Every year, the month of June is celebrated as Pride Month to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities around the world. LGBTI communities everywhere come together to raise awareness about tolerance, diversity and inclusion as important steps towards equality. Pride is about being proud no matter who you love.
Although pride parades are a big feature of the celebrations, this year communities are planning to hold events virtually because of COVID-19.
UNAIDS is proud to be an ally of pride as we recognize the important contributions that LGBTI people make to communities everywhere.
Why the month of June?
Pride Month is celebrated in June to honour the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York, United States of America, which became a tipping point for the gay liberation movement in the country. June 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of annual LGBTI pride celebrations.
UNAIDS calls on governments to stop arbitrary and discriminatory arrests of LGBTI people and to protect their human rights
GENEVA, 15 May 2020— Ahead of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT), on 17 May, UNAIDS is calling on governments to immediately stop arbitrary and discriminatory arrests of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and to enact laws to protect their human rights.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been news reports of murders of transgender people in Puerto Rico, arrests of LGBTI people in Egypt, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda and increasing violence and abuse in Cameroon and the Republic of Korea.
“Arbitrary and discriminatory arrests and harassment of LGBTI people must stop,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. “The COVID-19 crisis has exposed and exacerbated the inequality, violence and abuse that LGBTI people face every day. We need to break the silence against these draconian laws, which only serve to further marginalize people,” she added.
RELATED STORIES
New videos highlight LGBTI issues in Brazil
Two new videos released ahead of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, celebrated on 17 May, highlight different aspects of what it means to be part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community in Brazil.
Let transgender people be in the picture
Relief work is not the Humsafar Trust’s specialty, but COVID-19 has changed that.
A few days after the lockdown measures in India went into effect, the Humsafar Trust’s teams received desperate calls from people with no place to live and no income, explained Vivek Anand, Chief Executive Officer of the Humsafar Trust, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people community-based nongovernmental organization based in Mumbai, India. An urgent team meeting was called to determine what to do. “After much back and forth evaluating needs, we agreed, “Let’s start with giving people food support,”” he said.
They pooled money together among themselves and bought food and other essentials.
UNAIDS and MPact are extremely concerned about reports that LGBTI people are being blamed and abused during the COVID-19 outbreak
GENEVA, 27 April 2020—UNAIDS and MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights are extremely concerned that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people are being singled out, blamed, abused, incarcerated and stigmatized as vectors of disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNAIDS and MPact are also deeply troubled that this discriminatory action is compounding the challenges that LGBTI people already face in accessing their rights, including safe and quality health services.
“HIV has taught us that violence, bullying and discrimination only serve to further marginalize the people most in need,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “All people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, are entitled to the right to health, safety and security, without exception. Respect and dignity are needed now more than ever before.”
“All people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, are entitled to the right to health, safety and security, without exception. Respect and dignity are needed now more than ever before," said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
Key statistics
- Globally, gay men and other men who have sex with men are 27 times greater risk to acquire HIV than the general population.
- It is estimated that gay men and other men who have sex with men accounted for 18% of new infections worldwide in 2017.
- Transgender women are 12 times more likely to acquire HIV than all adults of reproductive age.
- It is estimated that 0.1–1.1% of the global population is transgender, of which 16.5% of transgender women are living with HIV.
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Resources
AIDS & LGBT
MPACT – Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights
AMSHeR – African Men for Sexual Health and Rights
International Reference Group on Transgender Women and HIV
LGBTI
ILGA - The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association
GATE – Global Action for Trans* Equality
OII – Organization Intersex International
UNITED NATIONS
UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI)
EUROPEAN UNION
European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) - A long way to go for LGBTI equality
This report presents findings from FRA’s 2019 survey on LGBTI people in the EU, North Macedonia and Serbia. With almost 140,000 participants, it is the largest survey of its kind that has, for the first time, included intersex people and LGBTI people ages 15-17.