Pan African Solidarity in 2025 for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)
17 May 2025, Accra, Addis Ababa, Gaborone, Lagos, Lusaka, Maseru, Mbabane and Nairobi.
The power of communities: a powerful theme for this year’s commemoration of IDAHOBIT. Since 1990, our communities have celebrated the milestones achieved in human rights, community health and policy making inclusion that reflects the universality and indivisibility of commitments made in international law, jurisprudence, gender equality, sustainable development and inroads made in strengthening civic space.
Depathogisation of our communities, legal gender recognition and even strengthening birth registration processes have safeguarded rights and advanced dignity for our community. These kinds of successes should always be a reminder of what is possible in a world that is increasingly polarized and denies our communities full citizenship in public protection and participation.
Whilst our successes have consistently been questioned – emboldened pushback remains a concern, reflective of former colonial Empire influences on our societies. This pushback is often masked in sovereignty, traditional family values and fear-mongering rhetoric, perpetuating anti-rights disinformation and misinformation doing harm without limits.
The degradation of already inadequate health systems, corruption riddled institutions and poor service delivery is reflected in countries that disregard and criminalise poverty and marginalised communities. Their economies are saddled with poor fiscal stewardship and accountability.
We see this reflected in the lack of accountability and political will to improve the material conditions of African lives. We see it in the politicisation of our lives in election campaigns and media click bait headlines whilst technology assisted gender-based violence thrives in cyberbullying, rape culture and harmful gender norms.
Civil Society remains undeterred. We continuously find ways to ensure mutual aid and solidarity with our communities even when there are no budget lines or resources. We are unequivocally African and unapologetically Queer in our existence, advocacy and solidarity.
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Also, reflections on this day via Oxfam: https://views-voices.oxfam.org.uk/2025/05/african-lgbtqia-rights/
Including in these times of crisis: https://shiftthepower.org/2025/04/28/colouring-outside-the-colouring-book-seeking-out-the-alternative-systems-for-movement-organizing/