Around the world many initiatives took place to highlight how the fundamental right to freely discuss issues around sexual and gender rights, is systematically being violated by the great majority of states.

As a matter of fact, our calculations reveal that 70% of the people in the world are not allowed by law to discuss, or even receive objective information on, matters related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Global Call to leaders of the world

Developed in association between IFEX, Article 19 and the IDAHO Committee, and with the support of Amnesty International, the mobilisation included a Global Call to Leaders of the World which was signed by 170 organisations globally and supported by a “Thunderclap” action which reached 1,5 million people.

The call to mobilise on the issue of Freedom of Expression was also heard by the United Nations.

UN human rights experts, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media issued a joint statement which underlines how “Free expression and association is key to eliminating Homophobia and Transphobia”

Activists in dozens of countries spoke up and spoke out for LGBTI Free Expression on May 17

Around the world, many activists joined the call by organising conferences, debates, and seminars on LGBTI Freedom of Expression – from London, to Nairobi, to Rio de Janeiro. Countless demonstrations were organised with free expression at their core – including dance flashmobs, sing-ins, kiss-ins, body & face painting, street art, photography and arts festivals.

Even in the most hostile and contradictory contexts, many activists made the choice to take to the streets to defend LGBTI rights, and to highlight the erasure and silencing of communities in the public sphere. In 13 cities in Russia, activists took to the streets in the largest nationwide demonstration in favour of LGBTI rights since the federal government approved a law limited “homosexual propaganda” last summer – a case which has sparked international outrage.

In the Ukraine, activists decided to confront the distortion of their most basic demands for human rights (as propaganda, or as a tool for extending “Western influence”), in the context of significant political instability and repression. Against the odds, they organised a rainbowflash balloon release on May 18; a day later than planned, due to security concerns.

In Georgia, activists were similarly unable to take action on the 17th itself, due to security concerns and lack of protection guarantees from the Georgian state. After 4,000 supporters of the right-wing & fundamentalist Georgian Orthodox Church departed from Tbilisi city centre, activists painted rainbow street art around the city, and – on the 18th – left more than 100 shoes at the site of last year’s attacks; a way of marking their presence nevertheless, and speaking back to the silencing and repression of LGBTI communities in Georgia.

In some parts of Southern and East Africa, as well as in many parts of Latin America & the Caribeean, whole street festivals and weeks of events were held around the Day, with many actions focusing on LGBTI Freedom of Expression, or accomplishing it – at least for fleeting, but highly symbolic moments.

Although in some parts of East and South-East Asia – as in China – activists faced significant repression in the lead up to the Day (including, in China, arrests of several activists for even planning a May 17 event), many communities were able to join the commemorations. Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines saw particularly large scale mobilisations this year – many of them connecting with the global focus on LGBTI Free Expression.

We will be updating this page in the coming days, as we gain a clearer picture of the scope and nature of the, some 1,000+, actions which took place around the IDAHOT 2014.      

Further reading:

• IDAHO Committee – Full background info & campaigning kit on the IDAHOT 2014 Global Focus Issue: Freedom of Expression. Download here (pdf, 2mb).
• Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights: “Anti-propaganda laws”, the new criminalisation of homosexuality
• Article 19: Traditional values? Attempts to censor sexuality: Homosexual propaganda bans, freedom of expression and equality.
• Human Rights Watch: The Trouble With Tradition
• PEN International: Resolution – The Russian Federation (79th World Congress in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sept 9-12, 2013)
• Index on Censorship/Mathew Brown: Shut the Duck Up
• American Civil Liberties Union: Banned Books Week 2013 – Books about LGBT Families Remain Targets of Censorship

The Cyprus Pride Festival will include a film festival, art exhibition, a series of open discussions as well as an LGBT anti-bullying education campaign with the support of the Cyprus Youth Council.

A Rainbow March will be held on May 17 in the city center. A film festival, a big screen showing of Turkish movie “My Child” (about parents with LGBTI children), a photo exhibition and panel discussion are all in the works as well.

Groups Accept and Queer Cyprus are organising this year.

“This is a testament to how far Cypriot society has come on issues of inclusion and acceptance” the head of Accept, Costas Gavrielidies, told the Cyprus Mail. The parade, which will be held under the auspices of South Nicosia Mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis, will come as a celebration for the act legalising civil partnerships, which is expected to be voted by the South Cypriot House of Representatives in April, according to Accept’s press release.” Reports TFR North Cyprus

Accept Cyprus is a LGBT organization located in Nicosia. For more details visit their facebook page and their website. You can also find out more by visiting Queer Cyprus at their website and facebook page

EU Bahaghari, a Student Organization in Lucena City, is currently organising several actions for May 17.

• Creating Joint statement from Other Student Organizations for the support of equal rights for LGBT people
• Launching a “Pride Pedestrian Lane” in Lucena City
• Gender Empowerment discussion and film screening

EU Bahaghari also created an infografic in cooperation with the IDAHO Committee that asks people and organisations around the world to submit support statements and to join this year’s IDAHOT Actions:

IDAHOT – Free Expression

Recognizing May 17 as the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), the EU Bahaghari invites organization to speak up on LGBT rights through Free Expression.

The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (“IDAHOT”) was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policy makers, opinion leaders, social movements, the media, and the public at large to promote a world of tolerance, respect and freedom regardless of people’s sexual orientation or gender identity. IDAHOT is now celebrated in more than 120 countries across the globe in varied ways and expressions.

While we celebrate the advancements that countries worldwide have made in recognizing the rights of LGBT people, We are disrupted by the continued frequency of incidents concerning LGBT persons being harassed, humiliated, or denied entry to organizations on the basis of their appearance and identity.

We believe that every person deserves a chance to pursue happiness and live a life without discrimination, judgement and violence. We envision a future where a people are treated equally, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

In recognition of the progress made and the challenges ahead, the EU Bahaghari invites organizations to submit support statement for the celebration of IDAHO (posters, infographics, pictures, postcards, videos, etc) themed as “LGBT Rights are Human Rights” and “I am a Free Expression Zone” to create awareness of LGBT rights and the particular realities of young LGBT people, all submissions will be featured on Bahaghari and IDAHOT website, International IDAHOT social media campaign and during the Bahaghari exhibit on May 17, 2014.

Statements can be sent on eubahaghari@gmail.com with subject line “Support Statement for IDAHOT 2014″ no later than May 10, 2014. Please include name, organization, residency, email address and contact number.

Connect with us:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eubahaghari
Email Address: eubahaghari@gmail.com
Wordpress: eubahaghari.wordpress.com

The Rainbow Community Kampuchea (RoCK) and ASEAN SOGIE are organising the CamASEAN Gay Pride for this year’s International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17 & 18 in Cambodia. The sessions are aimed towards acceptance and to raise awareness of LGBTI issues within the Cambodian society.

The CamASEAN Gay Pride will consist of four workshops on the 17th & 18th of May:

(1) IDAHOT: Voice to Voiceless (17th May – morning session)
The session is to invite homosexual couples who live together for more than 30 years (among them are Muslim couples and indigenous couples). They will share how they live under the same roof for many years and how they advocate for acceptance in their community. In addition to that, commune leaders will come and share how they act towards accepting the homosexual couples and individuals living in their villages.

(2) Safe Coming out as LGBTI in Cambodia (17th May – afternoon session)
The session is to invite LGBTI individuals (representing businessmen/women, university students, and employees) who are accepted by their family & friends.

(3) Family Acceptance of LGBT Individuals (18th May – morning session)
The session is deemed to be the most important one as receiving acceptance from the family is the major struggles for most LGBT individuals in Cambodia. The slogan of the session is “Family is like our SKIN & Coming Out is a right.”

(4) LGBT Sensitization for the Legal View (18th May – afternoon session)
The session is aimed as a follow-up to CamASEAN’s first LEGAL awareness workshop with Cambodia. This workshop will share legal analysis from university students who are studying law and international relations to review how the laws work in Cambodia towards LGBTI people.

RoCK is a Cambodia-based LGBTI organisation which has its work focus in the provinces Kampong Chnang, Siem Reap, Battambang, Kompong Som, and Takeo. For more information on the group please visit their Facebook page or website.

The ASEAN SOGIE Caucus is a network of diverse human rights activists in Southeast Asia that aims for the inclusion of SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression) in the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanisms in order to promote and protect the human rights of people regardless of SOGIE in the Southeast Asian region.
For more details, visit their website or Facebook page.

This project for May 17 calls out to people to express themselves for IDAHOT 2014 by sharing their word for LOVE in their own language for a short 3 minute video being created to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia and Transhphobia (IDAHOT) 2014. The 3 minute video consists of KISS photos and the LOVE words will float over these images bringing hope and creating awareness that all LOVE is equal and beautiful.

If you would like to participate please send your word for LOVE to prideincolour@gmail.com, and if you have any questions or concerns please contact Nick Baldas, the creator of the project, at the same email address.

NEW! The finished video is now available to watch here:

It will be co-hosted by the governments of Malta and Sweden, and held in Valletta, Malta (May 13-14).

This 2nd annual IDAHO Forum will mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, under the theme: ‘Responses to Homophobia & Transphobia at the National, European & International Levels’.

Heads of states, ministers and national level politicians have been confirmed, including the Prime Minister of Malta. Many civil society organisations from the international LGBTI rights field will be represented at the conference, including ILGA-Europe, TGEU (Transgender Europe) and ORAM International.

Key international institutions and agencies will 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.

At the IDAHO Forum last year, Ministers from 11 EU member states, signed the ‘Call for a comprehensive policy approach at European Union level and across the European Union on LGBT issues’ to the European Commission. Work with the call continues and other countries have expressed their intention to join the call. This year’s IDAHO forum aims to extend the scope of commitment to a broader European context.

The purpose of this second IDAHO Forum is to continue the process of placing issues that affect LGBTI persons, high on the human rights agenda.

For more information on the conference (including programme and press enquiries) please see the official IDAHO Forum 2014 site.

Karine Aghajanyan, Women’s Resource Center Armenia NGO, Armenia