The country’s first ever LGBTI pride march was organized in Moldova in commemoration of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014, with the support of the UN Human Rights Office.

About 300 participants – including some members of LGBTI communities in Eastern Europe, as well as diplomats and representatives of NGOs – took part in Chişinău’s “March for Equality”. Participants created a colourful demonstration, with rainbow flags and banners held against homophobia and transphobia.

The UN Human Rights Office supported the event, which was organized by GenderDoc-M, Moldova’s first LGBTI rights organization, as part of its equality and anti-discrimination work in the country.

Although LGBTI activists have tried to hold LGBTI pride events publicly in Chişinău for over a decade, this was the first time such an event has taken place with the full backing of public authorities.

First ever pride parade in Moldova, held on the IDAHOT 2014.

“The event marks an advance for Moldova’s rule of law, as public authorities successfully withstood negative pressure, and upheld the right of all people to equal use of the central public space,” said Claude Cahn, the UN Human Rights Adviser in the Republic of Moldova.

Public opposition to pride demonstrations remains high in Moldova and LGBTI rights are continuously disputed. According to opinion polls, opposition in the Republic of Moldova to peaceful public assemblies by LGBTI people is as high as over 90 per cent.

Following the march, Anastasia Danilova, the Executive Director of GenderDoc-M gave her remarks to the many participants, comprising members of the groups Non-discrimination Coalition, Amnesty International Moldova, Human Rights Information Centre, and representatives of UN agencies in Moldova, and from the Swedish, Italian and American embassies.

“We are happy that there are people in the Republic of Moldova who believe that homophobia and transphobia are unacceptable in our country,” said Danilova. “Today is a day of equality and freedom, the time to be ourselves has come!”

You can watch a video of the event here:

For more information:

• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: LGBTI Communities in Moldova March for Equality

An unprecedented level of mobilisation around the IDAHOT took place this year in Kenya. The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK), together with its 14 member and affiliate organizations, prepared a landmark series of actions around the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014, under the banner of Freedom of Expression.

Actions spanned a week and included awareness-raising sessions amongst religious leaders, activities around health and educations, the creation of art works, engagements with UNHCR and debates on proposed legislation.

Kenyan sexual orientation, gender identity and expression minority (SOGIEM) communities are a significant percentage of the world’s population which has their freedom of expression and access to information restricted for a variety of reasons, including religious/moralistic and political rhetoric.

In this context, local activists report that:

SOGIEM individuals in Kenya continue to face attacks on their freedom of expression and being, through attempted introduction of further restrictive legislation and enforcement of existing ones.

To promote and empower SOGIEM and ally communities in the face of adversity whilst making the connection to global homophobia and transphobia issues, for solidarity and human rights actions, the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK), has resolved to move forward with plans for the annual global IDAHO and Pride events themed “Freedom of Expression”. Given that PRIDE and IDAHO fall closely within the annual calendar, this year, the GALCK Pride/IDAHO Organizing Committee has also resolved to concurrently hold PRIDE and IDAHO Outreach Celebrations.

Poster produced by GALCK for actions around May 17, 2014.

Organizing the celebration of these global annual events in Kenya has been approached with considerable caution given the unstable environment in Kenya as demonstrated by:

1. Anti-gay rhetoric, ideologies and an increase in active homophobia (violence and harassment) within the general population
2. Proposed further punitive legislation in Kenya that seeks to further suppress the freedoms, rights, lives and spaces of SOGIEM Kenyans
3. An influx of refugees from Uganda
4. Increased national insecurity (alarming acts of terrorism) and the Kenya Government’s response

To mark PRIDE and IDAHO, GALCK and its 14 member and affiliate groups/organizations across the country have prepared a slew of celebratory activities which will take place on different days within the PRIDE week (12th – 16th May) culminating in IDAHO on 17th May.

Also PEMA Kenya’s IDAHOT press release was published in Today’s 17th May 2014 Saturday Nation page 44. It is a local Kenyan Newspaper with wide circulation.

For more detailed information the actions of 14 coalition members, please see the GALCK page here.

Various actions took place to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia 2014 in Switzerland, in different cities, and spanning a great diversity of types of action and themes addressed.

Dialogi actions in Geneva – Love Does Not Differentiate

The association Dialogai in Switzerland developed, in cooperation with the municipality of Geneva, 3 main activities for IDAHOT. Firstly, a communication campaign on equality of all love, which was promoted in Geneva’s public transport systems from May 9 to May 18. During 10 days, all screens in the Geneva transport system showed a short slide show featuring three couples kissing: one straight, one lesbian and one gay. The 20 second long slide show concludes with the slogan ‘Love does not differentiate’.

‘Love does not differentiate’ – campaign for IDAHOT 2014 Switzerland

Dialogi campaign for IDAHOT 2014 in Switzerland

Stop Homophobia in Sports

Secondly, in collaboration with the City of Geneva, information booths were set up at the Jeux de Genève, as part of a campaign against homophobia and gender discrimination in sports. For this action, they worked with the visuals of the Stop Homophobie dans le sport campaign of the Swiss association of Sports services. 500 rainbow coloured wristbands were given out to young sportsmen and women aged 10 to 18 with the motto ‘Freedom to Love’ engraved in them.

UNAIDS Placemats Campaign

Finally, developed in partnership with UNAIDS, 10,000 placemats were distributed in restaurants and UN and school cafeterias. The pic and the list of restaurant can be accessed here.

Dialogi and UNAIDS infographic developed for IDAHOT 2014

Marriage Rights Event

A coalition of Swiss politicians from several political parties organised a gathering in the Capital city Bern in favor of same-sex marriage rights, thereby countering a current campaign by conservative movements to restrict marriage rights constitutionally to the union between a man and a woman. A march also took place in the city.

During the meeting, the city of Bern’s educational authorities presented the French and German versions of the ‘IDAHO lesson’, an official UNESCO lesson plan to fight homophobia and transphobia in schools.

Poster for IDAHOT 2014 march in Bern, Switzerland

IDAHOT Switerland Equality Video

Activists also produced this promotional video for IDAHOT 2014 actions in Switzerland:

Other Events

Various other events, such as a special club evening by the organisation 360°, or a dance evening in support of a Nigerian gay man who is threatened to be deported back to Nigeria, also marked the day in the country.