Group graffiti to celebrate International Day Against LGBTphobia

Pintada de la bandera LGTBI a les escales de la Plaça Cívica

With the objective of celebrating International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on 17 May, the Community Involvement Unit and Observatory for Equality organised a group painting of thhe LGBT flag on the stairs of the Plaça Cívica.

17/05/2018

On 17 May some thirty students can together at the Plaça Cívica to paint the stairs the colour of the LGBT flag.

The event was followed by a speech by Sara Moreno, Vice Rector for Students and Employability, who spoke on “the need to continue advancing in many of the topics related to sexual and gender diversity, including sexual and gender identities and orientations”. She also spoke on the important this issue has for the university, and reminded the audience that last year's Festa Major was celebrated with the motto “No LGBTphobia at the UAB”. Vice Rector Moreno ended her speech by emphasising that "the UAB is 100% committed to fighting against any type of discrimination for reasons of sexual orientation or gender and this flag will always remind us of that”.

Joan Pereira, member of the Sin Vergüenza student association, was in charge of reading a manifest written by Judit Sánchez. Pereira spoke on the progress achieved in recent years, and also highlighted the importance to continue fighting to improve the lives of members of the LGBT community.

28 years since depathologisation and a long way ahead

On 17 May we commemorate the date on which the General Assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved the exclusion of homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). This way, what is simply a sexual orientation was no longer considered a mental disorder.

However, on this date we do not only assert the rights achieved thanks to the fight of the LGTB community, but also the long way still ahead, as transsexuality is still considered a mental disorder, gender disphoria.

It is also a day to condemn the attacks and discrimination the community still suffers every day. The Observatori Contra l’Homofòbia (Observatory against Homophobia) announced on 12 April a 32.2% increase in reported LGTB-phobic attacks since the previous year.

The fight to eradicate LGTB-phobia is present in many areas of society. Regarding universities, this month the “Guide for the inclusion of sexual and gender diversity at the Catalan universities” was presented. In addition, the UAB includes a "Protocol against sexual harassment and harassment based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression" since 2016.