim of Homophobia/Transphobia” and giving away prints of the program and stopping people on the streets to talk about homophobia and transphobia in Italy. At the end of the day, the Councillor for Equal Opportunities came by to lend support in the name of the city.

Activists also held a day-long “Ride the Pride” bus trip to commemorate IDAHO which visited three cities during the day and featured three different activities: Meeting with students at the high school in Castelmaggiore; an exhibition with a performances in the main square of Pieve di Cento; and a screening of the movie “Due Volte Genitori” about families with LGBT children at Pianoro cinema.

Prayer vigils were once again held for victims of homophobia and transphobia around the world. Christians of all denominations met in churches throughout Italy to remember victims and break down the wall of silence and embarrassment that is so prevalent in society.