Yet while Americans may be unaware of homophobia around the world, homophobes around the world are quite aware of Americans. But a day focused on the continued violence against LGBT people in far-off places? Sounds like a bummer. IDAHOT doesn’t generate ROI.Īnd then there’s the negative focus of the day itself, which seems to run against our sunny American optimism. These organizations don’t raise money by being part of a vast international network they raise money by branding themselves and their initiatives. Who cares in Kansas about what happens in Kyrgyzstan? We don’t do “international” here.Īnother reason is the American nonprofit industry, with behemoths like the Human Rights Campaign focused on their own agendas and development campaigns.
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Typical American exceptionalism, for one. There are many reasons for this relative lack of attention. READ MORE Hangman’s Noose for Marrying a Christian All that’s listed so far is a party in Omaha and a grassroots “day of action” in New Orleans. Petersburg, one of the organizations targeted by the Putin regime.īut not much in the United States. Petersburg, coordinated by Coming Out St. And in Russia, a flash mob is set to take place in the center of St.
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In South Africa, where the legal regime is favorable to LGBT people but social homophobia is on the rise, a full day of films, panels and performances in planned for Johannesburg. In China, for example, Fan Popo, a leading LGBT activist and director of the documentary film Mama Rainbow, told me that all but one of this year’s IDAHOT events have been shut down by the government-and the one that went on (on May 16) took place while the organizer was in a police station. Some IDAHOT events are being planned and executed under threats of violence and persecution. READ MORE A Time Bomb in Afghanistan's Ballot Box Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, as well as the directors of UNAIDS and the UN Development Programme, have all issued statements. The first page (of 11) of events on the IDAHOT web page includes events in Iran, Mongolia, Greece, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa-you get the picture. Our ignorance and isolation is itself part of the problem.Ĭreated in 2004, IDAHOT itself is run by a small nerve center of international activists, but mostly it serves as a focal point for campaigns around the world. The fact that most Americans have no idea that the day even exists should give us pause, especially as the hard-won gains here seem to be provoking a backlash all around the world.