IDAHOBIT Day

Harper Hopkins

She/Her

SRC - Year 11

School Council Student Representative

IDAHOBIT (The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia) commemorates the anniversary of the World Health Organisation removing homosexuality from the Classification of Diseases in 1990. It marks an important milestone in queer history, and serves as a reminder of injustice suffered by the queer community in the past and up to the present day.

As we celebrate all triumphs of the queer community on IDAHOBIT Day, we must acknowledge that it is also a day to reflect and raise awareness on how far we still have to go to eliminate discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. Many queer people have experienced discrimination, with two out of three LGBTQ+ youth facing harassment or abuse based on their queer identity, with significantly worse statistics for queer people of colour.

One small way you can show your support is by introducing your pronouns to new people you meet. Simply letting other people know your pronouns can do wonders in creating a comfortable space for gender non-conforming people.

You could also stand up against discrimination by calling out microaggressions. These are small jokes or stereotypes that are incredibly harmful and that create a hostile atmosphere for queer people and other marginalised groups. By standing against this or reporting this behaviour, we can show that discrimination will not be tolerated in our community.

I invite you all to show your allyship with the queer community at all times and, to help us to create a safer and more welcoming environment for everyone.