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In this episode of "Let's Be Perfectly Queer," we delve into the significance of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). We'll explore its history and its profound connection to the LGBTQIA community, including why the May 17th date is so significant
Despite the strides we've made, discrimination and violence against our community persist. Instances of police violence, non-consensual medical procedures, and the lack of LGBTQIA+ inclusion in government research highlight the ongoing challenges we face.
It's crucial for us to educate ourselves on diversity, discrimination, and the creation of safe spaces. There are actionable steps we can take to support our community, such as wearing pride pins, advocating for LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in our workplaces, and supporting queer artists and businesses.
Promoting awareness and inclusivity is essential in helping individuals struggling with their identity feel safe and accepted. Let's come together to celebrate IDAHOBIT, share our experiences, and contribute to the collective effort of building a world free from discrimination.
If you have found anything we have spoken about in this episode difficult or triggering, you can reach out to the following services:
Phone:
- Lifeline is available 24/7 – 13 11 14
- Beyondblue is available 24/7 - 1300 224 636
- Crisis Care Helpline is available 24/7 – 1800 199 008
- Kids Helpline is available 24/7 – 1800 55 1800
- RUAH Community Services is available 24/7 - 13 78 24
Online:
- Head to health online chat - headtohealth.gov.au
- RUAH Community Services - ruah.org.au or connect@ruah.org.au
Send us through your stories and experiences at letsbeperfectlyqueerpod@gmail.com
Links we found useful when researching for this episode:
https://www.outinperth.com/channel-7s-spotlight-set-to-run-story-on-detransitioning/
Podcast: Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast
Episode Title: What Is IDAHOBIT?
Host(s): Archie, Katie
Guest(s):
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Archie (Host) | 00:00:00 to 00:00:10
Welcome to let's be perfectly queer, a. Queer podcast, creating space to talk about all things queer. My name is Archie. And I'm Katie. And we are your hosts.
Archie (Host) | 00:00:10 to 00:00:19
Alright, what's our topic? Oh, so today we're talking about Ida Hobbit. What does Ida Hobbit stand for? That's a great question. What does Ida Hobbit stand for?
Archie (Host) | 00:00:19 to 00:00:29
International Day against homophobia, biphobia, intersex phobia and transphobia. Do you know what date it is? May 17. Oh, very good. Do you know why it's on May 17?
Archie (Host) | 00:00:30 to 00:00:39
I did, and now I forgot because I have looked this up before. Can't remember off the top of my head, though. Do you want to guess? Give me a clue. It was associated with the World Health Organisation.
Archie (Host) | 00:00:40 to 00:00:49
Oh. It was the day when being queer was no longer a mental. What was it like? Was no longer a. You're going down the ride.
Archie (Host) | 00:00:49 to 00:00:58
A mental disorder. I'm gonna save you. Yeah, it was something like that. I know that was. It was the day when the International World Health Organisation took it off as.
Archie (Host) | 00:00:58 to 00:01:08
Off something as no longer being. Yeah, yeah. I can't remember what it was. That's exactly right. So they removed homosexuality from being part of the classification of diseases.
Archie (Host) | 00:01:08 to 00:01:10
That's it. It was close. I was close. Yeah. Yeah.
Katie (Host) | 00:01:10 to 00:01:22
So that happened on the 17 May 1990. So that was 34. 33 years ago? Yes, to this date. So this is why we still celebrate, because it's.
Katie (Host) | 00:01:22 to 00:01:40
If you think about it, 33 years ago is such a short period of time in the whole history of. It's younger than me. I know it's the same age as me, funnily enough. So why do you think that we need to still celebrate this day, then? Why do I think?
Archie (Host) | 00:01:40 to 00:02:19
Yeah, because we still have so much discrimination and I think the damage has been done by the World Health Organisation classifying being queer or being any, like, you know, lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, you know, everything under the umbrella by them saying that it's in a disorder, it has done irreparable damage. And so we're still fixing that damage. And so by recognising that day, people can be like, why is it on May 17, like, actually, this is why. And we need to get rid of that stigma and continue to fight for equality and to fight against discrimination. Yeah, you're exactly right.
Katie (Host) | 00:02:19 to 00:02:37
That's so true. So the actual aim. So if you go on the idahobit.org au, because it's been embraced by the organisation -18 and I think it's actually been championed for the last ten years by them. So they actually hold a website on it. So how exactly how you've said.
Katie (Host) | 00:02:37 to 00:03:12
They say they aim to raise awareness for the worker head to end discrimination. So it's for the future. Knowing and having the awareness that we still have so much work that we need to do within the space, within gender, sexuality discrimination. Just being who I am, I see other trans people and I see the way people talk about queer people and the discrimination that we still get today and just have a look at America and what's happening there and it's starting to creep into Australia. Agreed.
Archie (Host) | 00:03:12 to 00:03:37
So it's just something that we need to be aware of. You know, if you are an ally listening, make sure that you're checking in on your queer friends and seeing if they're okay, especially coming up to May 17. And we're going to get this episode out before then. So make sure you're celebrating at Wear rainbow to show people that you are a safe person for them and that you are fighting and championing for the end to discrimination. Yeah, yeah, completely agree.
Katie (Host) | 00:03:37 to 00:04:20
So I just wanted to run a little bit through the history of why Ida Hobbit was kind of developed and the history behind it, just because it's something that, even though we've all had awareness for such a long period of time, I think that the actual day and it coming around has such significant importance, even though it's associated with something that's. I feel both positive and negative, that it took so long for people to take it off the classification of diseases in 1990. Yes. But the rallies that have happened along the way that have led to this are so significant as well. So just running through the things that have happened in the past prior to Iber.
Katie (Host) | 00:04:20 to 00:04:26
Iba Hobbit, as well as post. Iba hobbit. Ida hobbit. Ida. Thank you, Iba.
Archie (Host) | 00:04:26 to 00:04:35
Yeah. How was that Iba Hobbit anyway? I think you were getting a bit mistaken with the Hobbits and what you. Called the Hobbits to Isengard. The what?
Katie (Host) | 00:04:35 to 00:04:53
No, you would never get the reference. I didn't like all the rings. I fell asleep. Anyway, so the things that were previous to Ida Hobbit coming along, you had the first Mardi Gras pride that happened in Sydney in 1978. Yep.
Katie (Host) | 00:04:53 to 00:05:05
And that still faced police violence? Yes. So that was prior to Ida Hobbit starting. Very important, because the amount of police brutality at the first pride was very significant. Yes.
Katie (Host) | 00:05:05 to 00:05:24
Then you had, in 1997, it was seven years post being taken off the World Health Organisation as a classification for diseases. It only got decriminalised. So homosexuality only got decriminalised in Tasmania in 1997. Yes. Which means you could still go to.
Katie (Host) | 00:05:25 to 00:05:35
To prison for it, which is crazy. So when people say, oh, what are you still fighting for? That wasn't that long ago. No, it really wasn't, was it? And then if you look at marriage equality.
Katie (Host) | 00:05:35 to 00:06:05
So the plebiscite in 2017, even though we now have marriage equality, the statistics on that showed that 38.4% of Australians voted against it, which is massive. And it shows that, you know, it's still very scary to be queer in Australia, and that was only seven years ago. That's not long ago at all. Not at all. And so it'd be interesting, especially with the increase of what's happening in America, has that number increased or has it decreased?
Archie (Host) | 00:06:05 to 00:06:22
That'd be really interesting to look at. Well, looking at some of the statistics as well, which I found really interesting, is that 68% of LGBTQIA employees are not fully out at work, even at the moment. That's massive. Did I say 86? You said 68.
Katie (Host) | 00:06:22 to 00:06:51
Thank you. I was like, I don't know how I said this. So 68% is greater than half of all employees not feeling like they're safe to be out at work or having some significant realisation why they should not be out. And majority of the time, it's fear of discrimination that they're not going to get treated fairly based on their sexual orientation, which is ridiculous. They are still the same person, but they're too scared to come out completely also.
Katie (Host) | 00:06:51 to 00:07:09
So two in three LGBTQIa youth experience abuse due to their identity. And that's bad. That's crazy. It's insane. 35% of LGBTqia plus Australians face verbal abuse within a year.
Archie (Host) | 00:07:09 to 00:07:20
Oh, yeah. Like I've mentioned on previous episodes, gay is back with a vengeance. I've never heard it this bad in the last. Well, how long? I've been a teacher.
Archie (Host) | 00:07:20 to 00:07:33
Six years. This year is terrible. With young kids, specifically twelve year olds. I've never heard it so bad from a group of twelve year olds before. That's year sevens.
Archie (Host) | 00:07:33 to 00:08:14
Yeah, it's terrible. And it's those kind of things, those little things that lead to larger cases of homophobia or larger cases of transphobia, or even just people having thoughts and acting against the LGBTQIA community, whether that be just small things leading to lack of inclusivity, to verbal abuse, to physical abuse, to actually acts of terrorism that we see, to actually murdering people. It's horrible. It's. The violence against LGBTQ students has increased drastically in the last few years.
Katie (Host) | 00:08:14 to 00:08:39
Well, I've got a couple of things that why it's still important in Australia for us to be going towards and having these kind of days to support the queer community and above. So we still have religious organisations that discriminate against the LGBTQIA individuals within Australia. Yep. Intersex people still undergo non consensual medical procedures. Yep.
Katie (Host) | 00:08:39 to 00:09:02
LGBTQIA inclusion in government research remains inadequate, and trans and gender diverse people face barriers in updating legal documentation, which we. Were just saying, you know what I find interesting as a queer person? I've never been asked to do an australian survey about being queer. So I'm like, where do they get all these statistics? I've been out in queer from, like, early twenties.
Archie (Host) | 00:09:02 to 00:09:09
Right. And I've never once been asked to do a survey. Yeah, well, except the, you know, the. What's it. The census?
Archie (Host) | 00:09:09 to 00:09:38
But there's not enough. I think the census, it needs to be better and better cater for the wide breadth of Australians that we do have. I don't think it really adequately captures who we are. And I'm not just saying us as an, you know, queer, LGBTQIA individuals, but as people who are from different countries and different backgrounds and that kind of thing. I just don't think the census is good enough to capture the real picture of who Australia is.
Katie (Host) | 00:09:38 to 00:10:09
Yeah, I agree with you. I totally agree with you. I actually looked into that recently to try and figure out what kind of statistics we actually have based on people within our community, and I found that they have changed or started looking into diversity within the census for the queer community back in 2022, and they're trying to be more inclusive with their questioning to gather more data that's appropriate, that, because if you're not asking the right questions, you won't get appropriate data. You can just ask questions, but if it's not going to give you data, what's the point? Yeah, very true.
Katie (Host) | 00:10:10 to 00:10:31
So what can we do on Idahobit? What can we do on Idaho? There's so many different things you can do. You can go to one of the many Idaho Hobbit events that will be happening around Perth. You can wear, if you're not comfortable wearing something that's super colourful, you can maybe wear a pride pin, or you can wear purple as well, because even though, you know, because you've got.
Archie (Host) | 00:10:31 to 00:10:54
We're at Purple Day, so people still associate that if you want to do it a bit more subtly, but just add rainbow to your outfit is a great way to show people that you are a safe person. Creating a safe space. Exactly. There's a couple of things that I definitely think if you're going to do it any day, do it on Idahobit. So educating yourself.
Katie (Host) | 00:10:54 to 00:11:37
Yes, I think that's a great idea. And that's not just educating yourself on diversity or what is being part of the queer community, it's also about the discrimination, it's about the history within queer. But then it also is educating yourself on how you can actually create those safe spaces. And like you said, either creating a pin, even working as an organisation, like we all work generally having inclusion policies or having educational sessions that you can at work, or just having, like celebrating this day and showing that you've got a supportive work environment. Because it's not just.
Katie (Host) | 00:11:37 to 00:11:49
It kind of follows on from there. Like, if you're not discriminating against people as a general, then you're supporting your workforce. Yeah. This does work in work practises as well as just in your personal life. Yes.
Katie (Host) | 00:11:50 to 00:12:09
And it can be as simple. Like you said, a pin. Or you can like something on social media or share something on social media. Maybe bring skittles to work and everybody has skittles and rainbows. What you can also do is listen to queer artists, you can listen to queer podcasts, you can buy from queer organisations and small businesses.
Archie (Host) | 00:12:09 to 00:12:29
Just doing your part doesn't have to be big, it can be something small. It's just power in numbers. The more people who do it, the more that will make change. Exactly. And it's not just for people part of the queer community, it's a part of allies, it's for everybody just showing that they are here to fight discrimination.
Archie (Host) | 00:12:29 to 00:12:52
Exactly. That simple. Yeah. And just think by you doing something small actually might create a training reaction and might actually show somebody else that you're safe, you're somebody who supports them, you love them. Also, you never know who in your workplace, in your family, in your friends who may be fighting with who they are.
Archie (Host) | 00:12:52 to 00:13:01
And by you doing something small like this, they know that you're a safe person to come to. Yeah, totally. Something very small. And it will make a massive difference. Yeah, it will.
Archie (Host) | 00:13:01 to 00:13:16
So why don't you, in the comments, let us know what you're doing to celebrate Idaho. Yeah, yeah. Share your fun things, your experiences. Even share some events that you want people to come along to in the comments. What are you doing?
Archie (Host) | 00:13:16 to 00:13:27
And maybe other people can find events that they can go down to. Yeah, totally. Yeah. I loved this idea. Let's create a world without discrimination, peace and love.
Archie (Host) | 00:13:28 to 00:13:35
If only is that easy. I know, right? If only. Well, I guess that's been our episode. Thanks for listening along.
Archie (Host) | 00:13:35 to 00:13:41
Really appreciate it. And thank you for sticking along with us when we've been a bit inconsistent. We said that last time. We'll get better. We'll get better.
Archie (Host) | 00:13:42 to 00:13:50
We promise. I make no promises. I am my authentic self. You take me as I come, and I take you as you come, and we all share our love. Okay?
Katie (Host) | 00:13:51 to 00:14:02
Thanks for listening. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. If you love this episode or if you liked this episode, or even if. You didn't like this episode, give us. A five star, because then we're gonna stick around.
Katie (Host) | 00:14:03 to 00:14:11
Exactly. And you can hate on us for longer or love us for longer. And it is what it is. All right, so until next time, I hope that we have been perfectly queer.
