The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) is held every year on 17th May as a day on which LGBT+ rights activists around the world come together to celebrate the community and challenge discrimination towards it.

One of the aims of IDAHOT is to provide a greater understanding of the discrimination faced by the LGBT+ community and to emphasise the importance of protecting the human rights of all people regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Today it is amazing to think that this day of action was only created after the World Health Organisation’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a ‘mental disorder’.

National and international-level events will take place today (Friday), and sports groups will be prominent in organising awareness-raising interventions. We take a look at some of the initiatives taking place across the world on LGBT+ rights today and throughout the year.

Since 2015 Fare has worked with Football vs. Homophobia on initiatives to address LGBT+ inclusion in football through the FvH Month of Action. This has included the awarding of 100+ small grants in over 30 countries.

In April a new LGBT+ group was set up to support our work, the group works directly with the team and reports into the Fare Board.

In Mexico City, Didesex football club works towards its three goals of "Diversidad, Deporte, Sexualidad" - diversity, sports and sexuality. The organisation fights for equality in Mexico through events, tournaments and initiatives and gets involved in mainstream events such as participation in the Homeless World Cup in 2018.

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In the US the New York Ramblers are known as the world's first organised, openly gay football club. They provide a safe space for gay men in USA to enjoy sport, meet and socialise.

El Centro para el Desarrollo y la Cooperación LGBTI - SOMOS CDC in Honduras participated in the Fare Global Grants scheme. They are a social inclusion group in Central America working for greater development and co-operation opportunities for LGBT+ groups in Honduras and wider Latin America, hosting meetings, chairing workshops and lobbying for greater prominence for issues like trans rights and sexual diversity.

In Turkey, Sportif Lezbon are an LGBT+ club using sport as a tool against discrimination. The Ankara-based group challenge sexism, homophobia and transphobia in Turkey, as well as opposing other acts of intolerance.

In the UK, Pride Sports has been a champion in the fight for LGBT+ equality in sports for many years, delivering fundamentally important work. Their aims are to challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in sport and improve access to sport for LGBT+ people. They also work for these goals through education, promoting good practice and through initiatives to actively grow LGBT+ participation and satisfaction in sport.

Out in Slovenia were recently nominated as part of the Fare20 grouping, they are an independent sports and recreational group for gays and lesbians in Slovenia, organising regular sports and recreational activities such as badminton, basketball, bowling, crossfit, volleyball and swimming.

In France there will be IDAHOT events taking place as part of the launch of the annual report on the state of LGBT+ phobias. This comes in the week where France's professional league announced a new four-point action plan to tackle homophobia in French football.

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Be inspired and take action

Conferences and international events help further the IDAHOT's focus on education and address the issues around LGBT-phobia in a larger scale, helping build coalitions and share best practice.

Tournaments, matches with discussions, workshops and roundtable events are just some of the initiatives that add depth to these gatherings, prompting important debates on critical and current issues.

The movement for equality continues every year on 17th May through IDAHOT, sport will remain at the centre of it.

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(C) St Pauli[/caption]