May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). On this day in 1990, the General Assembly of the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders. However, our fight to remove discrimination for people of diverse sexuality and gender has not ended. Being same-sex attracted is still a criminal offence in 77 countries in the world, and even though Western Australia had quite progressive gay and lesbian law reform in 2003, homophobia continues to occur on many levels.

Homophobia can occur at an institutional and legal level. For example, same-sex marriage is not legally recognized, and most formal documents include boxes only for opposite-sex partners. Homophobia can also occur in everyday social interactions, as shown by such derogatory phrases as ‘it’s so gay.’ Discrimination also occurs in the workplace. Workplace homophobia can be subtle, for instance, attending a work function without a same-sex partner because you did not feel comfortable bringing them. Or it can be as blatant as terminating someone’s employment on the basis of sexual orientation.

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Where any or all of these forms of homophobia exist, internalized homophobia is likely to co-exist. Internalized homophobia, that is when a person feels prejudice against homosexual expression in themselves and others, can be particularly harmful to young people and to people first discovering their own same-sex attractions and can easily lead to depression, self-hatred, self-harming and suicide.

Despite the huge advances in equality for the LGBTIQ community, it is still important to recognize that homophobia is still very real and very damaging. IDAHO is a day to raise awareness of homophobia and the negative impact it has on many people’s lives. This day gives people around the world a united front to demand equal rights and improved quality of life for people of diverse sexuality and gender.

So, May 17, pay a visit to www.idahomophobia.org to find out how countries around the globe are using IDAHO to target homophobia, and then take a little time to consider what steps you can take to foster diversity.

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Liz Randolph is the Vice-chair of Gay and Lesbian Community Services (GLCS), whose ‘Opening Closets’ program assists organizations in fostering diverse sexuality and gender. If your workplace could benefit from the program, contact GLCS on 9486 9855. GLCS counsellors are available on 9420 7201 from 7-10pm weeknights.