The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBiT) is marked globally on 17 May every year to draw attention to the discrimination and violence experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and all other people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.
The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBiT) was created in 2004 to draw the attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex people and all other people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics. The date of 17 May was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization declassifying homosexuality as a mental disorder, which only happened in 1990. The theme for IDAHOBiT this year is “Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights” and focuses on LGBTQA+ people claiming the right to live their sexualities and to express their gender(s) freely, while also demanding to be free from all forms of violence.
Many LGBTQA+ people continue to experience bigotry, hatred and discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. Galop, an LGBTQ+ anti-violence charity, published a Hate crime report in 2021 highlighting that reported LGBT+ hate crime had grown at double the rate of other forms of hate crime for the previous two years, and noting that even this was the tip of the iceberg, as most hate crime goes unreported. Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia can take many forms such as name-calling, derogatory jokes, intrusive or hostile questioning, threatening to ‘out’ someone, as well as unwanted physical contact and violence. It can happen verbally, in writing, in person or virtually (eg by email, messages, social media). Whatever form it takes, it is always unacceptable.
At Queen Mary we want to create an inclusive environment where LGBTQA+ staff and students are celebrated; where everyone can be themselves and be treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Our Strategy 2030 sets out Queen Mary’s commitment and ambition to be the most inclusive university of our kind, anywhere; realising this vision means being a university of choice for LGBTQA+ people to study and work. If you experience or witness homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, you can report it (anonymously if you like) and / or access support through the Queen Mary Report + Support tool. Incidents of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia may constitute a criminal offence as a hate incident or hate crime under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Criminal Justice Act 2003. If you believe you have been a victim of a hate incident or hate crime you are within your rights to contact the police. As a student at Queen Mary you may wish to reach out to one of the following people / groups for support and advice:
There are also lots of external organisations who can offer support; please see the list at the bottom of the page.
If you feel safe to do so, you can be an active bystander and call it out. Make it clear that you won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour in any form. You can find out more about the LGBTQA+ community by accessing the following:
Further information, resources and support: