IDAHOT 2019: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

The World Bank commemorates the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT) annually, on May 17.

IDAHOT is the main LGBTI-focused day marked by the international community. This year’s IDAHOT activities at the World Bank center around the 2019 theme of “justice and protection for all.”

The feature event is the World Bank's first-ever virtual reality (VR) experience staff training at the World Bank Headquarters on May 17. The VR space aims to familiarize World Bank Group staff with key aspects of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), and provides them with an opportunity to learn and reflect on the experiences and challenges faced by their LGBTI colleagues. Throughout the day, staff have the opportunity to “walk” into this virtual space, and learn and reflect about the experience of LGBTI colleagues. 

This year, members of the World Bank Group’s SOGI Task Force explain in a video why SOGI inclusion matters. Established in 2015, the SOGI Task Force serves as an institutional resource for the Bank Group’s leadership and country teams. It includes senior, seasoned staff representing various units, as well as representatives of the World Bank’s official LGBTI employee resource group, GLOBE. The SOGI Task Force has been instrumental in creating a coherent institution-wide approach to moving the needle on SOGI inclusion.    

In addition, the World Bank Group is organizing a host of staff activities to commemorate IDAHOT, including: 

• Panel discussion: "Human Rights and LGBTI Inclusion: A Quantitative Study from Thailand" 
• Photo exhibition on the lives of LGBTI staff and friends
• Breakfast for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women staff and women allies
• Panel discussion: "The Economic Case for LGBTI Inclusion in Kenya" 
• Resource booths where the Bank's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) team, LGBT+ Employee Resource Group (GLOBE), and Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) teams are available to talk to staff about various issues around LGBTI inclusion

How you can participate online:

• Follow @WBG_Cities to stay updated on the public discussions and activities on IDAHOT 2018.
• Post your messages of support with a photo on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #IDAHOTB or #IDAHOTB2019

Learn more about SOGI / LGBTI inclusion: 

• Feature story: Why LGBTI Inclusion Is Key to Shared Prosperity
• Video blog: Three things we need to know about "SOGI"
• Video blog: Building LGBTI alliances isn’t just for solidarity, but key to shared prosperity
• Report: Economic Inclusion of LGBTI Groups in Thailand
• Topic brief: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)