General questions
The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) is a global moment of solidarity and action for LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities, observed every year on 17 May. It brings together individuals, organisations, and governments to raise awareness of the issues facing LGBTQIA+ people and to advocate for laws and policies that protect their rights.
IDAHOBIT is not a campaign, but a decentralised global mobilisation. Anyone can organise an event or initiative in their own way, under the shared global theme. Together, local action adds up to a global moment.
The date marks the World Health Organization’s 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases, a milestone in the global struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights.
IDAHOBIT is not owned or controlled by any single organisation. Key strategic decisions are made by the IDAHOBIT Advisory Group, which brings together global, regional, and national organisations and networks working to advance LGBTQIA+ rights. Since January 2023, ILGA World has hosted the Advisory Group and coordinated global outreach, documentation, and resources on their behalf.
IDAHOBIT is currently observed in 155 countries and territories, including 35 where consensual same-sex acts are still criminalised. Thousands of initiatives are documented worldwide each year. The day has received official recognition from several States, the European Parliament, and countless local authorities. Most United Nations agencies also mark the day with specific events.
IDAHOBIT is a decentralised initiative, and everyone is free to frame the day in a way that reflects their context and priorities.
For example, in Latin America, “lesbophobia” is often included. In Brazil, the day is recognised as the National Day Against LGBTQIA+ Phobia. In some regions, intersex communities add “intersexphobia” to the name, while in others they do not. Similarly, asexual movements may explicitly mention “acephobia”.
We acknowledge that the acronym does not capture the full scope of our communities, which is why the tagline “a worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversities” was added.
NOTE
We ask that "intersexism" not to be used, as intersex organisations have flagged the term as vague and misleading. Please use “intersexphobia” instead.
We monitor IDAHOBIT activities through event registrations, social media engagement, and reports from organisations worldwide. This data is compiled into an annual impact report.
Actions and events
There are many ways to participate, from hosting an event and sharing the illustration to raising awareness online or advocating for policy change. See our Get involved page for suggestions tailored to specific groups and contexts.
You can register your event through the Register an event page. It may take a few days for your event to appear, as our team reviews submissions before publishing.
While we understand that it can share similar goals, we do not document an event, project, or activity if it falls outside the scope of IDAHOBIT.
There are many ways to mark IDAHOBIT that do not require physical presence: sharing the illustration or a message on social media, donating to an LGBTQIA+ organisation, hosting a virtual event, or advocating for policy change. See our Get involved page for more ideas.
Participation does not require public visibility. You can mark the day by sharing content privately with trusted people, attending a small private gathering, or registering an event anonymously. The Communications kit includes a section on participating safely in restrictive contexts.
Unfortunately, we do not have a budget to provide financial support or sponsorship. We focus on providing free materials so that organisations can direct their limited resources towards organising and community support rather than developing assets from scratch.
Visuals and social media
We created visuals to help you bring IDAHOBIT to life across the world.
They are free for non-commercial purposes, and you do not need permission to use them.
NOTE
The IDAHOBIT Advisory Group and ILGA World assume no responsibility for the use of these materials and do not endorse the content or organisation of events using them.
You can find official visuals, toolkits, and social media assets on Visual assets.
The initiative has no official hashtag. However, we encourage you to include #IDAHOBIT2026 to your posts – this will help us monitor the global reach of the day.
While we cannot promote every event individually, we actively engage with posts related to IDAHOBIT. Tag us and use the hashtag so we can amplify your post.
Media and press
For media enquiries, please use the contact form. We can connect journalists with members of our Advisory Group for regional perspectives and expert commentary.
IDAHOBIT does not conduct research beyond documenting global events. For data and analysis on LGBTQIA+ rights, see our Data and research page for a curated list of credible resources.