International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT)2026 · Date · History
The IDAHOBIT campaign’s 2026 material identifies May 17 as the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and describes global participation around the date.
About International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT)
The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) is observed annually on May 17 as a decentralized global human-rights mobilisation.
Its date commemorates the World Health Organization’s May 17, 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases.
Why International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) matters
IDAHOBIT connects local action with global solidarity around the rights, dignity and safety of LGBTQIA+ people. Its official material emphasizes that the day is decentralized rather than owned by one organization.
Recognition or participation by governments, the European Parliament and UN agencies should be described as support or recognition, not as evidence that the United Nations created the observance.
History of International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT)
The IDAHO Committee was created in 2004, and archival campaign material identifies Louis-Georges Tin as the activist who launched the international initiative that year.
Communities in dozens of countries observed the first International Day Against Homophobia in 2005.
May 17 was chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s 1990 removal of homosexuality from its disease classification.
The day’s naming and framing broadened over time; current global material uses International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT). Since January 2023, ILGA World has hosted the Advisory Group and coordinated global outreach, documentation and resources on its behalf.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Louis-Georges Tin and the original IDAHO Committee
Archival official campaign material says Louis-Georges Tin launched the international initiative in August 2004; current history identifies the original IDAHO Committee as created in 2004.
First documented observance
The current official history says the first International Day Against Homophobia was observed in 2005, and the annual date is May 17.
ILGA World began hosting the Advisory Group and coordinating global outreach, documentation and resources on its behalf.
IDAHOBIT Advisory Group / ILGA World
IDAHOBIT Advisory Group, with ILGA World coordinating global outreach, documentation and resources
The official FAQ says strategic decisions are made by the Advisory Group and that ILGA World has hosted it and coordinated global outreach, documentation and resources since January 2023.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
4 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
Also known as
International Day Against Homophobia Transphobia and Biphobia
How to Observe International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT)
Use May 17 as the recurring date.
Consult current IDAHOBIT material for the annual global theme and locally organized events.
Describe recognition by institutions accurately without converting it into a claim of UN creation or statutory holiday status.
Keep discussion of rights and discrimination factual, source-scoped and respectful of the people affected.
International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) Facts
IDAHOBIT is observed every year on May 17.
The first International Day Against Homophobia was observed in 2005.
The date commemorates a World Health Organization decision made on May 17, 1990.
The initiative is decentralized and not owned by one organization.
ILGA World has coordinated global outreach and resources for the Advisory Group since January 2023.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
IDAHO Annual Report 2008–09 (opens in a new tab)
IDAHOBIT (opens in a new tab)
IDAHOBIT (opens in a new tab)
IDAHOBIT — 2026 campaign (opens in a new tab)
Official Campaign
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT)?
17 May annually The documented recurrence rule is: 17 May.
Does International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Global decentralized equality and human-rights observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT)?
The documented basis is: The IDAHOBIT campaign’s 2026 material identifies May 17 as the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and describes global participation around the date.. Supporting evidence includes IDAHOBIT — 2026 campaign. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: Global decentralized equality and human-rights observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-07.
When is IDAHOBIT?
It is observed annually on May 17.
Why May 17?
The date marks the World Health Organization’s 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases.
When was the first observance?
The official history says communities in dozens of countries observed the first International Day Against Homophobia in 2005.
Who runs IDAHOBIT?
It is decentralized. Strategic decisions are made by the IDAHOBIT Advisory Group, and ILGA World has coordinated global outreach, documentation and resources on its behalf since January 2023.
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A/RES/60/252