Called a “Protest on Behalf of the Invisible & Against Invisibility”, the act symbolised both the silence and the resilience of LGBTI and human rights defenders who were unable to demonstrate this year on May 17 itself.

Read the interview with organisers, which provides a full overview of the action!

Some activists also painted rainbows around the city in the early hours of May 18, 2014.

Last year, on May 17, 2013, the Square was the set of brutal scenes of violence, as some 40,000 people, mobilised by the leaders of the Georgian Orthodox Church, descended on and many attacked a group of less than a hundred LGBTI and human rights activists who had assembled for a peaceful and silent demonstration to mark the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia 2013. Shocking scenes showed priests leading the attacks. Amnesty International received reports of an attempted lynching among the crowds. Millions of people heard about these events as international media quickly responded with hundreds of major press and television reports.

IDAHOT 2013: Priests leading the attacks against LGBTI activists in Tbilisi, Georgia.

On May 17 this year, LGBTI activists decided to cancel even private events for the Day. On May 12, leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church had urged thousands to take to the streets on May 17, in a show of “Strength of Family and Respect for Parents”. 4,000 participated in this “counter” protest, which passed without LGBTI communities being attacked – as they stayed clear of the event. That said, reports did surface of demonstrators attacking one another, after appearing to mistake each other for being gay. Members of a TV crew were also attacked on the Day, reports Identoba and Tabula TV Crew.

In the lead up to May 17, 2014, Georgian activists reported that LGBTI communities had become targets of threats and intimidation, including by the Georgian police. They also advised that, despite petitions by LGBTI activists, authorities offered no guarantees as to the safety of those who wished to publicly assemble and express themselves in favour of LGBTI rights on May 17.

IDAHO 2012: A demonstrator being dragged away by Georgian police.

Moreover, local activists from Identoba group report (May 17, 2014) that pro-Russian groups had been organising to stage a “fake gay pride” this May 17, using certain front groups, with the intention of justifying and sparking confrontation on the Day. As they point out, this has also been the case in recent months in Kiev, Ukraine, as well as in certain other countries.

Freedom Square metro station, Tbilisi, May 18, 2014. Source: © Onnik Krikorian Photography

Further information

• Identoba: Statement before May 17, 2014
• Meghan Johnson: Recap of May 17, 2014 in Georgia

In Cameroon, despite laws criminalising same sex relationships and a recent uptick in violent hate crimes against LGBTI communities, various actions were held in commemoration of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014.

Sexual, gender and human rights communities came together to coordinate a meeting which brought together religious and political leaders to discuss homosexuality. An exhibition on human rights violations was organised, featuring paintings of recently deceased Cameroonian LGBT activists; other works included representations of recent cases of abuse, including the collective rape of a Lesbian woman, the arbitrary arrest of 6 men and the expelling of female students from secondary school on suspicion of homosexuality.

Portraits of deceased LGBT activists

The international focus issue around ‘freedom of expression’ was marked by a specific outreach to journalists, to raise their awareness on the current coverage of LGBT issues by the media and provide recommendations for improvement, including on how journalists can resist social and peer pressure to put up a homophobic facade even if their personal views are much more progressive.

Activists also offered media and legal affairs training specifically for lesbian communities, to empower them more in the LGBT community.

A community evening for 200 people was also held on May 17th which included information on HIV testing and treatment, resulting in 56 tests being done during the event. The programme also featured the raising of a Gay flag, the election of Miss and Mister IDAHO, music and danse.

On May 18th, the IDAHOT program met the Candle light memorial day. The programme featured for the first time a dialogue between LGBT activists and religious leaders

Candlelight memorial

The organization UNIDI Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic organized the 2nd GLBTH University Forum, in commemoration also of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014. Progressive communities of faith as well as LGBTI family groups also came together to take action on the IDAHOT. The Day in the Dominican Republic was also marked by a video awareness-raising campaign against transphobia, by Transsa Dominica.

The 2nd Forum for Diversity University UNIDI took place in the city of Santo Domingo under the theme “Educating for Diversity” on Friday, May 16, 2014.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Community Church, ICM, and Circle of Parents, Mothers, Families and Friends of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) organized a parade in the Independence Park of the capital city, under the name “7 laps against Homophobia”. The Action was held on Saturday May 17 in the afternoon.

These groups were accompanied by various civil society organisations. Participants walked around the park to raise public awareness around LGBTI rights issues and, in particular, to challenge decision makers to develop public policy for the protection of human rights, to ensure better quality of life for sexual and gender minorities.

Finally Transsa Dominica organization prepared a series of videos to raise awareness about the importance and need for a gender identity recognition law in the Dominican Republic. You can watch one of the videos here:

Photos from IDAHOT 2014 in the Dominican Republic

Across Ireland, LGBTI and other civil, political and faith groups organised a variety of events in at least five different cities in celebration of the IDAHOT 2014. Actions included religious services, online panel discussions, music events and a campaign to stop homophobic and transphobic bullying in the workplace.

The Stand Up at Work Campaign

Together with ICTU, BeLonG To Youth Service launched a campaign against homophobic and transphobic bullying in the workplace. The Stand Up at Work project encouraged people to Stand Up! Against Homophobic and Transphobic Bullying, as part of BeLonG To’s annual awareness campaign in schools, amongst youth services, and – now – in workplace settings. BeLonG To and ICTU produced a video and developed print materials which were launched on Friday 16 May in Dublin, to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

Local activists highlighted that non-discrimination is a fundamental right at work as defined by the International Labour Organisation. Equal treatment is reflected in Irish Law by the Employment Equality Act 1998 – 2012, which outlaws discrimination on nine distinct grounds, including sexual orientation. Despite this, the experience of both BeLonG To and ICTU indicate that LGBT young adults can face significant discrimination in the Irish workplace.

Speaking at the launch, Michael Barron, Founding Director of BeLonG To, said:

Irish research has established that there is a serious problem with homophobia and transphobia in schools, leading to a devastating impact on the mental health of LGBT young people. LGBT young people have told BeLonG To that they face similar issues at work. These range from feeling silenced and excluded as staff in religiously maintained schools and hospitals as a result of Section 37.1, to losing jobs because of prejudice, to harassment and bullying at work. We are delighted to work with ICTU to bring the Stand Up! Don’t Stand for Homophobia or Transphobia campaign, which we have been running in schools for many years, into the workplace for the first time. In doing this we aim to empower even more young people to take a stand against homophobia and to make Ireland a safer and more equal place for all.

You can watch a video of the event here:

Panti Bliss video sends a Global IDAHOT message

BeLonG To also put together a video message with Panti Bliss, the famous drag artist, performer and activist from Ireland who reached thousands of people internationally with her successful anti-Homophobia speech of February 1, 2014. The video was released 9 days before the IDAHOT and highlights the importance of the day as well as the fight for LGBTQI rights in general.

You can find the video here.

Religious IDAHOT Services

Changing Attitude Ireland (C.A.I.), a Church of Ireland organisation with ecumenical friends arranged services in commemoration of IDAHOT in several cities in Ireland and Northern Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.

IDAHOT Service in Cork, 2014. Source: C.A.I.

Changing Attitude Ireland (C.A.I.) is a Church of Ireland organisation with ecumenical friends, heterosexual and gay, lay and ordained, working for the full affirmation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons within the Churches in Ireland. C.A.I. is dedicated to celebrating and maintaining the traditional inclusivity and diversity of the Anglican Communion.

Online IDAHOT Forum

Front Line Defenders, together with the Irish LGBTI organization Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), hosted a live Web Forum with leading LGBTI rights defenders from India, Russia, Uganda and Peru on Friday 16 May. The forum discussed recent legislative efforts to restrict LGBTI rights in those countries and explore the risks that human rights defenders (HRDs) face in their work to combat homophobia.

The panel featured:

• Clare Byarugaba, Coordinator of the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Kampala, Uganda, and a 2012 recipient of a US Department of State Human Rights Defender Award.
• Sonal Giani, Advocacy Manager at the Humsafar Trust in Mumbai, India, who works on the ground dealing with crisis situations facing the LGBTI community.
• Jorge Alberto Chávez Reyes, President of MHOL, Movimento Homosexual de Lima, Peru, the oldest LGBTI organisation in South America.
• Manny de Guerre, Founder of the Side by Side Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival, based in St. Petersburg, Russia, which has come under attack since it started in 2008.

You can watch a video of the IDAHOT Forum here.

Freedom of Expression event in Dublin

The LGBTQ Network of the trade union SIPTU, marked the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia with a Freedom of Expression focused event which took place on May 16 at the Liberty Hall Theatre in Dublin. The event was focused on making noise against Homophobia and Transphobia and celebrating IDAHOT. It included guest speakers from INTO LGBT Teachers’ Group (on #Section37), and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (on equality in the workplace), as well as music from various artists, slam-poetry from Julie Goo, comedy from Breda Larkin and a *One Minute Noise Memoriam*.

Freedom of Expression event in Dublin. Source: SIPTU LGBTQ Network

IDAHOT 2014 in Galway

Joining Amnesty International Galway and Amach LGBT in celebrating IDAHO, G-Bar in Galway hosted an evening of music by Lunatic Spoons, Grounds for Invasion, Steven Sharpe and Tara Stacey, as well as a fundraising raffle for the Amach LGBT Resource Centre Project in Galway. Before the event, the local Amnesty group and Amach LGBT held a bake sale in commemoration of IDAHOT.

IDAHOT Event at G-Bar, Galway. Source: Amnesty International Galway

IDAHOT 2014 in Galway Ireland.

Activists from Amnesty join local LGBTI groups in Galway Ireland for May 17 2014.

Despite laws criminalising same sex relationships, and a reputation for being one of the most inhospitable places for LGBTI people to live, a well-attended symposium took place to discuss and affirm LGBTI rights in Jamaica, around the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014.

The group J-Flag of Jamaica organized a symposium, on the theme of Personality, Religion and Sexual Citizenship, in the week around May 17, 2014. The event, held in Kingston on Friday May 16, facilitated discussion on what citizenship means in Jamaica for LGBT people in Jamaica today, and on the way to a more inclusive Jamaica.

Events organised for IDAHOT 2014 in Jamaica.

The following themes were developed during the session:

• Man to Man Is So Unjust: Disclaiming Sexual Citizenship in Fundamentalist Jamaica – Prof. Carolyn Cooper, Senior Lecturer, Department of Literatures in English, UWI Mona
• Equal Rights and Justice for All: (Re)Imagining and (Re)Presenting Inclusiveness – Dr. Karen Carpenter, Clinical Sexologist/Psychologist, Caribbean Sexuality Research Institute
• Where Are You From?: Moving from Shame in Search of the Divine – Georgia Love, Training Coordinator, WMW Jamaica (formerly Women’s Media Watch)
• It’s Not About Them, It’s About Us: How Can the Church Turn the Tide in the Sexuality Debate – Rev. Margaret Fowler, Minister, Hope United Church

IDAHOT 2014 in Kingston, Jamaica.

To see the photo album of events this year, please click here.

Various organizations  from El Salvador organized diverse public actions for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014. Highlights included a street march and action at the Monumento a la Constitución (Constitution Monument) in the capital, San Salvador. Communities and government representatives also came together to discuss hate crimes against GBLTI communities, as well as the role of faith in constraining and supporting sexual and gender rights in the country.

LGBT rights march at San Salvador’s iconic Constitution Monument, for IDAHOT 2014.

Actions by Fraternidad Gay Sin Fronteras

The group Fraternidad Gay Sin Fronteras (Gay Fraternity Without Borders), organised a series of specific activities around the IDAHOT 2014. Some highlights included:

• A national consultation on government progress on hate crimes against GBLTI communities.
• An event at the LGBT Violence Prevention Center of Nicaragua, in El Salvador.
• Discussion regarding World-MCP Funds (Country Coordinating Mechanism) in relation to GBLTI communities, and the use of Bank funds.
• Event on Fair Faith, Churches and Hate Crimes in El Salvador, sponsored by USAID-ALDES.

Activists and allies come together for a street march through the capital, San Salvador.

Street March in the Capital

A street march, which was organised and attended by a variety of GBLTI and civil society organizations also took place in San Salvador, bringing together hundreds of people.

You can see the full photo gallery, here.

In the Netherlands, a new website for LGBT Youth activities was launched on IDAHOT 2014, and the Oranje Kerk in Amsterdam also organised a IDAHOT vigil to remember the victims of Anti-LGBT violence.

New Platform for LGBT Youth

The groups COC Netherlands, Movisie and NJR launched a new website for May 17, 2014, which is targeted towards LGBT youth. The website provides information about activities aimed at young LGBTI people in local areas. The website provides a good platform for people to know what is going on in their own region, but also to get connected and overcome feelings of loneliness and isolation. The website was launched on May 17 in commemoration of IDAHOT and was realised with the support of the Ministry of Education. The new website is: www.nietalleenanders.nl

IDAHOT Vigil in Amsterdam

The first IDAHOT-vigil, as part of the Global Interfaith Prayer Initiative in the Netherlands, was held in Amsterdam. The event included an hour of commemoration (prayer, silent reflection, song and testimony), and was aimed at giving hope to communities which have suffered the effects of hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The vigil was organised by the protestant Church, Oranje Kerk (Orange Church), and LKP, the national coordinating organisation of the Christian LGBT movement in the Netherlands. Testimonies were held by Narayan Fil, Moses Walusimbi and Jos van der Bijl. Revs Jantine Heuvelink (Orange Church) and Wielie Elhorst (on behalf of LKP) led the ceremony. Money was also collected for Pride Fonds (Pride Fund) of Amnesty International, and for COC Netherlands, the Dutch LGBT organisation.

Organisers advised: “The message of the vigil was that there is room for everybody under the skies of heaven, without distinction and to spread the living hope that someday every single person will be fully included and can fully participate in church and in society.”

For more information about the Oranje Kerk in Amsterdam please visit their website or go to their Facebook page.

Source: Oranje Kerk Amsterdam

Source: Oranje Kerk Amsterdam

Source: Oranje Kerk Amsterdam

Source: Oranje Kerk Amsterdam

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.

The commemoration of the IDAHOT 2014 took place in at least 17 cities in Indonesia, from Sumatra to Papua, and from May 7 to May 16.

The events took place in 13 Indonesian regions (Medan-North Sumatra, Lampung-Sumatra, Jakarta-Java, Bandung-West Java, Solo-Central Java, Cirebon-West Java, Kupang-East Nusa Tenggara, Manado-North Sulawesi, North Minahasa-Sulawesi, South Minahasa-Sulawesi, Gorontalo-Sulawesi, Palu-Central Sulawesi, and Papua) was organized by Suara Kita, although an IDAHOT event was cancelled in one region (Lombok-West Nusa Tenggara) due to security issue. They were extremely diverse, ranging from public discussion at universities, hearing with state agency, community discussion, community gathering, press release, LGBT movie screening, road rally, radio-television talkshow, solidarity act to help low-income group, and consolidation-evaluation of the 2014 IDAHOT events.

The events involved 29 organizations and communities whose backgrounds were not only from LGBT community but also from women groups, religious groups (both Muslim and Christian), student groups, research/study groups, worker activists, environmental activists, pluralism activists, and media. Overall, the 2014 IDAHOT events ran well as planned, although a public discussion in Medan had a minor disturbance.

The highlights of the conducted events include the discussion on the impact of a particular well-known Islamic party towards the LGBT rights movement in the country, and a movie screening of ‘Tales of Waria’, a documentary about the Indonesian transgender community. Activists also created an online video campaign which popularised the issues faced by trans* communities in the country.

Coordinated by Suara Kita, Indonesia’s LGBT-themed media and journalist group, the whole list of IDAHOT events in Indonesia can be seen from the agenda below:

At the end of the 2014 IDAHOT, a evaluation and consolidation meeting was held, gathering some of executive organizations in the 2014 IDAHOT in Jakarta. Due to limited resources, only organizations from Jakarta (Java), Manado, Tomohon, and Palu (Sulawesi) were invited to come. The consolidation meeting evaluated the 2014 IDAHOT events and made plans for the next IDAHO in 2015. Hopes are that more participants would contribute to the event with more varied backgrounds such as students, activists, and government agencies.

All 2014 IDAHOT events will be compiled into a book (both in English and Indonesian version) that will be distributed to various individuals and entities (NGOs, universities, LGBT communities, government agencies, foreign embassies, donor organizations, and general public) either in hard and soft copy form.

Public discussion in Medan on May 23

Public Discussion at the Muslim University in Jakarta on May 26

Polish LGBT communities are currently facing big challenges. There has recently been a sustained upsurge in attacks on LGBT communities from the Polish Church hierarchy, as well as from neo-fascist groups, which are acting to silence communities, and have also started to “guard” people against the “gender ideology” they say is being imposed by activists. In this context, activists in Łódź, Poland had organised a colorful action to protest against the Anti-LGBT attacks in Polish society. And a local radio station held a program in celebration of IDAHOT.

Poland’s statues dress as rainbows!

“If Tuwim Lived Today, He’d Be Against Homophobia”

Łódź is a city born out of diversity and tolerance from many different cultures. To underline this fact, the statues in the city, preserving the memory of great city figures, have been decorated with rainbows of flowers and balloons on May 16, with the motto “Speak out against hate!”. The message was that the great figures of the city, as well as common citizens spoke out against tactics which legitimize hatred and serve to silence LGBT communities.

Source: Fabryka Równosci

Factory Radio also streamed the program “Homophobia, the worst disease” by Chumbawamba. In connection with the 55 group, Student birthday Radio Żak Technical University of Lodz and the Jubilee 55-hour ramówką, the program was broadcasted on Sunday, May 18.

Source: Fabryka Równosci

Further Information

• You can find more information and pictures of the action on Fabryka Równości website or on their Facebook page.