Marking International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

It’s a day that highlights how far we have travelled, as a community, whilst showing us just how much more is still to be done.

This annual date was chosen as it marks the date that the World Health Organisation released ICD-10 (the International Classification of Diseases: Version 10). Previous iterations had classified homosexuality as a ‘mental disorder’.

We have come a long way in recognising the legitimacy of LGBT+ relationships over the last 30 years. But, sadly, this is far from the full story.

The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual: Mental Disorders, of the American Psychiatric Association) would list transgender as a ‘sexual disorder’ of the individual until version 5 (2013). It took until May 25, 2019, before ICD-11 would completely remove transgender from its classification as a ‘psychiatric condition’.

We still have much to campaign for, and we do it in strength and solidarity as a community. The need to stand firm against discrimination around sexuality and gender, having a clear voice against hate, has never been more necessary.