IDAHOT Events 2015: Portugal – Free hugs

In Portugal, LGBT youth organisations spread the message of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia with Free Hugs actions across the country.

[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]
In Portugal and as a national LGBT youth organisation, rede ex aequo continued to act for visibility and equality for LGBT youth in Portugal. Therefore and, as the past years they distributed free hugs in busy streets and gave away merchandise addressing issues of sexual orientation, gender expression and identity.
The event took place in Rossio, D. Pedro IV Square in Lisbon on the afternoon of the 17th of May.

Volunteers from the organisation were wearing purple t-shirts and gave hugs to people passing by. Hugging with them were famous Portuguese LGBT Youtubers: Peperan and Lorenzo and Pedro.

As the organisers noted “The free hugs activity was a bug success. It was a really enjoyable afternoon and the invited YouTubers were very welcoming”

Before the free hugs there was a “performance” where volunteers created the short films the organisations has made for the campaign #QuebraOSilêncio (#BreackTheSilence). They stood still with their mouth taped and were holding a black sheet with an insult written on it. This action was chosen in the context of  disclosing the Relatório de Educação LGBT de 2014 and sending it to the Portuguese Ministry of Education in the occasion of IDAHOT.

Ahead of IDAHOT, the organisers started their events on Friday, May 15th as they participated on the CIG conference “Crimes de Ódio contra Pessoas LGBT“ (Hate crimes against LGBT people), the numbers from their Relatório do Observatório de Educação LGBT de 2014 (LGBT Education Monitoring Report of 2014) were announced. On this report they collected and analysed the complaints of bully actions at schools received by rede ex aequo.

Rede ex aequo is an association for youth LGBTQI people in Portugal and consists of local groups in various places all over the country.

Tudo Vai Melhorar, the Portuguese organisation of It Gets Better announced that they would be conducting a “Free Hugs” campaign on the streets of Lisbon and Porto as well to spread acceptance and love rather than homophobia and transphobia. They’ve successfully done this in the past, as well.
https://youtu.be/3z43NF12Q38
It Gets Better is a global project with national organisations around the globe. Their mission is “to communicate to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth around the world that it gets better, and to create and inspire the changes needed to make it better for them.”