On Monday 17 May, Wellington Shire will join cities and towns in more than 132 countries across the globe to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT Day).
IDAHOBIT Day was created in 2004 to draw attention to the harmful consequences of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and to promote a world of tolerance, respect, awareness and freedom.
The rainbow pride flag will be raised at the Raglan Street roundabout in Sale and the Yarram Service Centre, 2/4 Commercial Street, Yarram.
Flying the rainbow pride flag on the day aims to help raise awareness of discrimination against LGBTIQA+ communities and provides an opportunity to take action and engage in constructive dialogue.
The pride flag has been redesigned in recent years to include black and brown stripes - representing marginalised LGBTIQA+ communities of colour - and pink, light blue and white - reflecting the colours of the transgender pride flag.
By flying the Rainbow Flag we aim to:
- acknowledge and celebrate LGBTIQA+ people as an integral part of our local community
- acknowledge that homophobia, biphobia and transphobia still exist and have a devastating impact on the whole community
- publicly stand up against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia
- encourage people to seek support if they experience discrimination
We also strongly encourage the use of support networks if required, such as the state-wide support network Switchboard. Switchboard Victoria provides peer-driven support services for the lesbian, gay, bisexual,transgender and gender diverse, intersex, queer and asexual (LGBTIQA+) people and their families as well as allies and the broader community.
