Epress.am News from Armenia
May 17, widely regarded as the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), will be marked as well in Armenia.
Local non-profit organization Public Information and Need of Knowledge (PINK Armenia) will be organizing a “Rainbow Flash” in which participants will release different-colored balloons at 7 pm in Yerevan today.
A little bit about the history of IDAHO, as per the website dedicated to the day:
Following other initiatives such as the National Day Against Homophobia created in 2003 in the Quebec province of Canada by the Fondation Emergence and celebrated in June, Louis-Georges Tin, a French university lecturer, campaigner for Black and LGBT rights and chief editor of the Dictionary of Homophobia, launched in August 2004 an initiative to create an International Day Against Homophobia that is global in scope. He launched an appeal “For a universal recognition of the International Day Against Homophobia” (IDAHO) and proposed that this day be fixed on May 17, to commemorate the World Health Organisation’s decision to remove homosexuality from their list of mental disorders.
By May 17, 2005, as a result of a year-long campaigning effort, 24,000 people worldwide and reputed international organizations like ILGA, IGLHRC, the World Congress of LGBT Jews, the Coalition of African lesbians, to name a few, had signed the “IDAHO appeal.”