International Day Against Homophobia 2011
The International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) is recognised in over 60 countries around the world on 17 May, the day in 1990 when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.
In Australia, although we’ve come a long way, unjust laws and unfriendly attitudes mean that discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people is still widespread.
Most LGBTI people have to deal with homophobic/transphobic harassment or verbal abuse and many have been physically attacked just for being who they are. LGBTI young people are more likely to start using drugs, self harm or attempt suicide as a result of homophobia and discrimination.
LGBTI people in Australia are still fighting for equal rights, like the right to get married, or the right to adopt children, and some churches, schools and institutions can still legally discriminate on the basis of sexuality.
This is why we need IDAHO. It’s a great opportunity to challenge homophobia and transphobia and to celebrate diversity. Anyone can get involved and any action, big or small, makes a difference.
IDAHO 2011 at UWS
This year UWS is celebrating IDAHO with a range of activities at Bankstown Campus on 17 May:
KISS (Love Combating Fear) Photography Exhibition at the Margot Hardy Gallery from 9 May to 3 June
KISS is a series of photographs taken at community events across Sydney, documenting expressions of love and the joy of ‘pashing’. The exhibition brings together the many different communities within Sydney, showing that a kiss does not discriminate.
Images were taken at the Valentines Day Marriage Rights Rally, smARTarts Youth Festival, an afternoon with Harbour City Bears, a Christmas picnic with the Rainbow Babies and Kids and the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival Fair Day. The exhibition documents real people participating in a peaceful protest in favour of same sex relationships/all relationships.
Kissing Booth
Everyone is welcome and you can get involved! Visit the Kissing Booth on the 17th of May, which is International Day Against Homophobia, and pose for a pash. Your kiss image will be sent to you via email and may also be shown as part of the 2011 International Day Against Homophobia Exhibition titled FRAGILITY - Strength of Spirit. Presented by IDAHO Sydney http://www.idahosydney.org
IDAHO and UWS Ally Stall
UWS Equity and Diversity will have an stall giving out Golden Gaytime Ice-creams and information on IDAHO and the UWS Ally Network at UWS – come along to the stall to learn more about how you can be involved in combating homophobia and transphobia at UWS and beyond.
This is Oz Photo Booth
This Is Oz is an online photo gallery where people can help fight discrimination against Australia’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) community. Part art project, part human rights campaign, This Is Oz is all about making Australia a place where everyone belongs. On 17 May you can come along to the booth, create a message and have your photo taken and uploaded onto the This is Oz online photo gallery in support of inclusion and diversity across Australia.
Sea of Hearts
Come along and write a message in support of “All love is equal” on a pink heart and plant it into the ground to form a Sea of Hearts on the grass outside Building 23. This is a NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby project -
see the photos (opens in a new window) taken from the event.
Public Symposium: “It’s An Issue of (In)Visibility”
The inclusive representation of the GLBTIQ community is an issue of great importance and contention, both in society at large and within the “community” itself. Discrimination isn’t a simple matter of ‘us vs. them,’ but can (and does) happen along multiple lines of identification, including but not limited to issues of class, ethnicity, race, sex, gender, sexual identity and the allegiance to certain political agendas. This symposium will aim to provide a platform for individuals to share their experiences of (in)visibility and discrimination within both the GLBTIQ community and mainstream society, as well as providing them with an opportunity to suggest a way toward a society that is more inclusive for all.
