IDAHOBIT Day 2021

Today, the 17th of May is IDAHOBIT Day (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia) IDAHOBIT day is celebrated on the 17th of May because on this day in 1990, 31 years ago the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.
IDAHOBIT day recognises that momentous occasion, and highlights the mahi we still need to do.
To celebrate IDAHOBIT Day this year, we’ve created a new resource called “Activate Your Allyship” which you can read below.
We decided to create an allyship resource with some practical, active allyship for allies to support LBGTIQA+ people in all walks of life.

To order resources click here
To order rainbow ribbons click here

Activate your allyship at work.

1) Advocate for policies that benefit the rainbow community. This could include gender-neutral bathrooms, extra leave for gender-affirming medical care and zero-tolerance harassment policies.

2) If you hear somebody making an offensive or inappropriate joke about LGBTQIA+ people, talk to them about why this is offensive. If you hear something, say something. It can be challenging and difficult for LGBTQIA+ people to do this themselves, and standing up shows people that you care about their feelings.

3) If you get someone's pronouns wrong, apologise and move on, try not to make a big deal out of it. This shows people that you're not centring your own feelings when it comes to respecting someone's gender identity.

4) Show your support for LGBTQIA+ communities beyond Pride month. Find a group or organisation local to you, reach out and see how you can lend a hand on a more regular basis.

Activate your allyship at School.

1) Call students by the name they tell you to use, even if their documents don't match this. This shows that you respect the young person.

2) Think about how you show your allyship - whether it's a rainbow flag, pin, or simply by being a proud advocate, make it clear that you are an ally to rainbow students.

3) Think about your uniforms, are they gendered? Think about supporting inclusive uniforms with your board of trustees to allow students to pick the uniform that affirms their gender.

4) Advocate for students to be able to fully participate in school life. Think about if your school has a rainbow group, inclusive bathrooms, or anti-discrimination policies.

5) Be intentional with your curriculum, include LBGTIQA+ stories, voices, issues and authors in your teaching, make an effort to make it inclusive.

Activate your allyship online

1) Include trigger warnings and content warnings on your posts. this helps to create safe spaces online for your LBGTQIA+ friends.

2) Think before you send your LGBTQIA+ friends news or stories about hate crimes or emotional stories about rainbow communities. These stories take an emotional toll on people, and they might not always be in a space to hear it.

3) Report hate comments on social media, ask for them to be removed. Advocate for your online communities to be inclusive with language and representation.

Activate your allyship in your community

1) Don't make a big deal about people coming out. The concept of "coming out" looks different for everybody. Work on supporting and affirming their choices.

2) Be inclusive when you talk to your children about their future, don't assume heterosexuality/gender. Not all young people fit in the same binary box.

3) Be an ally to your children and their friends, make your home safe. Let them know they have a safe space at your whare, and an ally in you.

4) Remember it's ok to not know everything, no one knows it all. Be willing to be educated and educate yourself, and understand that it's a journey, not a destination.

Activate your allyship in your everyday life.

1) Share your pronouns and include them in your social media bios and emails
“Kia ora, I’m
_______________
my pronouns are
_____/_____
what are yours?”

2) Don't out people without their consent. It may create unsafe situations for people, even if you have the best intentions at heart.

3) Don't ask trans and gender diverse people about their medical transition. Not everybody wants to talk about medical procedures they've gone through, especially to someone they don't know well. Try to work past the idea of trans = surgeries.