Welcome back, lovely readers, to This Day In History. Many of you might be expecting to read about Stonewall, as this is June's issue and that's a massive pointer in LGBTQ+ history. I, however, want to take you back to May 2004, when the campaign for IDAHOBIT was started.

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia was thought of as a concept back in 2004 by Louis-Georges Tin. He stayed on the committee as a chairperson up until 2013, when trans rights activist Tamara Adrian took over. An appeal was signed by 24,000 people and included the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the World Congress of LGBT Jews, and the Coalition of African Lesbians. At the time, this initiative was called the IDAHO initiative, and it led to the first celebration of this day on May 17th, 2005. Events were hosted throughout different countries, including some that hadn't celebrated a LGBTQ+ event, such as Congo and China.

Transphobia became included in the event in 2009, and the activities that year were very focused on transphobia. A petition was also launched, which was signed by over 300 NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and three Nobel Prize winners. This led to France becoming the first country to remove transgender issues from the list of mental illnesses on IDAHOT that year - May 17th. Biphobia was added six years later in 2015, leading to the name we now know - IDAHOBIT. Some countries have slightly different names, with Nepal using both IDAHOT and International Day Against Queer/ MOGAI (Marginalized Orientations, Gender Alignments, and Intersex) -Phobia.

May 17th was chosen for a very specific reason. It's the day the World Health Organization made the decision to remove homosexuality from the list of mental health disorders (the IDC) back in 1990, finally following the American Psychological Association's decision to remove it from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which was made back in 1973. The most important thing this decision led to was that there was now no longer scientific or medical evidence for the claim that homosexuality was a disease. Sadly transgender health issues were still seen as a mental health issue until 2019 when it was finally stated that this was not a mental health disorder.

The main goal of IDAHOBIT is to raise awareness of violence, discrimination, and repression experienced by the LGBTQ+ community across the entire world. There are supposed to be events that are visible at a global level without needing to conform to a specific type of action, though for the most part they are used to advance the rights of LGBTQ+ people.

The 2023 theme was 'Together always: united in diversity' and was decided by many organisations around the world. The may17 website kept track of events happening around the world. Australia had the most happening, with 29 events across the country, followed by the UK at 24. Russia and India were following closely behind as well, with both countries having had 22 events that were registered.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_Against_Homophobia,_Biphobia_and_Transphobia
https://human-rights-channel.coe.int/idahotb-en.html
https://may17.org/about/

Hello there, gentle readers!

This month, I figured we could do something a little unorthodox with this section. We're not going to delve into the backstory of a single person, nor will we get into the details about specific groups or organizations. This month, I would like to turn the lens of our LGBTQ+ Focus onto YOU!

Yes, I'm serious. Yes, you. Stop looking around the room. *You're* the person we're focusing on!

Hear me out. Most likely, if you're reading Prism, you either identify with some term under the LGBTQ+ community rainbow, are a close ally with a loved one or two under the umbrella, or possibly a friendly and curious newcomer. Regardless of your identity, you came here for a reason, seeking entertainment, advice, or maybe just a place that felt safe. Finding regular places and things is easy, but finding those specific things can sometimes feel impossible. Nevertheless, you made it here! You turned the page. You took that step. And even more amazing than that? You stayed.

Staying is often one of the hardest things, especially for those of us in the LGBTQ+ community - even more so for people who have additional intersections of marginalization, like people of color or folks who use mobility aids. Whether you're a part of the community, love someone who is, or just care about basic human rights and decency, you know all too well how the world treats people like us. The world can be a harsh, uncaring place sometimes, and enduring the hardships that are unfortunately still far too prevalent in society can be crushing. Still, you stuck around, you came back, you made the decision and turned the page to see what came next.

Sadly, there are way too many people who never got that chance. Some people will never be able to take that step, can never stick around to see more, or write their futures. That's our job now. We have to keep going, to press on for them, for us, for those of us who have yet to come, so that their worlds are better, safer, and gentler than the one we live in now.

So, back to you. Thank you, dear readers, for being here with us then, now, and in the future. Thank you for continuing to support us digitally and in reality. Thank you for being a part of making this world better, whatever your role may be. You are incredible, and it is because of people like you that I have hope for what the future holds.