IDAHOBIT 2025- The Power of Communities
On 17 May 1990, in a historic turn of events for the LGBTQ+ community, the World Health Organisation stopped classifying homosexuality as a disease. Fifteen years later, this day was acknowledged under the banner of “IDAHO,” which stood for “International Day Against Homophobia.” The name has evolved over the years to explicitly include other LGBTQ+ identities, transforming into “IDAHOBIT” in its most recent iteration, which signifies “International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex discrimination & Transphobia.”
The 2025 theme for IDAHOBIT is “The Power of Communities”: a reflection of the diversity and richness within the LGBTQ+ community that houses varied and intersecting identities. The theme underscores the increased strength and resilience that comes from collective advocacy across the LGBTQ+ community, allies, and other marginalised groups.
Leveraging the Power of Communities to Advance Organisational Inclusion
In a time where DEI is facing active backlash, the strength of communities is becoming increasingly vital. Organisations often face challenges in fostering community-based initiatives that connect employees across different identity groups. Below, we offer three cohesive ways organisations can leverage the power of communities to cultivate an inclusive culture:
1) Empowering ERGs as Community Anchors
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are more than affinity spaces—they are engines of belonging. When equipped with resources, leadership sponsorship, and strategic alignment, ERGs can become powerful platforms for cross-functional collaboration and intersectional advocacy hinged on communality. According to McKinsey, employees who rate their ERGs as effective are significantly more likely to report positive inclusion scores (83%) compared to those who do not (59%). Furthermore, community building emerges as the most impactful dimension of ERG activity, reiterating its importance in boosting collective morale and fostering workplace belonging. To learn how successful ERGs are created and sustained, click here.
2) Expanding the Conception of Role Modelling
Our 2023 report Seeing is Believing found that 70% of LGBTQ+ employees experience improved confidence in the workplace due to visible role models. However, role modelling extends beyond identity. Inclusive leaders—regardless of background—can model allyship by actively supporting LGBTQ+ colleagues, challenging exclusionary behaviours, and using their influence to drive systemic change such as reforming policy, sponsoring ERGs and implementing inclusive benefits. LGBT Great’s Project 1000 initiative was born out of the drive to spotlight such changemakers who blaze the trail of inclusion. Know someone making a difference? Nominate them here.
3) Prioritising Psychological Safety
Safe spaces are essential and transformative. Organisations should invest in both physical and digital environments where employees feel psychologically safe to be themselves and connect with others authentically. To enable this, LGBT Great has created an exclusive online community- a safe digital space curated for you where you can access resources and meet like-minded people. Other examples include open forums, listening circles, and community-led discussions which can foster empathy, surface lived experiences, and build bridges across different identities and experiences. When facilitated with care, these spaces become incubators for innovation, inclusion and belonging.
Conclusion
As we mark IDAHOBIT 2025, let us remember that inclusion is a collective endeavour. By investing in community-driven strategies, organisations can build cultures where everyone feels seen, valued, and empowered to thrive without fearing identity-based stigma or discrimination.