Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. It was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public, and the media to the deaths, violence, and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.
And as the title suggests, this is a world-wide issue now more than ever. With the frightening tone the world has taken (including our own government which has promoted, enshrined, and legislated homphobia and transphobia), we need desperately to enlighten the world, and literally save lives. Even if you are not in Africa or Russia or Bangladesh or any of the many other countries that persecute or execute gay or trans men and women, even if you are in an intelligent, progressive area, we still need awareness. It is an overused cliché, but the world is changed one person at a time. Be one of those people. You can participate simply by believing that all people have human and civil rights in this existence. Stand for it. Insist on it. Tell others. Tell everyone you can. I have been so encouraged and inspired by the young Parkland shooting survivors and the idea that protest and calls to action are not dead, and that they can make a difference.
This is how a movement is built, and how the world changes: one person at a time.
http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/
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