IDAHO, as well as being a state in North America, also stands for International Day Against Homophobia, sometimes elongated to International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
That was yesterday, 17th May, and the Ugandan LGBT Community took the opportunity to call on Uganda's media to stop the homophobic outing of gay people:
Despite the High Court judgement against the Rolling Stone newspaper in January 2011, tabloids like Red Pepper routinely flout the fundamental right to privacy of the LGBTI community in Uganda. On February 24 2013, the Red Pepper published an article entitled “Top Uganda Gay Recruiters Busted”, in which it printed names and photographs of people it claimed were gay...
On this 2013 International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, the LGBTI community Calls on Journalists, Editors and Owners of Media Organizations in Uganda to:
1. 1. Respect the spirit and express terms of the judgement against Rolling Stone newspaper, and refrain from publishing articles, which serve only to undermine the deeply held values of tolerance and respect for diversity upon which Ugandan society is founded.
2. 2. Exercise respect for the fundamental right to privacy, as enshrined in the Constitution of Uganda, of the LGBTI community in Uganda.
Calls on the Government of Uganda to:
Reject the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that is still pending in Parliament, that incites unnecessary prejudice, hatred and violence in the communities where we live and makes us daily targets for hate crimes, making it impossible for us to live freely.
Punish any violence targeted towards LGBTI Ugandans for their sexual orientation and identities, as human rights are inherent regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The reason IDAHO is held on 17th May is because:
On this day 23 years ago, the General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders. This action served to end more than a century of medical homophobia.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said ending homophobia is ‘critical’ to the UN’s work and called for an end to anti-gay laws and better education.
His comments were delivered today (17 May) at an event in The Hague, The Netherlands, to mark International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO)...
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises a world that is free and equal, and we will only honor that promise if everyone – without exception – enjoys the protection they deserve."
This ties in nicely with their recent video against homophobia.
Freedom & Roam Uganda have also issued their own statement and write-up marking the occasion.
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