The International Day Against HOmophobia and Transphobia

‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’ – This is article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first major human rights treaty that has been agreed to by over 150 countries around the world and translated into 336 languages – the world speaks human rights one would think, but are these rights a reality for all?
IDAHO is an international movement campaigning for LGBT people’s human rights
In the year of the 60th anniversary of the UDHR’s inception, human rights for all remains an unfulfilled aspiration in most parts of the world. The UDHR and other treaties promise equal rights and dignity for LGBT people but the reality is that LGBT people are still being persecuted and their relationships outlawed in over 70 countries, with the death penalty and other severe and violent criminal punishment in force in more than 10. LGBT people who flee from persecution may be refused sanctuary in the UK, as recent LGBT asylum cases suggest.

IDAHO is an emerging international movement that urges all nations around the world to respect LGBT people’s rights and dignity and act to combat marginalisation, discrimination and persecution of LGBT people. It calls for the spirit and the word of the International Bill of Rights and its regional siblings, such as the European Convention on Human Rights to be respected, and equal rights and dignity for all to be promoted. LGBT Youth Scotland is proud to be part of that international movement and we urge all our partners to join us in working towards the world that the UDHR envisaged – everyone should play a part in this movement.