EU lighting building for IDAHOT on May 17

Sunday, May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).

To mark the occasion the EU Delegation in Barbados will be lighting its offices building for two nights on May 16 and 17 with the colours of the Rainbow flag.

This is being done to help raise awareness of violations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons’ rights.

IDAHOT was established in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, general public and media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

The date of May 17 was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

Across the world, entire societies are under lockdown in an effort to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic to spiral out of control. In many parts of the world, LGBTI persons will be disproportionately affected by the crisis due to poor or no access to health caused by discriminatory laws and negative social attitudes.

The European Union is determined to continue to address discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, acknowledge the specific needs of LGTBI persons during health crises and work towards ensuring equal opportunities.