The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) is a day to further highlight the rights of the LGBTQI+ community and to increase everyone’s awareness of the struggles they face to access these rights. Today is a day to highlight the diversity of humanity and remember that the beauty of the world lies in our differences.

Unfortunately, there are still many inequalities against LGBTQI+ people occurring every day around the world. For example, according to Human Dignity Trusty and ILGA, same-sex relationships are prohibited by law in about 70-71 countries, and cross-dressing is prohibited by law in 14 countries, which threatens the lives of LGBTQI+  people and creates restrictions on their opportunities to express themselves in society, to build their own families, to have good mental health, and to enjoy the same fundamental rights as every other citizen.

Additionally, many countries either do not give a person the option to legally change their gender or require hormone or surgery from them to effect the change⁶. There is also a strong demand for gender roles to access health care in many places. 74% of UN countries where it is possible to legally change gender have a very difficult and expensive process. In addition, non-binary rights hardly exist in the world yet and many countries do not have laws to protect and help LGBTQI+ people against murder and against inequality and discrimination not only socially but also economically.

It is also important to emphasize that, although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in its first article that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and in its second article that “everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind”, unfortunately LGBTQI+ people face prejudices about finding work or entering education systems, living in a community, health access and more.

On the other hand, because of the struggle of the LGBTQI+ people, many communities are more aware of diversity and the beauty of difference. In a sense, the challenges of LGBTQI+ people have become a catalyst for the advancement of Human Rights around the world.

In view of all the above, TEJO joins IDAHOBIT with our voice to oppose any prejudice and to celebrate diversity. As an association with the mission to spread the language and movement of Esperanto, our core goal is to create bridges between cultures, diverse backgrounds or other differences and ultimately develop a safe and inclusive global society where every person can find love and acceptance. Together we call on you and the entire Esperanto community to join us on this path against any inequality around the world.