At its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on April 20, the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues recognized the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), which will be observed on May 17 around the world.
The Advisory Council voted without dissent to officially welcome the annual observance, thus joining national, regional, and local government bodies in numerous countries that have acknowledged the international event since it was first observed on May 17, 2005.
Longtime council member William B. Kelley, who introduced the proposal that the Advisory Council officially welcome the IDAHOobservance, expressed his "hope that it would encourage local organizations, as part of a run-up to Chicago's annual Pride Month, to show solidarity with their international counterparts' struggles against prejudice and discrimination worldwide." One such local organization,Chicago's Gay Liberation Network, has conducted activities here for several years in support of IDAHO.
The annual May 17 date for IDAHO was established in commemoration of the date of the World Health Organization's 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Creation of IDAHO was spearheaded by Louis-Georges Tin, who is a French university lecturer and a campaigner for black and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. It is overseen by The IDAHO Committee, which is comprised of a largely volunteer, Paris-based board and a diverse international advisory board.
The IDAHO website at www.dayagainsthomophobia.org currently lists May 17 events planned in the United States, Ireland,Germany, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Malta, Sweden, France, Rwanda, Russia, Turkey, Chile, Peru, and other countries.
Since IDAHO's inception and under its rubric, several countries such as Congo, China, and Bulgaria are said to have seen their first LGBT events organized; a worldwide campaign for decriminalization of homosexual conduct was launched; conferences have been held in Moscow and Montreal; and many organizations around the world have sponsored events such as debates, exhibits, demonstrations, radio and television programs, film showings, awareness campaigns, and other activities designed to show, according to The IDAHO Committee, "that in reality it is homophobia that is shameful and must be deconstructed in its social logic and fought against openly."