Hi, I'm Skye, your Vice President Welfare and, in honour of IDAHOBIT 2023, I thought I'd write a little article to tackle some of the questions people might have about it.
IDAHOBIT is also known as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. We know it can be a difficult topic but let’s talk about it.
Unfortunately homophobic bullying is still a very present issue and homophobic language can sometimes feel completely normal. However, homophobia will never be acceptable.
So what is homophobia, biphobia and transphobia? The short answer is it’s a fear, prejudice or hatred aimed towards people a part of the LGBTQ+ community or those perceived as.
A lot of the time people are homophobic because of the environment they were raised in and a lot of the time it comes from a place of not knowing and ignorance. But that’s totally okay because we're here to help!
So let's break down some frequently asked questions!
First off, what does LGBTQIA+ even mean?!
L - lesbian, a person who identifies as a woman who is attracted to other people who identify as women.
G - gay, a person who identifies as male who is attracted to other people who identify as male.
B - bisexual, a person who is attracted to people who identify as male or female.
T - transgender, a person who is biologically born as one gender but identifies and represents themself as another.
Q - queer, an umbrella term for people who identify as not heterosexual or cis gendered (a term to describe people who identify with the sex they were born with)
I - intersex, someone who is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy doesn’t fit the boxes of male and female.
A - asexual, a person who doesn’t feel sexual attraction or very little sexual attraction to anyone.
How do I know if something is homophobic?
Ask! It's that simple: ask a friend, ask a colleague, ask google, ask us! The only way you can learn is to ask questions. We are here to support you and nothing is a silly question so come have a chat! The only thing we would recommend is check in with your friends comfortability to answer questions and respect whatever they say.
How do I ask someone's pronouns?
Pronoun check ins! For example "Hi I’m ECSA my pronouns are they/them what’s yours?" Or "I realised I don’t know everyone's pronouns. Mine are they/them." If you offer yours first, it creates a safe place and open environment and if someone gets upset then that’s a them issue.
Overall as long as you’re willing to learn and as long as you ask nicely, nobody is going to get angry at you! And whether it is IDAHOBIT day or not, remember homophobia is never acceptable and make sure to always educate and call it out!