History of IDAHO

Spearheaded by Fondation Émergence, and for the first time in the world, a theme-day set aside for the fight against homophobia was organised in Québec on June 4, 2003, and designated as the “National Day Against Homophobia” (see Archive). With the help of its partners, Fondation Émergence then strove to have this annual day take place on a pan-Canadian level. What’s more, countries such as Belgium, France and United-Kingdom caught on to the idea and set up similar events.

Towards an International Day

The next step left was to steer the initiative toward the international level. This effort was accomplished with the involvement of a number of countries who worked to spread the idea and who proposed that the 17th of May should become the World Day Against Homophobia or the International Day Against Homophobia, known by the abbreviation IDAHO.

Why the 17th of May?

The 17th of May is symbolic due to its significance in the improvement of the status of gays and lesbians. IDAHO proposed this date for annually holding a day set aside to fight homophobia. In removing homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses on the 17th of May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) put an end to over a century of homophobia in the medical field.