From Unifor.org: Unifor marks the 2023 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) with solidarity for people of all sexual and gender diversities. Every year on May 17, the IDAHOBIT is celebrated globally. The campaign aims to increase awareness of the persistent discrimination, violence, and marginalization faced by individuals with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics, including two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (2SLGBTQI) peoples. This year’s theme, solidarity: everyone belongs in our union, is an important one that reaffirms Unifor’s commitment to continuing the fight against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia and intersexphobia through social and political action. Our union celebrates the diversity of and continues to advocate for the rights of all 2SLGBTQI peoples. However, this celebration and advocacy work is set against a backdrop of a disturbing trend of increasing violent and hateful acts targeting trans and queer peoples. With hate on the rise, it has never been clearer that 2SLGBTQI issues are union issues. Over the past year, we have all witnessed an increasing number of incidents of violence, oppression and hate crimes against trans and queer people across Canada and the United States. The number of anti-trans laws introduced and adopted in the U.S. alone is staggering. Beginning with “don’t say gay” in elementary schools, the floodgates were also opened with repeated attacks on the trans community. Nearly 670 laws have been proposed or adopted since 2018 ranging from family separations, sports bans, bathroom bans, outlawing gender affirming care,…