IDAHOBIT, or International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, is observed in over 130 countries around the world on May 17th since 2005. The date on which IDAHOBIT falls was chosen for a specific reason: it was the day when, in 1990, the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. Prior to that, the WHO and the countries which used them as a torchbearer for health policy, classified homosexuality as a mental disorder. Imagine, if you would, telling a heterosexual person that their sexuality was a mental disorder. It sounds utterly ridiculous, doesn’t it? It is much the same to queer folks, be they homosexual, bisexual, transgender, or others within the rainbow coalition; our sexuality is NOT a mental disorder – it is the way we were born.

The IDAHOBIT event didn’t coalesce out of nothing: over 24,000 individuals and organizations agreed to make this happen. Organizations such as The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), The Coalition of African Lesbians, the World Congress of LGBT Jews, and others, signed on to the IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) initiative as it was known at the time. In 2009 it expanded to IDAHOT (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia) due to our Trans siblings being more acutely targeted with hateful violence and discrimination. Finally, in 2015, it was expanded yet again to IDAHOBIT which is the current acronym, in an attempt to fight bisexual erasure.

In many countries around the world, same-sex relationships are still criminalized, and in some countries, they still carry the death penalty. Statistics Canada reported crimes targeting sexual orientation increased 69% from 2021 to 2022, and from 2016-2023 crimes motivated by sexual orientation increased by 388%. We have governments in Canada today who are continually targeting members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, notably Alberta with their anti-trans Bill 9, which revokes three statutes that affect the rights of transgender individuals:

1. It prohibits access to gender affirming medical treatments for gender diverse youth under the age of 16; however:
   • There are no surgeries for underage Canadians but the medical treatment for youths consists of mental health services, hormone blockers, and the like. All have been found to reduce suicidality, depression, anxiety, stigma, and related mental health challenges.
2. It requires parental notification and consent for youth to use their chosen names and pronouns in school; however:
   • This is a betrayal of individual rights to privacy and can also put peoples’ lives at risk if their family are unsupportive and/or violent to the child.
3. It requires gender verification for participation in girls’ and women’s sports; however:
   • What is “gender verification”? Do coaches look down the pants or inspect the genitalia of these children and adults? This is demeaning and a violation of one’s privacy.

The Alberta government passed this bill by utilizing the Notwithstanding clause to bypass the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and force their bigoted and violent ideology onto the public of Alberta. Taking peoples’ rights away is violence enacted by the government onto the people. With the rise of crimes in Canada targeting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, with local, provincial, and federal governments targeting or ignoring attacks on those people of the community, it is imperative that events such as IDAHOBIT continue and be recognized for fighting for the rights of the 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. We must also continue to support organizations such as QMUNITY, which provides services and resources to members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Finally, it is important that we demand more of our governments to equally protect every member of the public to which they are sworn.