Read the article here.

As well as a celebration of gender and sexual diversity, the event also featured talks on discrimination and stigma and the chance for members of the LGBT community and their allies to meet and discussion various issues.

For more information on this event please click here. 

The event was reportedly cancelled due to security concerns, but the group also claim the decision to remove their license was part of a targeted persecution of their group, which has often been critical of the political establishment in the past.

Kaos GL and the LGBT community instead held a small closed event. Several small events were also held by the international community. In Istanbul the Swedish consulate hosted an afternoon in support of the day, which featured live performances and a talk on discrimination.

The new laws mean that transgender Canadians will now benefit from a greater range of legal protections and rights. The legal reforms come after efforts from within the Trudeau government, spurned by their commitment to LGBT equality which was promised following their election.

As longstanding supporters of IDAHOT, the Canadian LGBTI community have always been incredible at mobilising their support for May 17. This year the number of events across the country made Canada one of the world centers for IDAHOT activity.

In Quebec, Fondation Émergence focused its 2016 campaign on the realities of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors.

In British Colombia, Kamloops Pride held a special day of story telling to promote solidarity and pride among the local LGBTI community. The event featured stories and performances from members of the LGBTI in a local safe-space venue and was followed by a candlelight march to city hall.

In Richmond, BC, local activists organised the third annual IDAHOT celebration at Richmond Cultural Centre.

In Toronto, the Asian Community AIDS Service hosted their annual Pink Dot event. The event was a celebration of the LGBTQ Asian community and featured a march through Chinatown as well as performances and talks focused on the experiences of LGBTQ Asians and Canadian-Asians.

Also in Toronto, PSAC Pride marked IDAHOT 2016 with their positive space lunch and learn. The event invited the community to join for an open discussion on workplace discrimination and similar issues facing the LGBT community. There was also a celebration organised by the local Opening Doors Project.

In Vancouver LGBTI group Qmunity held its 12th annual IDAHOT breakfast, which featured a talk and presentation on the subject of homosexuality and coming out.

In Hamilton, Ontario, local LGBTQ activists hosted a night that focused on the experiences of young LGBTQ Canadians. The event included a youth presentation, documentary screening and an open-mic and arts show, all in order to raise awareness of the issues facing LGBTQ youth.

In Barrie, Ontario, Fierté Simcoe Pride hosted a special Dinner and Drag show to mark IDAHOT 2016. The event featured local performers and will also see the announcement of details for the group’s upcoming 2016 pride.

Online giant Google helped mark IDAHOT 2016 with a message of support on their homepage, which was available across America. On social media IDAHOT was a leading topic in all parts of the country, with thousands of tweets and comments being shared. On Facebook the day was featured as a ‘trending topic’, which brought many comments from the mainstream public to our Facebook page. Many good, and many negative.

The US media was probably the biggest in their coverage of IDAHOT 2016, with articles and features being seen across a number of websites, including Huffington Post, Washington Blade, Yahoo News and many others.

The day was also celebrated from within the establishment, with President Barrack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and a number of other officials releasing public statements.

Special U.S. Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry is scheduled spoke at a Human Rights First reception at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 17. The group also honored two LGBT activists — Quality of Citizenship Jamaica Executive Director Angeline Jackson and Olena Shevchenko, chair of Insight, a Ukrainian advocacy group — during the event.

Following the introduction of over two dozen bills to curb LGBT rights at the state and federal level, and in observation of ‪#‎IDAHOT2016‬, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) released this video as the kickoff of the ‪#‎WeAreWithYou‬ campaign to show support for the LGBT community.

OutRight Action International honored Berry and Yuli Rustinawati, chair of Arus Pelangi, an Indonesian LGBT advocacy group, during an awards ceremony at the U.N. on May 16. Charles Radcliffe, a senior human rights advisor for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner, and Dan Bross of Microsoft  also received awards.

Berry also delivered the keynote address at an LGBT rights conference that took place at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on May 20.

The Institute of Current World Affairs, a Washington-based organization, has organized the event that advocates from Zimbabwe and other countries attended. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) co-hosted the conference that the Center for Transatlantic Relations and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting have co-sponsored.

– See more at: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/05/12/advocates-to-mark-global-day-against-homophobia-transphobia/#sthash.eqWiEakT.WmgSk2eT.dpuf

But outside of the mainstream, events were held across the country by campaigners and the LGBT community to mark the day. In Gainesville, Florida, churchgoers and LGBT campaigners came together for an event celebrating diversity of all forms. Similar events were also seen across the country.

In San Francisco SF Pride will kick off the local pride season on May 17th with a fundraising event. All money made will go towards upcoming pride events for the San Francisco area.

If you are an American campaigner and would like your action to be included here please get in touch with us directly.

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the central body for all UK diplomatic and foreign affairs matters, held a number of events in support of IDAHOT 2016, as well as online messages of support that were seen in ost of the countries they operate in.

The office also published a number of short videos featuring staff and members of the international LGBT community. Videos and further messages were shared through the FCO’s social media pages, through the #IDAHOT hashtag.

On social media the UK was one of the most active countries, with tens of thousands of tweets coming from the country alone. IDAHOT 2016 trended throughout the day, and led to an incredible amount of discourse and dialogue.

In response to the IDAHOT 2016 theme, several organisations took part in actions focused on mental health and wellbeing. Coventry University this year released a new edition of their Psychology of Sexuality reviews with a specific IDAHOT focus. The publication will feature research and discussion over sexuality and how campaigners can apply scientific findings to improve their work. Universities across the country also supported the day with talks, workshops and the publication of resources and guides for students.

London the Kaleidoscope Trust held their annual IDAHOT lecture, featuring a talk and panel discussion on mental health and the LGBT community.

Also in London the Lloyds Banking Group hosted a free public screening of the British comedy film Pride, which tells the story of LGBT protestors joining the British mining strike in the 1980s.

In Brighton, The British Psychological Association held a public seminar on marriage equality. The event is free to all members and non-members and will feature insights from some of the leading academics in British psychology. The BPA also held a special online discussion on mental health, psychology and sexuality, which invited members of the public to share questions on mental health and sexuality. The action helped promote much online discussion, and also provided valuable information for many members of the LGBT community.

Across the country community groups held events a huge number of events to support their local LGBT community. In Leamington Spa, LGBTI individuals and allies gathered for the Big Rainbow Picnic to mark IDAHOT 2016. In Bradford the Equality Partnership hosted a day of performance and talks around the theme of health and wellbeing in the LGBTI community. In Shrewsbury, the Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival held a special screening about LGBTI activism in Ukraine. In Brighton, the Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum joined together with other local activists for a day of live performances and talks that included a ‘minute of noise’ in commemoration of the victims of LGBTI violence.

In North West England the Proud Trust presented their ‘Pink Box’ creations made during LGBT History Month. The Pink Box campaign involved young LGBTI people exploring philosophy and philosophy in order to ‘create their own belief system’ in order to explore the link between religious beliefs and LGBTI equality.

In Manchester the LGBT Foundation held a public hate crime vigil to mark IDAHOT 2016. Other members of the city’s LGBT community also came together to celebrate the life of computer scientist Alan Turing with a miniature memorial unveiling.

In Reading the Reading University Student Union hosted a small number of events across the day, including a flag raising ceremony, workshops and talks on gender identity and allyship in LGBT campaigning.

In Kent, health campaign Kent Brook visited several schools through the week of IDAHOT to discuss discrimination and stigma with young people and teachers. The efforts were part of an ongoing campaign during which the group hopes to address issues facing young LGBT people and to tackle in-school discrimination through their talks.

In Cheltenham (Gloucestershire), members of the local IDAHOT group held public sessions on mental health, wellbeing and stigma. The first talk will focus on the theme of ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing’ while the second will address LGBT Children and Parents and the issues they face.

In Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway council marked the day by promoting their newly-launched anti-discrimination guidelines. The authority will also hope to raise awareness of discrimination through a number of events during the day. Similar actions were also seen in Fife, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

Also on the day, the Gay Police Association of Scotland ran a special online videocast on hate crimes and discrimination in the UK. Action was also seen from police forces across the country, many of whom supported the day through their Special Victims Unit, and through the promotion of anti-hate crime resources and public displays of solidarity.

The 4^th annual IDAHO Forum this year took place in Copenhagen, where policy makers, campaigners and professionals from various backgrounds gathered for a number of talks, discussions and presentations. During the event information was presented by experts on various topics, including discrimination and stigma, and various dialogues focused around how the international community can work together to support the equality of LGBT individuals.

The event was also opened by Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, who called upon more action to be taken, and helped bring the IDAHO Forum agenda to the international media.

The event also featured a number of side-events organized by local campaigners. A mini-conference titled ‘Still Much To Be Done’ was organized by Danish campaigners and focused on the work of European organizations, and how campaigners can support equality across the continent.

Also in Copenhagen, Copenhagen Pride held their annual event on the weekend of IDAHOT 2016. The event saw hundreds gather for a celebration of sexual and gender diversity.

On an international level, several Danish embassies and diplomatic services also helped to promote the message of IDAHOT 2016 by supporting local actions, hosting events and sharing messages of support online.

The day of events included a nature bike ride and several events focused around health and wellbeing, including the opportunity to gain health advice and useful resources. The events are also part of ongoing actions aimed at advocating for GBT men’s health and the equality of the LGBT community.

In Athens, youth action group AEGEE_Athina hosted a number of young LGBTI activists from across Europe for a weekend of youth-focused talks, workshops and activism. The campaign camp, Beyond The Rainbow, was designed the foster cross-European solidarity and cooperation and saw activists from several countries taking part.

On an international level, an online campaign was launched by Amnesty International targeting Tunisia’s anti-gay laws. The campaign calls upon the government to lift anti-homosexual laws used to target and persecute gay and bisexual men, and also included a petition.

Due to the security and legal concerns facing Tunisia’s LGBT community there were no public events held to mark IDAHOT 2016. If you are a campaigner or activist in Tunisia and would like to tell us about your plans or action please get in touch.