Press Release May 18, 2006
Stockholm – Demonstrations, musical performances, speeches and seminars took place in different cities and towns all over this Nordic nation on May 17th – IDAHO -- the International Day Against Homophobia – saluting the WHO decision to abolish the classification of homosexuality as a disease.
At a concert and seminar at a café gallery in the Swedish capital , a moment of silence was held in collaboration with IDAHO colleagues around the world to honor persecuted, harassed and murdered LGBT people over the centuries. The gathering was organized by the Nordic Homo Council, Tupilak (Nordic organization of lesbian & gay cultural workers) the ILGCN (International Lesbian & Gay Cultural Network) and Nordic Rainbow Humanists.
IDAHO Recognition, Nordic Rainbow Monuments?
The meeting also launched a campaign to ask all Nordic governments to follow the example set by Belgium and France to give official recognition to IDAHO and also to take steps to help create rainbow monuments in Nordic cities such as those already existing in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and elsewhere.
“I’m afraid our request to Nordic sections of Amnesty International to take the initiative to beef up support for LGBT issues world-wide did not succeed in ‘breaking this silence.’ Amnesty regards ‘rainbow work” as voluntary – and some groups such as in Russia and elsewhere ignore this while other human rights groups join the LGBT battles,” says Bill Schiller of the Nordic Homo Council. “We’ll keep on trying.”
At the IDAHO gatherings, Tupilak announced the winners of this year’s Golden Tupilak for outstanding international achievements going to the Palestinians and Israelis working together for Jerusalem World Pride in August and the internationally-minded Toronto Pride 2006. (IDAHO founder Louis-Georges Tin won the 2005 award).
Other Stockholm events included a demonstration in a downtown square and the Stockholm Gay Choir giving a musical salute to IDAHO from the stage.
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Principal supporters of the Nordic Homo Council:
