Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
His name was Alireza Fazeli Monfared and he was only 20 years old. He was homosexual and due to the difficulties he was facing because of his sexual orientation, he was about to flee his native Iran to Turkey, but was unable to do so. Last May 4, members of his family beheaded him after accusing him of dishonoring his family.
Today, May 17, is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. A day to recognize that while the rights of LGBTTTIQ+ people have advanced significantly in recent decades, progress has been slow and uneven in various parts of the world.
According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation? ?FBI? report issued on November 17, 2020, in the U.S., of all hate crimes, those based ??on sexual orientation account for 16.7 percent, the third largest category after race and religion.
The report also shows an increase in hate crimes based on gender identity, up from 2.2 percent in 2018 to 2.7 percent in 2019.
According to Human Rights Watch, because hate crimes are not required to be reported to the FBI, these alarming statistics probably represent only a fraction of such violence.
The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia was created in 2004 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination suffered by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and all those with diverse sexual orientations, gender and sex identities or expressions.
The date May 17 was chosen specifically to commemorate the World Health Organization's decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
The Day represents an important annual global milestone to draw the attention of decision-makers, the media, the public, corporations, opinion leaders, local authorities, among others, to the alarming situation faced by people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sexual characteristics.
The day is currently celebrated in more than 130 countries, including 37 where same-sex acts are illegal.
Many different entities participate in the global mobilization around May 17 and as a consequence it receives many different denominations. Some organizations add Lesbophobia or Intersexphobia as distinct focuses. Acronyms also vary, from the initial IDAHO to IDAHOTB or IDAHOBIT.
In California, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA, the total LGBTQ+ population over the age of 13 is 1,859,000 people, the percentage of the state's workforce from this community is 6.0 percent, the total number of LGBTTTIQ+ workers is 1,194,000 people, and the percentage of LGBTTTIQ+ adults - age 25 and older - raising children is 24 percent.
California is one of the states that provides full protection to the LGBTTTIQ+ community; that is, discrimination against this community is prohibited in private employment, housing and public establishments. Likewise, conversion therapies are prohibited in their entirety.
