LGBT communities Set To Celebrate IDAHOT May 17

Celebrated annually in more than 130 countries as the international day against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOT), IDAHOT observes the world health organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder and tackles the lack of comprehensive information in societies on the situation of the LGBT people and their views on issues of concern and their eligibility to have access to social services ,education ,healthcare, earning and living and fair counseling.

It is crucial not just on a day like this but all year long to shed a light on the nature and reasons of homosexuality among general public, research suggests that LGBT individuals (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders) face social stigma, discrimination, denial of civil rights, high rates of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse and suicide, with little application of human rights regarding sexual orientation and gender identity and acceptance of the other as a person regardless of what he or she does with his own way of living !

Before the 19th century same sex sexual activity was considered a crime against nature and sometimes referred to as “Sodomy” from the biblical tale of Sodom and also seen as a sexual inversion dominating the medical thinking (a woman’s soul confined in a man’s body) or in another word the quality of a body that did not reflect the true essence of its possessor

Sigmund Freud  was the father of psychoanalysis about the origins and meanings of homosexuality putting it more as a drive than as a nature, he interpreted it as the unconflicted expression of an innate instinct and not an illness, in his famous 1935 letter, Freud wrote to a mother who had asked him to treat her son’s homosexuality ,saying that Homosexuality is assuredly no advantage, but it is nothing to be ashamed of, no vice, no degradation, and that it is a great injustice to persecute it as a crime, and he added that If her son is unhappy, neurotic, torn by conflicts, inhibited in his social life, analysis may bring him harmony, peace of mind whether he remains homosexual or gets changed.

this sexual inversion is now called transgender identity, it offers an explanation as to why changing the gender of one’s body through hormones and surgery feels “right” to many women who feel like men, and not women or lesbians, and to many men who feel like women and not gay men, why they are happier acting and dressing like women.

Henry Havelock Ellis was a British physician who studied sexual behaviors and challenged Victorian taboos against public discussion of the subject (Victorian era in the British history marks the reign of queen Victoria), he viewed sexual activity as the healthy and natural expression of love, and that homosexuality was a congenital variation of sexuality and not a disease.

Nowadays many people in society identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender mostly  recognizing their sexual orientation/ gender identity by the age of 13 to 15 years are facing anti-LGBT beliefs of attitudes and behaviors  of public institutions ,  families,  schools and  social organizations, and if we want to tackle schools issues we find major problems related to bullying, depression, isolation and poor self-esteem among LGBT teens who are facing these challenges not at school only but at home and in society in general, all this and more is due to a non-existing strategic plan from government to raise awareness on social , personal and health education, and maybe come up with an advisory council on LGBT affairs on issues like cohabitation between persons of the same sex and finding a  framework to regulate it as a fundamental right, or putting measures addressing medical acts on sex change involving surgeries, hormone therapy and chemical injections, HIV/AIDS infection and criminal activities among youth rejected by society

A main question will still be asked: will you accept it if your kid or brother or any other member of the family is gay or lesbian or transgender? In a world where the majority of countries still punish for same sex sexual acts and conservative societies look at it as an evil influence from abroad?

This is a major issue that families and society are urged to deal with realistically away from any kind of intimidation or fear of what others might think or say, negative reactions can affect an LGBT adolescent ‘s mental health, marginalization must be replaced by acceptance, and government is obliged to safeguard human rights and freedom of expression and peaceful assembly no matter how straight or gay people are.

For those wondering what the LGBT rainbow flag means, pink is for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for the human spirit.

And finally Let’s be reminded by pope Francis words “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? “and let’s not forget that human life begins at conception and it is worthy of protection at all stages, it is never a Catholic thing or Christian or Jewish thing to address inequality problems, it is solely a human thing.