Nine prominent Brisbane landmarks will be emblazened in rainbow lights to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) on the night of 17 May 2018. In addition, multiple city and state institutions will proudly fly the international symbol of pride for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community on the same day.
IDAHOT is a day to recognise the harm LGBTI people experience from living with discrimination, prejudice and abuse, including in countries where homosexual acts remain illegal. In these countries a conviction can lead to up to life imprisonment, and even the death penalty. IDAHOT is commemorated internationally on May 17, it is the date the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases in 1990. The Queensland Performing Arts Centre and the Brisbane Powerhouse will for the first time, join Queensland Parliament House, Brisbane City Hall, Treasury Casino, the Story bridge, Victoria bridge and Kurilpa bridge, which will all beam in rainbow lights.
During the daytime, Rainbow flags will fly from Brisbane City Hall, and the state headquarters of Queensland Police Service, Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. There will also be a free IDAHOT Brisbane City Rainbow Lights Walking Tour and a free IDAHOT Remember Event held at the Brisbane Powerhouse. University research and ABS statistics confirm discrimination toward LGBTI Australians results in a range of worse health and social outcomes, including alarming rates of mental health conditions and suicide rates. IDAHOT is a day to break down these divisions and remember those who have died as a result of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, either by their own hand, or by the actions of others.
Readers were also interested in our story on Rainbow Hut.
