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International Day Against Homophobia 2008

May 17th 2008 marks International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). It exists to focus on the lack of human rights for LGBT people around the world. On and around May 17th every year campaigners highlight these issues by events, campaigns and initiatives in over 50 countries.

In the world today there are 77 countries where it is a criminal offence to be Gay. These countries punish women, men and children because of their sexuality and in seven countries the punishment is death.

IDAHO provides a platform for everyone to make a powerful statement to demand improvements for the quality of life for LGBT people both overseas and here in the UK. The 17th May can be used to raise awareness of homophobic issues that are negatively impacting on people’s lives and to showcase success stories where a positive change has been achieved.

The Holocaust

Gay men and Lesbians were persecuted under the Nazi regime and were imprisoned and killed in concentration camps. You can use HMDT resources to learn more about the treatment of Gay men and Lesbians during the Holocaust. It is not known how many Gay men and women were killed by the Nazis, but approximately 100,000 were arrested under the Paragraph 175 law. In concentration camps, Gay prisoners were identified using a pink triangle badge.

Albrecht Becker an actor and production designer was tried and imprisoned under Paragraph 175 after which he was sent to Nuremburg Prison. Towards the end of the war, when more soldiers were needed, some gay men were released in order to help the war effort; Albrecht was among these. Having no option but to go into the German army, he was sent to the Russian front. Soldiers who were sent here rarely survived for long and suffered extreme privations. However, Becker did manage to survive and was able to return to working in the film industry after the war where he became well known internationally. He died in 2002.

The theme for HMD09 challenges us all to Stand Up To Hatred. It urges all of us to look at our behaviour to others; to understand how hate is directed against different minorities in Britain today; to explore how each of us can help make our communities stronger and safer. In our theme, we look not only at expressions of hate carried out during the Holocaust and subsequent genocides, but at expressions of hatred in our society today including the murder of David Morley, who was killed in London in 2004 for being gay.

The HMDT resource The Pink Triangle and Beyond examines the treatment of Gay men and women during the Holocaust and the issues facing the LGBT community today.

You can also download HMD posters and view films which will provide further information.

Find out more

Find out about IDAHO in the UK, including events taking place to commemorate the Day www.idaho.org.uk/

Useful Websites

www.proudheritage.org
www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/index.php?ModuleId=10005261&Type=normal+article
www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk
www.stonewall.org.uk
www.lgf.org.uk
www.lgbtyouth.org.uk