Allied Together: IDAHOBIT 2022

 

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. 


On 17 May 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases. In doing so, the WHO recognised homosexuality as a natural variant of human sexuality. May 17 is now commemorated as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). It is a day, on which we as a global community acknowledge the reality, struggles and oppression of members of the LGBT+ community, and explore ways to drive positive change. 

Below, LGBT Great reflects on the theme for IDAHOBIT 2022: Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights, how far we have come, and how far we still have yet to go.

 

IDAHOBIT 2022 poster

 

IDAHOBIT 2022 Poster 3- The Power of Love

 

IDAHOBIT Poster 2 - Gender Identity

Our Bodies

LGBT+ bodies – particularly trans bodies – are often subjected to unnecessary, unwanted, and inappropriate scrutiny. Looking at the newspapers in the UK and the US over the past few months, one cannot help but notice the increased proliferation of transphobic commentary, the increasing prevalence of ‘anti-trans’ bills under consideration, and the ‘debates’ around transgender identities and bodies. Recently, the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports and the ongoing struggle to ban conversion therapy for gender identity has been at the heart of this conversation.

When considering that trans people are more than 4x more likely to experience a mental health condition and nearly 9x more likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime compared with cisgender people, we as a global community must continue our work to protect and safeguard trans people.

Organisationally, this may sometimes seem hard to achieve. This IDAHOBIT, however, one thing we can do is to vocalise support for banning conversion therapy and seek to implement better internal safeguards and policies within our organisations for trans and non-binary people overall.


Did you know? 

  • 14 countries have instituted a national ban on conversion therapy either for sexual orientation and/or gender identity: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Fiji, Germany, India, Malta, Nauru, New Zealand, Samoa, Taiwan, and Uruguay. 
  • Several more, including France, the Netherlands, and the UK, are in active conversations to ban conversion therapy nationwide.
  • In addition, certain regions of Australia (2 states), Spain (5 regions), and the USA (20 states and multiple municipalities) have implemented bans. However, these are not yet enshrined in law at a national level. 


Our Lives

Forbes described 2021 as the “Deadliest Year” since records began with 375 documented cases of transgender people being murdered. However, since many cases go unreported and undocumented, the figure is expected to be significantly higher. There has also been a documented increase in online hate speech towards LGBT+ youth, which has a well-documented positive correlation with the increased prevalence of mental health issues. Indeed, suicide rates are disproportionally high amongst LGBT+ youth. A 2021 study, which surveyed over 2,900 LGBT+ pupils in schools across the UK, found that 68% of students had experienced suicidal thoughts, compared to only 29% of non-LGBT+ pupils.


Our Rights

The rights of LGBT+ people to express their sexuality and gender identity are not safeguarded in a considerable number of countries globally. The nuanced variations in cultural outlook, religious observance and socio-political ideologies are causing heated debates around the inclusion of gender identity in conversation therapy bans (UK), controversial provisions around excluding positive discussions of same-sex relationships in schools (US, Poland), and criminalisation of same-sex sexual activity and gender expression.


Did you know? 

  • 69 jurisdictions criminalise private, consensual same-sex sexual activity.
  • 43 jurisdictions criminalise private, consensual sexual activity between women using laws against lesbianism.
  • 15 jurisdictions criminalise the gender identity and/or expression of transgender people, using so-called ‘cross-dressing’, ‘impersonation’ and ‘disguise’ laws.
  • 11 jurisdictions where the death penalty is imposed (or at least a threat) for private, consensual same-sex sexual activity.
  • It is estimated that 70% of the world's population lives under laws and regulations that limit freedom of expression around sexual orientation and gender identity.

 

  Three core questions to ask this IDAHOBIT 

 

  1. How is my organisation supporting LGBT+ focused charities and organisations?
    • A clearly defined LGBT+ social sustainability strategy is critical in ensuring that organisations are maximising the impact of the ESG agendas
       
  2. How is my organisation supporting and protecting LGBT+ people?
    • Review existing company-wide policies to ensure adequate and equal protections for LGBT+ employees (in particular, ensuring there are explicit protections in place for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming staff, who are disproportionately at risk).
       
  3. How are we igniting the conversation?
    • Keeping the conversation going is essential. IDAHOBIT is the perfect catalyst for igniting or (re)sparking the conversation, but organisations must be committed to continued discussions.
    • On 16 May, LGBT Great in partnership with CITI and the Kaleidoscope Trust explored what it means to be ‘Allied Together’ this IDAHOBIT in a 1-hour webinar. View the recording here:
    • Being visible and vocal on social media. Normalise this as part of your conversation internally and externally

 

 

About IDAHOBIT 

IDAHOBIT was first celebrated in 2004 to raise awareness of the violence and discrimination experienced by members of the LGBTQIA+ community globally. In acknowledging the rising instances of LGBT+ motivated hate crime, and the ongoing absence of critical legislative and other safeguards in many jurisdictions around the world, IDAHOBIT affords companies and individuals an opportunity to come together as a community to proactively seek to overcome discrimination, and to build safer spaces for LGBT+ people to express their sexuality and gender identity.

 

Contacts 

For any questions or to discuss the content of this blog in more detail, please reach out to Alex Hoare, Global Insights and Content Manager at LGBT Great: alex@lgbtgreat.com.

 

About LGBT Great's Visibility Drive 

Having visible role models within organisations is critical to winning over senior stakeholders and generating momentum for LGBT+ DE&I. LGBT Great is committed to shining a spotlight on members of the LGBT+ community (and allies) throughout financial services that are spearheading this. Nominate someone in your organisation today for our Project 1000 Role Model program.

 

About LGBT Great's Visibility Drive 

Having visible role models within organisations is critical to winning over senior stakeholders and generating momentum for LGBT+ DE&I. LGBT Great is committed to shining a spotlight on members of the LGBT+ community (and allies) throughout financial services that are spearheading this. Nominate someone in your organisation today for our Project 1000 Role Model program.

 

Resources and Further Reading

Official IDAHOBIT 2021 Website

Official IDAHOBIT 2022 Website

Human Trust.

Galop, 2021.

PFLAG, 2022.

Forbes, 11 November 2021.

Stonewall, 1 April 2022.

Rachel Keighley (2022) ‘Hate Hurts: Exploring the Impact of Online Hate on LGBTQ+ Young People’, Women & Criminal Justice, 32:1-2, pp. 29-48, DOI: 10.1080/08974454.2021.1988034