In Iceland, the organisation Samtökin ’78 used the occasion of May 17, 2014, to question the candidates for the upcoming elections about their stands on LGBTIQ issues & Human Rights. The city of Akranes also marked the day by flying the rainbow flag.

Under the theme ‘Do Queer Votes Count?’, the organisation Samtökin ’78 hosted activities for IDAHOBIT. In the context of the 2014 Elections, Samtökin ’78 invited candidates to a panel discussion to discuss their thoughts and ideas on queer issues, especially touching topics of human rights for LGBTIQ people. The event took place in Reykjavik on May 17.

You can find more details about the event here.

Samtökin ’78 is the National Queer Organisation of Iceland and works for LGBTI people and their families. They run a community centre in downtown Reykjavík where they hold events, have open hours and provide a library.

You can find more information about the organisation on their website and Facebook page.

Poster for IDAHOT 2014 actions in Iceland.

In Akranes, city authorities flew rainbow flags at their offices in the town for May 17.

Rainbow Flag in front of Akranes City Offices. Source: Visir.is

Before May 17, the Human Rights Policy Akranes was approved by the town council and stated that Akranes supports rights for gay people, as the online magazine visir stated.

The organization Ovejas Negras (Black Sheep) led actions for IDAHOT this year, once again, by calling for recognition of May 17 as an international day of struggle against homo-transphobic discrimination. The grass roots group called on people not to support legislators who were against, or who did not support, progressive sexual rights laws: specifically, on same sex marriage and the decriminalization of abortion.

Federico Grana, a member of the group, urged people to be informed and to not support “those legislators who left us unable or ill” and “who clung to technicalities to deny us our rights”.

Ovejas Negras – a grass roots group leading calls for greater equality for LGBT people in the country.

Grana said the decision to develop a list of those politicians who “did not accompany us with their votes in the fierce battle for the conquest of legal equality” was important because voters needed to be aware of “who these people are”.

Grana added that Ovejas Negras is planning to in generate a questionnaire which would survey public opinion about presidential candidates, and on how the group should respond to any future administration.

“As part of such an important day for us, it is vital that we do not lose this hard fight. We’re not going back,” said a group member on the Facebook page of the group.

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia was commemorated with three different events in Bulgaria: A discussion with MEP Candidates, a Live Art Installation, and a Bike Rally in Sofia on May 17.

Discussion event focuses on European elections

For IDAHOT 2014 in Bulgaria, a key discussion event took place with the participation of Victor Lilov, MEP candidate from Reformatorski Block (Reform Block Coalition) and Genady Kondarev, one of the founders of Zelenite Political Party (the Greens), on a broad range of issues concerning LGBTI people. Another MEP candidate, Ilhan Kyuchuk, representative of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, who was unable to attend personally, also sent a letter of clear commitment to work in support of LGBTI equality if elected to the European Parliament. The same commitment was shared by Victor Lilov, while Genady Kondarev reaffirmed that commitment to LGBTI rights has been on his party agenda since its founding. The event was co-organized by Bilitis and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee.

Live art installation satirises ‘gay propaganda’

A “Live Art Installation” in front of the National Parliament also served to mock institutionalized homophobia and transphobia by creating a live chain of people wearing T-shirts with different letters, making up the phrase “gay propaganda”. The art installation ridiculed the laws which obstruct LGBTI people’s freedom of expression, known as anti-gay-propaganda laws. The art installation was designed by Deystvie LGBT Youth Association, and supported by Bilitis. Some of the participants also wore beards as a sign of celebration of Conchita Wurst’s Eurovision win. The latter was very negatively presented in the Bulgarian media.

Source: Bilitis

4th Bike Rally Against Homophobia & Transphobia

The 4th Annual Bike Rally Against Homphobia and Transphobia in the central part of Sofia also took place, organized by Deystvie LGBT Youth Association, and supported by Bilitis. Christiana Daneva from Bilitis, member of the board of EGLSF since March 2014, took part in the rally and expressed the support of EGLSF.

The groups Athens Pride and Colour Youth – LGBTQ Community of Athens, commemorated the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014 in conjunction with ʺVote for your rightsʺ a joint awareness raising campaign for the 2014 European parliamentary elections.

On May 17, volunteers for the Vote for Your Rights program carried placards through the historic center of Athens, with the slogans supporters sent to the organizers. The route started from Syntagma Square and ended in Monastiraki Square, with a stop at the Church of Kapnikareas on Ermou Pedestrian Street.

This year activists underlined that it is important to vote against homophobia and transphobia, which result from the lack, in Greece, of legal recognition of LGBT rights and the lack of appropriate information and awareness.

Further Information

The European Union is making inroads in this fight by initiating relevant laws and policies. Actions taken in this direction by the European Parliament can be found (in Greek) here

More info on the event: can also be found here

More on ʺVote for Your Rightsʺ campaign: also here

In Luxembourg, various actions including an online campaign were organised to commemorate the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.

Rosa Lëtzebuerg, together with the information center CIGALE held an action called “1000 Hands against Discrimination” at the Clairfontainesplaz in the city of Luxembourg. The action also consisted of an information booth which included information about the Come Out Campaign which was launched by ILGA Europe earlier in 2014, to inform the wider public about the importance of LGBTI rights for the European elections 2014, and to push candidates to commit to guaranteeing LGBTI rights and freedom of expression.

With the website Idaho Lëtzebuerg they also informed people about the day, as well as their online actions, where they asked everyone to change their profile pictures on Facebook and Twitter to the IDAHOT logo.