International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

• newEditor
• Citizenship
• Sex and relationship education
• +1
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)
• BTEC, GCSE

Introductie

Welcome to this lesson on the Internation Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT). This lesson is very easy to customise, and has a range of activities intended to promote discussion and encourage inclusion and a positve learning environment.

Welcome to this lesson on IDAHOT, There are lots of activities here and they can also be modified for your learners and centre.

• To understand the origins of IDAHOT

• Evaluate the current global landscape of LGBTQ+ rights.

Learning Objectives

Learning objectives page.

May 17th was chosen because it was the day in 1990 that the World Health Organization (WHO) finally declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder.

A

True

B

False

A simple true or false starter.

Why is it significant that a medical organisation, rather than a political one, made this change?

An open question - could be set up in pairs or small groups to feed back.

Brazil/Argentina: Early adopters of gender identity lawsHigh rates of violence against trans individuals

USA - Shield Laws: Over 20 states now have "Shield" laws (2025/26) to protect those seeking gender-affirming care from out-of-state prosecution.

The "Bounty Hunter" Era: Kansas and Idaho (2026) are introducing laws that allow private citizens to sue individuals for using bathrooms or private facilities not aligned with their birth sex.

Legal milestone: Equal Marriage & Equality Act 2010

Ongoing challenges: Rise in hate crimes & "Conversion Therapy" debate

A 'Global Patchwork' - rights and challenges

Decriminalisation in nations like Mauritius (2023)60+ countries still criminalize same-sex acts

Georgia (Oct 2024) passed a "propaganda" law. Kazakhstan (2026) introduced similar online content bans.

In Russia, Activism is legally equivalent to terrorism.

The Impact: Simply owning a rainbow-themed book or posting an old photo from a rally can lead to years in prison.

South Korea (2025) officially counted same-sex couples in the national census for the first time.

Japan’s "Circuit Split": While 90% of the population lives in areas with partnership registries, the 2026 conservative leadership remains a hard barrier to federal marriage equality.

Australia's "Big Count": For the first time, the 2026 Census includes specific questions on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Healthcare Pivot: New Zealand's 2026 Judicial Review over restrictions on puberty blockers; Victoria (AU) became the first state to ban non-consensual intersex surgeries (Feb 2026).

This map has some hotspots about the progress of rights or lack of them.

There could have been many more hotspots, so feel free to either add more or duplicate the slide and include more that way.

The aim here was just to give an idea of progress vs regression globally.

The pyramid of hate - this sets up the next interactive slide.

Discuss how "just a joke" (the base of the pyramid) can create a culture where systemic violence (the top) becomes more likely.

This open question is designed to focus the discussion.

How does the UK Equality Act protect people in the workplace or at school?

Getting the learners to think about equality in their own spaces.

Does corporate support (like 'Pride logos') actually help the cause, or is it just 'Pinkwashing'?

1

Yes

2

No

3

Not sure

This can be used to spark a debate. If you are concerned the 'not sure' option may lead to too many non-committal answers, feel free to remove it!

Spinner is included if you wish to use it for feedback.

In small groups, list three actions your school, college, or community can take to combat phobia and promote inclusion.

This could be run as group or pair work.

Fill in the blanks

1. The acronym IDAHOT stands for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia.

2. The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental diseases in the year 1990.

3. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 is the primary legislation that protects individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

4. When a company supports LGBTQ+ causes during Pride month but doesn't have inclusive internal policies, it is often criticized as Pinkwashing.

5. Currently, there are over 60 countries worldwide where same-sex relationships remain illegal, with some carrying the death penalty.

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia

1990

Equality Act 2010

Pinkwashing

over 60

International Day Activitating Happiness Overcoming Threats

2000

Welfare State

Pinkyphony

less than 60

A fill in the blanks on key facts from the lesson. If the distractors are too easy you can easily add more or change them!

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