In celebration of International Dance Day we’ve gathered seven great tips to help you incorporate dance into your actions for IDAHOT 2016. Whether it’s a small individual performance, or a group event, dance can be used in many creative ways – either as the main focus, or as a smaller part of a big event!

1 – Hold a flashmob!

Originally designed in response to rules against public gatherings, flashmobs are now a popular tactic across the world. The idea is simple: A group gathers secretly in a public location, using text or social media to coordinate their meeting. The activists blend into the crowd until signaled to begin a special pre-planned performance.

It could be a highly-rehearsed, coordinated routine, or something much more amateur. Whatever it is, flashmobs can be a great way of engaging younger people and raising public awareness of an important specific issue.

For more ideas, check out some of the past events which have used flashmobs for IDAHOT.

2 – Use traditional elements

All across the world LGBTI individuals have existed as long as humans have, yet in many countries the idea that LGBTI identities are a recent invention still remains. Whether it’s traditional music, traditional dance, or both, incorporating traditional elements into a performance can help bridge the perceived gap between the LGBTI community and a culture’s traditional elements.

Traditional elements also help attract sections of the public that might not normally engage with LGBTI issues to your campaign, but is perhaps most useful in the way it can shift public perceptions.

For more inspiration check out Gay Gordan’s traditional Scottish dance group, or the London Gay Men’s Choir.

3 – Get a live band

If you want your event to draw lots of members of the public then one of the best ways is through live music! Not only is it a great way to put on a show, but can always be a great way of supporting local musicians, especially LGBTI musicians who might not often get a platform!

Search your local community for bands that can perform alongside your dance. It might seem like a daunting task, but it’s usually not too difficult to find talented and enthusiastic musicians who are happy to support a good cause.

4 – Busk or hold a street performance

If your group is very small, or even if you’re only an individual, then a street performance (known as busking in some parts of the world) is a great way to draw attention to your cause, or to raise important funds through donations.

In theory, all you need is a sound system and public space, but its good to make sure that your performance is well-rehearsed too. If you’re raising awareness make sure you also bring along information such as signs or leaflets too. In many cities you may need a permit or special permission, so check in advance with local authorities before you hold a performance.

5 – Contact schools and community groups

If performance isn’t your thing then consider working with a local group who are willing to support your event. Schools, community groups and dance groups are often eager to put on a show, and contacting them might be a great way to build links with the local community.

6 – Build a mobile sound system

If you have the time or resources then a mobile sound system is great for making sure your performance doesn’t have to remain static. Whether it’s a car or van with speakers, a bicycle trailer, or even a person-carried system, having a system that moves with you is ideal for parades, protests and marches.

Have a look online at other people’s systems, look around your community and see what you have available. You might find you have the perfect components for a mobile system already to hand!

7 – Make it loud!

Although dancing is a fun and creative outlet for communities, the most important aspect is its ability to draw attention. Bring colors, loud music, exciting costumes and other visual and aural aspects can ensure that your performance draws as much attention as possible.

When it comes to IDAHOT there’s no such thing as TOO VISIBLE! When you’re planning your performance you should always make sure you’re doing your best to ensure it’s as visible, loud and attractive as possible!

In Myanmar, for IDAHOT 2014, different LGBT associations came together to create a pioneering photo competition in their context. Called the “&Proud” Photo competition, the event made part of a diverse series of events around May 17 across the country. Organised in the captial Yangon, it helped to promote alternative images of LGBT people, to encourage participation in rights and culture projects, and to create space for community-building.

We asked the organisers more about how they came up with the idea, and how they organised it. And they told us this inspiring story…

Where/how did the idea originate? What were the main assumptions behind the idea, the main expectations?

First prize in Series – &Proud Photo Competition, Yangon. Courtesy of &Proud

We always wanted to organize the photo exhibition to let the people in the country know that we are here among the citizens, and we are the same as you and as proud as you. So, Colors Rainbow and YG event decided to organize that. We had a few aims with the photo exhibition. Firstly, there are not many cultural events for LGBTs in Myanmar, so we felt that it was a good event for people to meet each other and discuss LGBT issues and culture. Secondly, we wanted to show the broad range of LGBT identities. People, certainly in Myanmar, often have a very limited idea of what it means to be LGBT. We felt that photos would be a very personal way of showing people the many different meanings of being LGBT. This links to the third aim, which was to also cater to non-LGBTs. We had quite a bit of media coverage, and a good number of interested people came to watch the exhibition. With this we hoped to bring the LGBT community closer to ‘everybody else’s’ lives. Lastly, we wanted to boost photographer’s interests in documenting the LGBT community in Myanmar, as well as giving amateur photographers a chance to show their own take on the community.

What were the risks/threats/obstacles involved and how did you mitigate them?

We did not have any risks/threats/obstacles. However we were quite worried that there would be only a few photos come in, but we received 44 photos which is ok for a first competition for the LGBT community. For the exhibition we had the photos that were submitted for the competition, as well as the award-winning photo series “The Pink Choice” from Vietnam. With this series, the photographer Maika Elan won a world press photo award for best contemporary series – pretty much the highest achievable award for photographers. By combining the local photos with a professional exhibition, we had more certainty of having an interesting mix of photos, and we were able to show an outside perspective as well. http://www.worldpressphoto.org/awards/2013/contemporary-issues/maika-elan/02

First prize in Singles – &Proud Photo Competition. Courtesy of &Proud

We will keep doing this competition every year. And after all the positive responses from the photo competition we are now organising the &Proud LGBT film festival which will be held on 15 and 16 November this year.

How did you get it done? How much time did it take? How much did it cost? How many people did it involve? What were the tactics that you used?

It took 3 months including preparation time, although it is advisable to take some more time. We had about 5 weeks for photographers to send in photos, but if you want photographers to make photos specifically for the competition, it is advisable to send out the call for photos a little earlier.

There were 3 people from Colors Rainbow involved, 2 from YG event, and the gallery owner has been a huge help. Besides that we’ve had some help from friends of course.

Our costs were around $2,500 USD. The major costs were: 1,100 for prize money (total of 5 prizes), 500 to get the photos from the Vietnamese photo series printed (they had to be printed in very high quality), 70 to get the competition photos printed. 300 for the rent of the gallery space. It can be organised quite low budget – certainly if you can find a cheap gallery and when printing costs are low.

How do you rate the impact of this action, and how did you see its effects?

It has had positive effects which caused a slight change to the people in Yangon, at least. They expected something weird, strange, or pictures of make-up artists, but what they see is something they did not expect from the LGBT community. We had over 200 visitors in our 8 day exhibition, which is quite a good turn-up for Yangon. Besides that we reached people through TV and newspaper coverage.

What advice would you give to other people who’d like to undertake this activity?

Poster for the &Proud Photo Exhibition in Yangon, Myanmar, for IDAHOT 2014. Courtesy of &Proud

Just go for it! It is relatively easy to organise and there are probably more people with photos from the LGBT community than you think. We accepted photos that were up to 2 years old, and accepted both amateur and professional photos. We had 2 categories: series and single shots. In both categories we had 2 prizes. It’s nice to let amateurs enter the competition, because it lets the LGBT community show photos of themselves. As mentioned before: it is a really good idea to combine it with a regular exhibition of LGBT photos from another country, as that will give the exhibition more body and will help you if the quality of the entries is too low. Lastly, there’s also a possibility to combine this with a masterclass or workshop for young photographers.

If you did this action again, what would you do differently?

One of the things we would like to change is to focus more on photos from the LGBT community themselves. It would be nice to have a lot of photos from amateur photographers, who take photos of themselves and their friends. Next year I hope we’ve got a wall full of amateur photos – preferably a wall with photos of a lot of happy and confident people who are not afraid to show their identity to the world.

A Freedom Festival is basically a mix of different community activities – such as dance, music, art and photography – which creates space for people to come together to express themselves and find acceptance at the local level.

Where security is a concern, this can take the form of private or very local community actions.

Activists in Liberia reported that their Freedom Festival around May 17, 2014, was pioneering in creating a safe space for LGBT people and their friends and allies to come together, in a context where social spaces do not otherwise exist. You can read more about the initiative here.

We spoke to one of the organisers from SAIL (Stop AIDS in Liberia) who told us a bit more about how they organised, where the idea came from, and what advice they would give to others wanting to do something similar:

Where/how did the idea originate? What were the main assumptions behind the idea, the main expectations?

The idea originated in 2013 when the first IDAHOT event was held. The idea was to raise awareness amongst members of the LGBT community here in Liberia, looking at how homophobia affects us. We had a interactive community roundtable where members of the LGBT community told their personal stories, and it was quite interesting to know that there were issues like family neglect, bullying at school, stigma and discrimination, lack of access to health services, lack of protection in public spaces, hate crimes, blackmail, extortion, depression and deaths.

What were the risks/threats/obstacles involved and how did you mitigate them?

Well over the years there have been risks, threats and associated obstacles, considering the work that we do. We have been able to handle some of these incidents using our partners. We were able to conduct a security training session for members of the community and partners to sensitize them on understanding sexuality as it relates to human rights, which has been a strategy for our work. But there is still a lot to be done looking at challenges around sourcing funding for protection.

How did you get it done? How much time did it take? How much did it cost? How many people did it involve? What were the tactics that you used?

Well we use a methodology which involves like-minded or tolerant people coming together to talk about homophobia, and the situation of LGBT people. We were also able to come up with anti-homophobic messages to raise social consciousness and reduce homophobia. ACTION AID Liberia who is a strategic partner to our organization were able to fund the event from their new project titled, “Enhancing the Protection of the Rights of Women Girls and Other Discriminated Groups” (EPR Project), and our organisation is an Implementing partner (with the amount of USD $1,350). The Event brought together 50 participants including partners and members of the LGBT community. We used a private beach, whose owner is a strong supporter of the LGBT Community in Liberia.

We thought that organising social strategies is kind of more effective, when you are doing awareness. So, looking at the community at the time, and our own partners, we came up with the idea of doing the Freedom Festival, where you can just come in and express yourself, as who you are, maybe in your dress code, in the form of poetry, using your talent, that you can sing or you can model… and we wanted to open this up, because there is no social space for LGBT people in Liberia.

So if a kid gets kicked out by his parents, and he comes to a member of our office, maybe he comes to one of our houses for one or two days. But we would not have the funds to take him in for a whole month. Because there are no resources for that. So it is kind of challenging. But the freedom festival we were able to do, as I say, some action in Liberia. Where the idea was to create space and also to promote social consciousness around homophobia.

How do you rate the impact of this action, and how did you see its effects?

The IDAHOT event held over the past two years has created a medium where conversation has started around anti-homophobic incidents and situations. The EPR Project is expected to raise more consciousness on the importance of protection for discriminated groups, of which the LGBT agenda is inclusive.

What advice would you give to other people who’d like to undertake this activity?

Well you will have to create an environment where people talking about these issues can feel safe and comfortable.

I think that they should also target their audience, and be clear as to what is it that they expect. At the same time they need to take security very seriously. That’s why we put the focus on private and community activities because in Africa, and in Liberia, there is really not a lot of privacy. So security then is I think the key word in organising.

One strategy is to relate a scenario where someone has encountered a homophobic situation and use the discussion to create a platform.

If you did this action again, what would you do differently?

We need to change our strategy now to include more members of the community and to target more strategic stakeholders, such as members of the national legislature and judiciary.

The tactic has also been popular in Germany, Ukraine, Armenia and various other countries. And, in 2013, these actions inspired the worldwide focus campaign for IDAHOT – the “Global Rainbow Flashmob” with actions in 40 countries, spanning balloon releases, dance flashmobs, rainbow kiss-ins, chalk-ins and die-ins, and many more kinds of actions in support of LGBTI rights worldwide (You can watch the video compilation of the actions here).

Because rainbow flashmob events are not usually classified by authorities as “protests”, they can provide a way for communities to meet publicly and make a visible impact, without alerting authorities to the existence of the action first. In many cases, activists organise privately and do not release the time and place of the action publicly, until after the event.

We spoke with a group of activists from Ukraine, who have been bravely organising these events since 2011, despite widespread hostility to public actions in support of LGBTI rights in their context. They told us this inspiring story, which will maybe help others thinking about organising this event, or who are also organising in hostile contexts where safety is a key concern.

Where/how did the idea originate? What were the main assumption behind the idea, the main expectations?

Participants gather to release rainbow balloons – in Zaporizhia, Ukraine. May 17, 2014.

Holding flashmobs with the release of rainbow balloons is our tradition since 2011. The format of the event was chosen based on local realities: to conduct any kind of human rights rally or activity the organizer needs to apply to the city municipality, with the exception of flashmobs, because this format is new and yet not established in any Ukrainian official documents. If we decided to apply for the action officially, then, with 100% confidence, they would have banned its conduct under any pretext. In addition, we would have also provoked a surge of homophobic activity which could affect the safety of participants. So only with the flashmob format we have a legal opportunity to join IDAHOT.

The main expectations we had were to speak out for LGBT rights regardless of the political and social situation as well as to have fun. Another expectation was to set up a tradition of celebrating the 17th of May.

What were the risks/threats/obstacles involved and how did you mitigate them?

The anti-gay movement wasn’t so well organized in our city in 2011, because we weren’t visible before. Thus, while organizing our first rainbowflash – our first event aimed at society – we knew that we would face a number of challenges, but till the end we did not know which ones exactly. A few days later after this action, after the first articles about our event were published in the media, we saw growing anti-LGBT activity. The situation worsened in the next years, together with the strengthening of the national LGBT movement, holding Pride weeks, and the increased visibility of our organization, but also with appearance of the first homophobic draft laws in the parliament etc.

A participant writes a message of hope, to tie onto the balloon.

The more we were visible, the more homophobic discourse intensified in society – created by religious fanatics and nationalists, and approved by the authorities, thereby provoking hatred, discrimination and violence against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people. But at the same time we previewed some safety issues. For example, we decided not to spread publicly the place and exact time of the flashmob. Participants and journalists were invited either personally or through our friends/supporters, taking into account all of the same safety concerns. Since 2012 we already had this challenge not to allow violence as we observed, for instance, homophobic groups in social networks which organized a campaign to encourage people who were ready to use violence against the LGBT community, in cases where they detected attempts to carry out human rights meetings. Groups of aggressive hooligans were also created to patrol popular public places in our city, during the whole flashmob day.

How did you get it done? How much time did it take? How much did it cost? How many people did it involve? What were the tactics that you used?

The same idea of every year’s performance was to voice and to discuss the current situation – to write on a piece of paper our dreams and wishes, tie them to the balloons, before we let them color the sky. This part of our flashmob remained unchanged. But every year we tried to add something new.

Balloons colour the sky in Ukraine. May 17, 2014.

For example, this year we recorded a video media message. Last year we lined up in a row, composing the media inscriptions “F*ck homophobia” and “Love is stronger than hate”. In 2012 we composed the letter Z with the balloons like in Gender Z (the mark of our city of Zaporizhia). The main event (communication, wishes writing, balloon release) was always about a half an hour of duration. After this part we organized a kind of picnic for the participants. The action didn’t require significant expenses, only costs of balloons, stationery and/or banners’ printing.

This activity gathered about 20 participants every year, those people who decided to be open, visible and brave, despite of the threats.

How do you rate the impact of this action, and how did you see its effects?

Every year the IDAHOT performance raises a huge discussion in society about homosexuality, gender identity, and LGBTQI’s position in Ukrainian society. It’s the most important impact – to increase visibility. We also observe a rise in supporters of our organization, including among journalists – one of the most powerful tools of shaping public opinion.

Watch the video of their IDAHOT 2014 action here:

In Spain, a huge wave of mobilisation was registered for IDAHOT 2014, with numerous groups and organisations taking action in at least 10 cities and provinces, including Madrid, Barcelona, Valladolid, Valencia, Alicante, Melilla, Oviedo, Ávila, Sitges and Seville.

Just some of the actions reported around the IDAHOT 2014 in Spain were:

Valladolid: The Organisation PAC LGTB+ Valladolid held two events to commemorate the IDAHOT 2014

Activities held were (on Thursday, May 15), a presentation of the video “LGBT-Phobia in our streets” and (on Saturday, May 17) a Kiss-In against LGBT-Phobia

The platform Apoyo al Colectivo LGBT+ (Support of LGBT+ people) from Valladolid is formed by activists, joined to fight discrimination. Its main objective is to combat LGBT-Phobia in Valladolid and the wider province.

Poster for IDAHOT 2014 in Valladolid, Spain.

For more information visit their website, follow them on Twitter or see their Facebook page.

Valencia: The organisation LAMBDA – col·lectiu de lesbianas, gais, transexuales y bisexuals (LGTB Collective) – in Valencia , Spain organised various acts for May 17.

On Saturday, May 17 at 7pm, they invited everyone to join on the Plaza de los Pinazo de Valencia (at the exit of the metro station Colón) for the manifestation of the International Day against Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (LGTB-Phobia).

For 2014, in the International Year for LGBT Human Rights, they prepared ‘a surprise to claim an end to the violence worldwide and the escalating LGTB-Phobia that we are suffering from, especially in certain parts of the planet, but with the awareness that no country is free from discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.’

LAMBDA, is a non-profit organisation that was founded in September 25, 1986 prompted by the situation of legal discrimination and social marginalisation homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals were suffering under.

For more information visit their website, follow them on Twitter and visit their Facebook page.

Madrid: Organisations COGAM and Arcópoli take action for IDAHOT 2014

Arcópoli organized a street event on Saturday, May 17 at 6pm, where they created a giant mural about LGBT rights in the world, and held various other activities to raise awareness about the situation of LGBT people in the world. For the finale, they displayed a giant rainbow flag, and performed a theatre act to demand equality commitments from the government of Spain. They also organised a talk with Amnesty International on Monday, May 12, in which they discussed AI’s work done in the field of LGBT rights.

At the same time, the organisation COGAM also held a discussion event and a a rally. COGAM is the LGBT collective of Madrid that has worked for more than 25 years towards equality for LGBT people. It is one of the founding institutions of the FELGTB and one of the driving forces since the beginning for gay marriage in Spain.

Both organisations are part of the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Trans (FELGTB) of Spain.

For more information:

Acrópoli: website, Twitter and Facebook
COGAM: website, Twitter and Facebook

Alicante: The organisation Diversitat Alicante also hosted a series of events around May 17

As part of the activities of May 17 they organised the following events:

May 10: The first edition of the “Angie Simonis” awards. This award is named after the activist Angie Simonis, who was president of the Collective from 2005 till 2007 and recently passed away. It is their unique tribute to this fighter for the Human Rights of the LGBTI Collective, especially for the visibility of lesbians.

Diversitat’s directive together with its members and partners voted 3 winners of this First Edition: Individual, Collective and Institution/Association. The winners of the Angie Simonis 2014 awards were:

• Amnesty International (Combating Discrimination in the World)
• University of Alicante (for Equality)
• José Luís Rodriguez Zapatero (Civil Rights and Legal Progress)

May 15: Presentation of the theatre play “Wonderful”, at 12:00 Parainfo University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig

May 17 : Video forum LGBT event.

Diversitat is a non-profit association comprised of women and men located in the Counties of Alicante, who- among other things- are united as Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual and Intersex (LGBTI) but also in the defence of Human, Civil, Cultural, Political and Economical Rights which everyone is entitled to.

For more information visit their website, follow them on Twitter or visit their Facebook page.

Other actions

The Spanish Scout Association released a statement of support for the IDAHOT 2014. Spanish National newpaper El Diario published a positive round-up of events around the world which was shared over 4,000 times. They link to actions taken in Melilla, Oviedo, Ávila, Sitges, Valencia, Valladolid and Alicante.

In Nepal, actions around the IDAHOT 2014 over various days. Highlights included a press conference announcing the IDAHOT 2014 programme ahead, a rainbow flag-raising and speeches at the British High Commission, and a gala event – all in Kathmandu. The gala event featured dance and music performances, by participants from 5 regions of Nepal, as well as “Catwalk To Freedom” (an activism/theatre piece, focused on Third Gender oppression and liberation). A film screening, speeches, theatre, a legal consultation, and other events were organised throughout the week.

The series of events was also marked by high-level participation, as several dignitaries including representatives from National Human Rights Commission, the Norwegian Embassy, UNAIDS, and Pinky Gurung, BDS’s current President wished courage to all LGBTI communities and expressed their solidarity for IDAHOT.

Significantly, a letter was also sent by the Gay and Lesbian Sexual Minority Network of Nepal, to the Prime Minister of Nepal requesting official recognition of May 17.

Local organisers shared the following report with us, which is now reproduced here in full:

We are so happy and excited to share you the IDAHOT Nepal National Report.

LGBTI people, alongside allies and friends, in Nepal marked/celebrated IDAHOT this year in an extended and elaborated three days of events nationwide.

On the 15th of May Blue Diamond Society organized a “meet the press” event, inviting media representatives at the Reporters Club in Kathmandu for an interaction program with activists. The program very interesting, various LGBTI representatives spoke of LGBTI rights, the need for LGBTI representatives to be included in the Constituent Assembly (CA), and reiterated long-held demands that Nepal’s new constitution ensures human rights for LGBTI people. Activists also asked government to allocate budget to LGBTI community support projects, and ensure equal access to education and equal opportunities for employment.

Press conference announcing IDAHOT 2014 events in Nepal. Courtesy of Blue Diamond Society

At least 7 national TV channels broadcasted the events and various radio and print media covered the news of that meet the press event – the kick-off for the broader IDAHOT events around the country.

On the morning of May 16th, the British High Commission in Kathmandu invited LGBTI representatives from various organizations, raised a rainbow flag on the premises, and DCM Guy Harrison spoke about British government’s commitment to support LGBTI rights. Former CA member and founder of BDS Sunil Babu Pant spoke highlighting the importance of IDAHOT, and thanked British government for their support while asking them to do more to protect LGBTI rights in Nepal.

British High Commission in Kathmandu flying the flag on IDAHOT 2014. Courtesy of Blue Diamond Society

Later in the afternoon, Blue Diamond Society organized a gala event at the National Theater in the center if Kathmandu, inviting various families, communities, media, other civil society groups.

Gala event for IDAHOT 2014 in Nepal. Source: Courtesy of Blue Diamond Society

The event featured cultural dances, usually traditionally performed by metis/third genders (male born TGs),  and the “Catwalk To Freedom” — a ramp show featuring various third gender models, with unique educational structure and concept: First, TG models cat-walked onto the ramp, one by one, as if they were caged, chained, masked, hands and legs tied, hand cuffed, mouth taped symbolically show they were denied mobility and expression, and forced to remain in the closet while facing a lot of violence. One by one, while walking in the ramp, the models broke themselves from the cage, tearing off the chains, pulling the tape off their mouths, breaking of the hand cuffs, etc., and trying to encourage others too.

“Catwalk for Freedom” in Kathmandu, Nepal. IDAHOT 2014. Courtesy of Blue Diamond Society.

“Be Change”, documentary related to Lesbian love, was also screened. Nilu Doma, documentary maker, shared her experience regarding “ Be Change” and importance of love regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

LGBTI groups from all 5 development regions of Nepal brought their ethnic dance performances. A musical performances showing very vivid experience of LGBTI facing stigma and discrimination, audience were touched by the performances.

Then a play was staged by Silpi Theater Troupe, portraying how in-laws to-be refuse to marry a girl because they discovered her brother was third gender, then the third gender was excluded from her home by her parents, end up leaving the village. She (the third gender) faced discrimination while traveling by bus to Kathmandu, could not find room to rent, could not find job, ended up working in dance bar with low pay and abusive owner, and joined a college only face bullying from classmates – a fairly typical story of a TG facing discrimination and exclusion in day to day life in Nepal. As Nepal has progressed some legal rights and community empowerment, the TG character was able to find peers and organizations to support her. She is empowered and not just settled in harsh city like Kathmandu but also become compassionate to help others in need. Overall it was a powerful performance with positive messages about support and inclusion and hope for the future.

Sunil Babu Pant gave a inspirational and encouraging speech, asking every one to remain united and work hard. He talked about the unfair comparison many may do out of ignorance between the two completely different kinds of success: one can be easily successful to destroy something in a short time without skills, qualification and hard work, but to be successful to create something beneficial to mankind and build a movement and sustain is very different and need a lot of hands, minds and hearts to work together. Pant also invited a mother, Saru Bisht, to the stage, honored her for her support and fight against all odds to give her two third gender children the citizenship ID cards according to their gender identity and asked all parents to see her as a role model.

Several dignitaries including representatives from National Human Rights Commission, the Norwegian Embassy, UNAIDS, and Pinky Gurung, BDS’s current President wished courage to all LGBTI communities and expressed their solidarity for IDAHOT.

On day 3, BDS held an informal Interaction program among LGBTI members — many new members joined the events, shared their experiences and stories of coming out as well as the ugly, the bad, the OK, the good, and the extra-ordinarily happy  experience of living as an LGBTI person in contemporary Nepali society, followed by food and a dance party.

In 23rd and 24th May, BDS coordinated a consultation with 50+ supreme court lawyers on “the 2007 Supreme Court decision in Pant v. Nepal, the new Constitution, the proposed draft civil and criminal code (the proposed civil and criminal coed is dangerously regressive and needs urgent intervention), LGBTI communities needs with regards to legal counselling/litigation and Nepal Bar Association’s role to safeguard LGBTI rights and legal support to LGBTI people.

Civil code consultation for IDAHOT 2014, Nepal. Courtesy of Blue Diamond Society

After the consultation Nepal Bar association expressed their commitment to support LGBTI cause and offered free legal services to Blue Diamond Society and LGBTI members anywhere in Nepal. They also expressed their concern over the proposed draft civil and criminal code which are unbelievably regressive and suggesting to criminalize sexual identities and behaviors which would render LGBTI people criminals — the NBA said this was “unacceptable”.

Letter to the Government of Nepal, requesting official recognition of May 17

Government of Nepal,
Prime Minister as well as
Minister of Social Welfare council
Mr.Sushil Koirala,

Sub:Requesting to proclaim IDAHOBT Day as a public holiday

Dear Prime Minister,
As Nepal’s interim constitution 2063, in the Section 3 there is fundamental rights of the citizens and in the Section 4 there is responsibility of the state as well as management of the principles of polity.As we, the sexual and gender minorities are also citizens of this country, we have rights to utilize and claim all fundamental as well as human rights. However,we,the sexual and gender minorities, have been suffering from various kinds of discrimination in our home, society, neighbors and even from government itself. To eradicate all types of these discrimination, globally the international organizations and associations like International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and International Lesbian and Gay Association(ILGA) are standing together and making their local level NGOs and INGOs active to overcome all sorts of discrimination and violence against sexual minority communities and empower them with all human rights and their security.With regards to it,an international committee IDAHO,formed and this committee has been observing International Day Against Homophobia to mark the discrimination and violence against homosexuals, bisexual, transsexual on 17th May every year. Tally this day with our Nepali Bikram Sambat era, we would like to request to you to declare this day public holiday in Nepal too. So that we can make people aware of LGBTTI community and change their opinions about them through this day. We are presenting this letter to you including some problems and issues of this community.

Dear Prime minister, only a few member of our sexual and gender minorities whom can be counted on our finger tips have received citizenship cards in the name of ‘Thirdsex’ or ‘Othersex’ which were issued by Government of Nepal on saying to do so by some non-government organization. However, member of our community are not satisfied with it. They take it as the government itself is discriminating on them by using such offensive words like ‘thirdsex’ ‘thirdgender’ ‘othersex’. Similarly, these are some NGOs in the country which propose a lot of tempting activities in the name of doing welfare of this community just to attract the foreign donor agents. Embezzle the amount that they received as foreign aids, they do nothing towards the welfare of this community. Thus, few people are turning affluent overnight. So the government of Nepal should pay attention and case towards the activities of NGOs and take legal actions against those found guilty. Have a detailed study about this community before issuing citizenship cards to its members because we are neither any thirdgender nor any third-nature dramatical persons, we are naturally normal persons.

We would also like to put forward some of our demands, they are as follows:-
1. Identity cards should be issued based on sex-orientation of an individual.
2. Legalize the Same-Sex marriage.
3. Mention sexual minorities in the new building up constitution.
4. The final verdict of the Supreme Court made in the year 2064(B.S) should be made to follow strictly.
5. Proclaim IDAHOBT Day as a public holiday.

For your information, we would like to tell you something about the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and transphobia(IDAHOBT). This day aims to co-ordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBTTI rights work worldwide. The date of May 17 was chose to commemorate the decision to remove homosexuality from the international classification of diseases of The World Health Organization (WHO) in 1990.
Requesting you to grant the 17th May as Public Holiday in Nepal. We have prepared this letter representing more then 3 lakh Nepalese sexual minorities. At last, hearing our demands and putting them into practice, give justice to all victimized Nepalese sexual and gender minorities.
Thank you.
Yours,
Binod Lama
Chairperson
Gay and Lesbian Sexual Minority Network Nepal

As in Serbia, many thousands of people were affected by floods in Croatia, in the lead up to May 17, making some actions non-viable, and shifting activists’ attentions to supporting relief work. Nevertheless, various events did take place around the IDAHOT 2014, with actions planned in the cities of Zagreb and Rijeka, and on the mountain range of Petrova Gora. The Croatian government was also represented at the 2nd Annual IDAHO Forum in Valletta, Malta.

IDAHO Week Rijeka 2014

In Rijeka, communities came together for an IDAHO Week around May 17, 2014. Organisers advised, in the lead up to the event:

“Lesbian Organization Rijeka LORI proudly marks IDAHO in Rijeka for the second time and invites all to IDAHO Week Rijeka 2014. On May 17th at 9 PM at Art-kino we have organized screening of documentary film ‘Once again’, the very first Croatian documentary on lives of lesbians and transgender people. Authors of the film Noah Pintaric and Ana Opalic will announce the screening and talk to the audience afterwards, answer the questions related to the film. This warm movie follows lives of 4 lesbians and one transgender person in a five-year period and gives insight into their relationships, friendships, activism and creative work.”

For more information check out Rijeka LORI’s website or the facebook event page.

Laugh Out Proud

Rijeka LORI, together with other groups also held an event on Saturday, May 17th, with the main goal of raising (positive) awareness of the country’s upcoming Life Partnership Act (civil unions for homosexual couples). In the evening, there was a free showing of Stephen Fry’s documentary “Out There”, as well as stand-up event “Laugh Out Proud” with performances by LGBT comedians from UK and Croatia. Performers included Scott Capurro (UK), Lara King (UK) and Marina Orsag (CRO).

Organisers explained before the Day that the aim of event is to fight homophobia and transphobia with the strongest possible weapon – humor, and the goal of the project is to educate people about the LGBT community through laughter and in good atmosphere.

The entire project ‘LAUGH OUT PROUD’ is funded by Horyou, the Action Oriented Social Network for the Social Good, organized by Studio Smijeha association, Centre for Civil Initiatives Porec, Croatia and Standup.rs association.

Dance Out Proud in Zagreb

On May 17, LGBTI communities in Zagreb, came together from 23:00 for a “Dance Out Proud event at the Hotpot Bar. For more information see the organiser’s facebook page.

LGBT Affirmative Counselling Course

Also around the IDAHOT 2014, the University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce in Zagreb, offered an LGBT affirmative counselling practice for psychology students, on May 14. This was part of the elective course “Applied developmental psychology” led by professor Goranka Lugomer-Armano, PhD, Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.

Action by Coalition of Groups Merges IDAHOT 2014 and Anti-Fascist Commemoration

The organizers of the event (well-known institutions in Croatia such as the Serbian National Council, the Alliance of Anti-Fascist Fighters in Croatia as well as local municipalities), have this year decided to jointly commemorate this great anti-fascist victory and the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. With this act they stand for a clear message that the struggle against homophobia is also the struggle against fascism and that anti-fascism does not only belong to the culture of remembrance, but is also a vital part of current struggles for better future, not only in Croatia, but also all over Europe.

Organisers explained, in the lead up to the event:

In times of current economic and social crisis that sows poverty and at the same time generates attacks not only on LGBTQ people, but also immigrants, national minorites, workers etc., we find it more important than ever to remember our antifascist legacy and use it to unite our seemingly separate struggles in one common goal: defending human rights and demanding equality for all. As an activist choir, we call upon mutual cooperation and solidarity of all groups fighting for the equality of us all.

Le Zbor, a lesbian feminist choir, performed as part of the action:

This year we are giving a performance at the 70th anniversary of a major anti-fascist event in Croatia: the breakthrough of the fascist army lines that took place on the site called Petrova gora and during which 730 partisans and 12 000 civilians, mostly women and children, were finally liberated from atrocities committed by fascist forces in this area during WW2.

Le Zbor choir, who participated in the IDAHOT 2014 in Croatia

Le Zbor is a Lesbian Feminist Choir from Zagreb. You can find out more about them and their work on Facebook or on and their website.

Zagreb Pride organised a series of events to commemorate the IDAHOT 2014, which included a focus on LGBT Refugees, Asylum & Migration, and on the rise of neoconservative movements in Europe.

Action on LGBT Refugees, Asylum and Migration

Organisers addressed the topic of LGBT Refugees, Asylum & Migration, with an evening of events planned around the topic of LGBT Asylum and the current situation of (LGBT) asylum in Croatia. This was organised in collaboration with other civil society organisations that also work with asylum seekers and refugees.

As an introduction to IDAHO, on Tuesday the 13th, activists organised a panel called “Immigration. Equality. Views from the LGBTIQ community”, where they addressed the topic of LGBT migration and asylum seekers.

The main goal was to raise awareness amongst the LGBT community that ‘LGBT asylum is something that happens in Croatia too, not just in the other EU countries.’

Conference on Neoconservative Movements in Europe

Another activity was also a conference about the rise of neoconservative movements throughout Europe – activists from some other EU countries were invited to discuss the issue, and to establish a network/coalition that will collaborate in the future.

Government represented at IDAHO Forum 2014 in Malta

Croatia’s Minister of European and Foreign Affairs, Vesna Pusic, also participated in the 2nd Annual International IDAHO Forum in Valletta, Malta (May 13-14). He signed the IDAHO 2014 Declaration of Intent – urging governments to defend and promote LGBTI rights – signed by Ministers from 19 European states in total.

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014, was marked by various actions in different cities in Sweden, including Stockholm, Örebro and Halmstadt. Aside from this, the Swedish government also co-hosted the International IDAHO Forum 2014, together with the government of Malta, which was held in Valletta, Malta. The 2-day conference brought together top political representatives, and civil society associations, from across Europe.

Sweden co-hosts 2nd annual International IDAHO Forum, together with Malta

Erik Ullenhag, Swedish Minister for Integration was amongst the delegates – which included representatives from 17 European states.

Swedish Minister for Integration, Erik Ullenhag, speaking at the IDAHO Forum 2014 Press Conference in Valletta, Malta, May 13, 2014.

More information about the Forum, as well as Sweden’s participation in the co-ordination, and what representatives had to say, can be found in this press release, as well as on the official IDAHO Forum 2014 website.

A full video of the press conference from the Forum can be seen here:

Del LaGrace Volcano talks “Intersex 101″ in Örebro

In Örebro, Sweden, local communities came together for a lecture entitled “INTERSEX 101 OR HOW THE BINARY GENDER SYSTEM VIOLATES THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF EVERYONE”, given by well-known international artist and activist, Del LaGrace Volcano. The event posed the key question – How are the human rights of intersex people violated and why should this be a concern for all of us?

Artist and activist, Del LaGrace Volcano, gearing up for “Intersex 101″ talk in Örebro, Sweden.

Organisers explained: “Del LaGrace Volcano is an artist and activist working to create a world where the diversity of the human body is both recognised and celebrated beyond our current system; a system which only validates people with bodies and gender that conform to female and male. A visual and performative political and personal lecture that offers practical advice on how to resist the rising tides of gender conformity and market forces.”

The lecture was co-ordinated by Örebro Rättighetscenter, Örebro läns museum, RFSL Örebro and ABF Örebro, and was held on May 14. You can find more details about the event on the website or Facebook.

RFSU Halland actions in Halmstadt

To commemorate IDAHOT 2014, in the city of Halmstadt, LGBTI communities, political parties, youth organizations and civil society associations came together for a day of events – co-ordinated by the group RFSU Halland. Stalls with information were set up, and a flashmob action also took place. At the Town Hall, the rainbow was also flown in honour of the Day.

Organised under the banner, “Together we make a difference! For everyone’s freedom to choose, freedom to be and freedom to enjoy!”, more about the programme can be found at the RFSU Halland website or on the Facebook event page.

Halmstadt Town Hall flying the rainbow flag for IDAHOT 2014.

Various events in Stockholm

In Sweden, communities came together for a packed day of various events around the IDAHOT 2014 – actions included an art & photo exhibition / presentations / campaign launches and the unveiling of a plan to set sail from Helsinki to St. Petersburg to protest LGBTI discrimination in Russia ! Local communities also saluted the Austrian winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, Conchita Wurst, and the launch of a new group – International Rainbow Seniors – was also announced.

You can read more about this year’s actions in the organisers’ press release, which follows in full:

Stockholm meetings at culture center, gay bar: Press Release, May 15, 2014
TUPILAK/ILGCN SALUTE TO IDAHO DAY 2014

Stockholm — “This was our way of saluting this year’s IDAHO — international day against homophobia on May 17 — and its 2014 theme “Freedom of Expression,” says Bill Schiller of Tupilak (Nordic rainbow cultural workers) and ILGCN (international rainbow cultural network) Information Secretariat-Stockholm of the event taking place on May 14 at the Folklore Centrum and the award-winning gay bar Side Track — both on this city’s southern island.

“We not only meet for social get-togethers but also to inform local politicians, administrators of homes for the elderly and medical workers — people sometimes totally unaware of the existence and needs of LGBT elderly,” said Agneta Wirén of the Gothenberg Senior Group from this Swedish west coast city.

Another special guest at this event, Frank Lee of Taiwan– a participant of the first-ever Stockholm “Gay Photographers Exhibit”– displayed his work and mentioned that he will be creating giant-sized photos of LGBT people at Stockholm’s international airport Arlanda during the coming Stockholm Pride this July. “I would also be pleased to have my work included in the Tupilak/ILGCN international art and photo exhibit.”

Examples of the collection’s Belarus art and photography were displayed, along with the presentation of the plan for “Swedish-Belarus Queer Cultural Days” 2014 for Belarus and Swedish cities — an idea originated by Maksim Haikou of Minsk.

Also in the spirit of IDAHO’S “Freedom of Expression,” plans were presented for a boat trip from Stockholm to St. Petersburg waiving the rainbow flag in ports of call including Tallin, Helsinki and St. Petersburg — to challenge the Russian ban an “homo propaganda.” Also, a salute to the rotating Baltic Pride — this year taking place in Tallinn and starting on June 2.

“Combating freedom of expression of LGBT people all over the world by all the major religions,” said Carl Johan Kleberg of the Nordic Rainbow Humanists.

Poetry with a Chinese theme was presented by Swedish Tupilak member Tomas Åberg and the Folk Lore Centrum owner Izzy Young read poems of his friend, the late American revolutionary gay poet, Allan Ginsburg.

Discussions also ended with a salute to the Austrian winner of the Eurovision song contest, Conchita Wurst for being an enormous contribution to tolerance and diversity in a Europe these days threatened by facist and homophobic parties in many nations.

As part of the “freedom of expression” theme, we are also announcing the formation of a new group called International Rainbow Seniors – Sweden promoting LGBT culture and international ties — well aware that many nations even with a strong Pride movement still ignore the voices of the elderly LGBT people,” says Schiller.

2014 was a landmark year for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in Malta. The major event of the year was of course the 2nd annual International IDAHO Forum being held in the country, on May 13-14, featuring the participation of the Maltese Prime Minister, high level ministers from various countries, and LGBTI rights advocates and civil society organisations from across Europe. The University of Malta also organised a significant particpatory photo campaign.

IDAHO Forum co-hosted by Maltese and Swedish governments in Valletta, Malta

This 2nd annual IDAHO Forum was held under the theme: ‘Responses to Homophobia & Transphobia at the National, European & International Levels’.

Various high level ministers and national level politicians participated in the conference, which also featured the participation of the Prime Minister of Malta. Many civil society organisations from the international LGBTI rights field were also represented at the conference, including ILGA-Europe, TGEU (Transgender Europe), ORAM International and the IDAHO Committee. Key international institutions and agencies were also be represented, including UNESCO, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, the Council of Europe, the Intergroup on LGBT Rights of the European Parliament, and the European Commission.

Helena Dalli (Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs & Civil Liberties, Malta) and Erik Ullenhag (Minister for Integration, Sweden) speaking at the 2014 IDAHO Forum in Valletta, Malta.

Key outcomes included the signing of an IDAHO declaration of intent – a 12-point plan and commitment to defend LGBTI rights, which can be read in full here (pdf download).

A full list of the ministerial signatories to the IDAHO Declaration – representing 17 states – can be found here.

We are committed to the principle of the universality of human rights and reaffirm that cultural, traditional or religious values cannot be invoked
to justify any form of discrimination, including discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. – IDAHO Declaration of Intent, 2014

Amongst other highlights, the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr. Joseph Moscat, gave a well-received speech to the floor, in which he urged other governments to “throw away your prejudices”:

This event is ultimately about the Europe that we aspire to live in. Having so many countries represented, especially at Ministerial level, augurs well for what we are trying to achieve. We need to stamp out homophobia and transphobia once and for all. Such a goal cannot be achieved easily. We must work together.

I’ve heard people say that lesbians, gays and transgender people shouldn’t be given special rights. I have to agree with them. They don’t deserve special rights. They deserve the same rights as anybody else. Nobody should be turned away from a job because of their sexuality. Nobody should face intimidation or violence because of who they are. And no government should turn a blind eye to prejudice in society.

We are building a better Malta. I am certain of that.

And to other countries I say: throw away your prejudices. You’ll be surprised at how good it will make you feel.

A video of the Prime Minister’s welcoming speech can be viewed here:

The Prime Minister also commented on the publication of the latest Rainbow Index from ILGA Europe, which judges how countries are performing on LGBT rights questions:

“I’m pleased to say that the fastest climbers in the past year were Malta – up 22 per cent – and Montenegro – up 20 per cent. Progress can happen quickly if the will is there.”

For full information on the IDAHO Forum 2014 please see the dedicated website: www.idaho2014forum.org

University of Malta public photo campaign

In a Betapsi Malta & We Are initiative, students, MEP candidates, lecturers and international activists at the University of Malta had their photos taken, to take a collective stand against homophobia.

At least 57 people had their photos taken, and 52 posters were made. Below is just a snapshot – You can see larger versions of each here.

In Mauritius, local LGBTQI communities came together for a participatory art exhibition – “I Love Rainbows” – involving body painting and encouraging participants to freely express themselves, on May 17. Many also joined, together with allies, for the 9th Rainbow Parade at the start of June.

The legal situation for LGBTI communities is ambiguous in Mauritius, where colonial era sodomy laws do not specifically target LGBTI communities, and are rarely enforced. On the other hand, local activists have also highlighted that legal space may exist, in which to argue for legal recognition of same sex partnerships, within existing arrangements.

Local communities have for many years come together to commemorate key dates such as the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and once again, various groups participated in co-ordinating events for May 17 this year.

“I Love Rainbows” Art-Expo

In this initiative, held on Saturday May 17, participants were invited to couple up (as HLGBT couples), and cover parts of their bodies with paint. Paintings were produced with the act of ‘making out’ on a painting cloth.

The exposition of works of art was then held from the 17th till the 24th of May at the Caudan Waterfront.

Poster for the “I Love Rainbow” art expo in Mauritius for IDAHOT 2014.

A different poster for the Mauritius IDAHOT 2014 art project, by Steph Jorez.

You can find out more about the project in these two pdfs (here and here, in French).

“Exprime-toi” Rainbow Parade

Hundreds of LGBTI people, together with their friends and allies came together for the 9th Rainbow Parade, held under the theme “Express Yourself / Exprime-toi”. The event was held in the Plaza on the main road of Rose-Hill on June 7.

Television station ION covered the event in this News bulletin – which you can watch here:

One local activist sent the following report on the Parade:

“This year was marked with numerous organisations joining the Pride: Collectif Arc-en-Ciel, PILS, CUT, LEAD, Chrysalide; the presence of people from the U.S. Embassy and H.E. the U.S. Ambassador Shari Villarosa; and two newly formed organisations VISA-G (for trans people) and the Young Queer Alliance (for young LGBT and Queers).

The organisations grouped together, waving with pride their rainbow-coloured balloons, banners and flags, slogans, a float of vans and motor-cars, the sizzling music of mobilisation and celebration, party masks and boas, the exciting and daring show of trans-people in all their beauty… an unprecedented show from all Rainbow Parades before, a festive atmosphere in all six colours: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet of the Queer Rainbow having for theme: Express Your-self (Exprim twa)!

Participants of Young Queer Alliance group make rainbow bracelets out of ribbons, ready to share with people in the Parade.

With YQA presence as a youth organisation of LGBT, visibly, the massive influx of queers at this 9th Edition of the Rainbow Parade amassed the whole procession numerically and in terms of creativity and leadership. Novelties were: Pompom, hand printing themed: “La toile de la tolérance”, and predominantly the slogan: Zordi nu marsé, dimé nu voté (Today we march, tomorrow we vote), all summed-up to an explosive cocktail of celebrations, claims and renewal. M. M. Etienne of the Collectif Arc-en-Ciel rightly stated: “Maraine p vin vié, mé mo fier truv rélev prézan”.

The Queers to renew the Gay Rights with two stepping stones: a) Recognition of Gender and b) Protection from Hate Crimes due to Sexual Orientation and Gender; a dream coming reality in years to come..”