On May 17, 2006, you have the opportunity to take a trip against homophobia.

‘'International Day for the Fight against Prejudice, Discrimination and Violence against Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals – International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO).

Some homophobes think gays and lesbians are perverse and dangerous, or at least "wrong." Homophobes don't recognize the value of same-sex love and don't want its existence recognized. Are you also affected by homophobia? Would you like to find out?

Arcigay, Uds, Udu and Mutua Studentesca they offer you an ideal journey through the website

www.omofobia.it/treno

and various initiatives at train stations in some Italian cities. Select your departure city on the website and print your travel ticket.

The TreNO will take you through the stations of NO to homophobic violence, NO to discrimination, NO to the guilt of internalized homophobia. Final destination: equality!

WHAT IS HOMOPHOBIA?

‘Homophobia is that set of discriminatory prejudices, attitudes, behaviors, and opinions towards gays and lesbians.

‘Homophobia is widespread. Homophobic people believe that gays and lesbians are perverse and dangerous, or at least "wrong." Depending on the degree of homophobia, a homophobe's reaction to a homosexual person can range from simple discomfort to fear and even violence. Homophobes do not recognize the value of the feeling of "homosexual love" and do not want its existence acknowledged. Because it is widespread, homophobia causes gays and lesbians a series of social effects, including verbal and physical harassment, the endurance of widespread prejudice in various social and professional environments, personal or institutional discrimination, and even anti-gay campaigns carried out by some political or cultural organizations.

Info
[email protected]

May 17
FOR A WORLD DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA

Towards international recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

Text by Louis-Georges Tin, editor of the Dictionary of Homophobia (Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, 2003). If you support this initiative and want the Day Against Homophobia (May 17) to be officially included in the national and international calendar, you can sign and have others sign this petition: www.petitiononline.com/idaho

According to a widely held opinion, homosexuality is more liberal today than ever: indeed, present and visible everywhere (on the streets, in newspapers, on television, at the movies), it is now completely accepted, a fact that seems confirmed by the recent progress made in several countries toward the legal recognition of same-sex couples. Certainly, some improvements are still needed to eliminate the remaining discrimination, but, given the evolution of mentalities, some believe it is only a matter of time—the time to complete a process that has been underway for decades.
For the more attentive observer, the situation globally is quite different; and, in truth, the 20th century was probably one of the most violently homophobic periods in history: deportations to concentration camps under the Nazi regime, gulags in the Soviet Union, blackmail and persecution in the United States during the McCarthy era… Obviously, all this may seem very distant. But very often, living conditions in today's world are still extremely difficult. Homosexuality is discriminated against everywhere: in at least eighty countries, homosexual acts are illegal (Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Jordan, Armenia, Kuwait, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Bosnia…); in many countries, sentences can exceed ten years (Nigeria, Libya, Syria, India, Malaysia, Cuba, Jamaica…); sometimes the law prescribes life imprisonment (Guyana, Uganda). And in a dozen countries, the death penalty can be applied (Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc.). Recently, in Africa, several presidents have bluntly reaffirmed their commitment to personally fight this "calamity," which they claim is "anti-African." Persecution is also increasing in countries where homosexuality is not criminalized. In Brazil, for example, death squads and skinheads spread terror: between 1998 and 2000, 1,960 homophobic-inspired murders were officially recorded. Under these conditions, it seems difficult to believe that "tolerance" is gaining ground. On the contrary, in most of these countries, homophobia appears more violent today than in the past. Overall, therefore, it certainly cannot be said that the situation is improving.

This is why we are proposing this World Day Against Homophobia. It aims to combine action and reflection to combat all physical, moral, or symbolic violence related to sexual orientation or gender identity. It intends to inspire, support, and coordinate any initiative that can contribute to the equality of citizens in this area, both de jure and de facto, in all countries where possible. Organizing a day of action against homophobia in each country will allow us to frame our struggles in solidarity with all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people worldwide. But it is also about framing our struggles within a broader movement to defend human rights. Numerous similar actions have been conducted around the world in recent decades, often with considerable success. Our initiative is in line with this: we want to strengthen existing initiatives and give greater visibility to future efforts, and we call on national and international bodies to include this Day in the Official Agenda, along the lines of World Women's Day or World AIDS Day. Official recognition of the Day would thus constitute an explicit commitment from the international community, which has already mobilized against numerous other forms of discrimination and social violence, but not yet on these issues. This will be the opportunity.