IDAHOT Events 2015: Liberia

[box type=”note” ]We are still busy collecting information on this year’s IDAHOT activities and are waiting to hear back from activists and event organisers. If you have information to share with us, please write us at contact@dayagainsthomophobia.org[/box]

Announcement before IDAHOT, update will come soon:

This year Members of the LGBTI community in Liberia are celebrating IDAHOT with the powerful title ‘Hear My Heart; Free My Soul’.

Hear my Heart; Free my soul is an initiative instituted by creative members of the LGBTI communities in Liberia and the Diaspora to create a safe environment where members of the LGBTI community, especially young LGBTI individuals, can share their stories and be confident of self freedom. Performing arts and creativity will be tools to enable a deeper expression of thoughts and feelings. The event will take place on May 17th. Additionally, there will also be the screening of the movie “A Prayer for Bobby” which will set the stimulate a discussion discourse.

The organisers also are planning to document all the stories in a book which then can be used as a advocacy and awareness raising tool within society.

The Program Officer at ‘Stop AIDS in Liberia’ states:

“All over the world LGBTI people are faced with difficult circumstances which leads to many persons not understanding what or who they are and this situation usually evolves to lost identity abd self denial simply because society has constructed or labelled persons with SOGI. In Liberia the situation of LGBTI persons is even more complex considering the legal implications which make same-sex practices a criminal offense under the laws, social cultural myths and beliefs base on religion, political aggrandisement or just base on assume perception”.  

Mr. Stephen K. McGill, Executive Director of Stop AIDS in Liberia (SAIL) will make a summary presentation on how the Ebola Outbreak increase homophobia and affect members of the LGBTI community in Liberia.   There will also be remarks from partners and friends.