Leading LGBTI organization, Rainbow Community Kampuchea-rock (RoCK) created the DoFR. In 2014, RoCK became Cambodia’s first registered LGBTI non-government organization. RoCK has helped introduce the DoFR 50 communes in 15 provinces around Cambodia.

Student organizations from several other public schools have initiated similar projects in concert with BDFZ. Campaign organizers say that 10 percent of the revenue will be donated to the Beijing LGBT Center, a charity organization that provides mental health consulting, HIV screening, and legal services to LGBT people in the Beijing area.

Also inspired by BDFZ’s campaign, Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University (北师大实验中学, also known as SDSZ) launched a similar not-for-profit t-shirt sale. “No More Homophobia” is the campaign’s name. They received 200 pre-orders within a day.

A member of a Guangzhou-based LGBT rights organization said that their event scheduled on the International Day against Homophobia, which falls on May 17, was considered an “illegal gathering” and was canceled by the local public security and cultural bureau.

An event scheduled on May 17 by another Shanghai-based LGBT rights organization was also stopped, and the related department gathered the information of participants to make sure “no one will do something” on that day.

The Hong Kong LGBT+ Inclusion Awards are the first annual awards honouring and celebrating LGBT+ inclusion in Hong Kong. Community Business introduced several new award categories in 2018, bringing the total this year to 12. The award nominations were assessed based on the extent to which they are strategic, proactive, impactful and sustainable in order to recognise a public figure who has used their influence to promote LGBT+ inclusion in Hong Kong.

Kerala has been a model for the rest of the country in many aspects, and should lead the way in empowerment of sexual and gender minorities. The State recently witnessed a marriage between a transman and a transwoman. The Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority (KSLMA) had set up a continuous education programme for transgenders. The government had recommended setting up a cooperative society for transgenders. It was also making efforts to identify new job avenues for the transgender people.

The event began with welcoming the audience and the chief guests and giving a brief introduction about them and their individual contribution towards IDAHOT. It was followed by Ardhnarshewar Dance performance by Ritwik, an activist of the LGBTIQ Community. Later, a panel discussion by Deepak Kabir, Payal and Sadaf Jafer had everyone glued on their seats. Several short films made by Darvesh on the community were also screened at the event.

The event concluded on a high note with an alluring kathak ballet presented by a group of dancers followed by a ramp walk by the members of LGBTIQ community who put their most fashionable foot forward.

6Rang’s (Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network’s) findings, published on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), show that the use of reparative therapies such as electric shock therapy to hands and genitalia, prescribing psychoactive medication, hypnosis, [coercive] masturbation to pictures of the opposite sex, etc., on gay and lesbian individuals has continually increased. According to international [human rights] law, the use of medicinal or medical methods to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity constitutes torture.

Another initiative under the name of “Beirut Pride” which provides a platform for variety of events celebrating pride was supposed to run from May 12 to 20 in the program of IDAHOT 2018. However, the director of Beirut Pride Week was arrested on the evening of Monday 14 May following complaints from critics. He was subsequently interrogated for allegedly “encouraging debauchery and offending public decency”.

In Mandalay city, local LGBT organizations such as C.A.N-Myanmar, Bright Pride Myanmar Lesbian organization, TRY(CBO) in coordination with other HIV-prevention organizations gathered to host an IDAHOT event in Hotel Marvel with “PFLAG-Myanmar Theme”(Parents, Friends and Families of LGBTIQAs) in which outstanding persons for LGBTIQA movement in Myanmar since its first initiation up until the following year 2018, counting about (10) years, were acknowledged and honored by the newly founded “Myanmar LGBITQAs Awards Nomination Committee”.

Similar IDAHOTB events are held in Pakokku, Shwe-Bo, Pathein and Taunggyi townships respectively.

Miss Pink beauty pageant initially took place in 2004 to promote safe sex practices such as using condom and lubricants. Over the years, the event has grown into an opportunity for LGBTI people to show their hidden talents, and to show society that they are equal and they have equal human rights. The pageant has touched many lives and has inspired many transgender women in Nepal.

Moreover, travel and trekking agencies in Nepal organized rafting adventurous event for LGBTI people to show their alliance for solidarity. They are committed to equal employment opportunity to LGBTI individuals in the fields of trekking guide, rafting guide, canoeing guide, and kayaking guide. In the future, the agencies will involve them in hotels and restaurants industry as well. They will train the interested candidates for the chosen activities and prepare them to acquire the respective license. They agreed to share 15% of the total transaction involving the LGBTI guests with BDS to show their Corporate Social Responsibility.

As a part of the celebration for the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, Naz Pakisan organised a dinner to congratulate the recent passing of the highly progressive Act. The event was attended by LGBT community and allies, transgender activists, feminist organizers, and others, marking the day as an important milestone in the transgender rights movement in Pakistan, and signaling the potential for emergence of a new era of acceptance and empowerment of queer communities.

The proposed agenda included showing documentaries, playing trans animated videos, sharing stories, open mic and Q/A session. The discussion concluded that we never had only one characteristic by which we self-identified, or by which others identified us. We had multiple identities by which society recognized us, as well as how we identified ourselves – be it real or perceived – our race, our gender, our ethnicity, our “SOGI”, and many more.

This is where the theme of IDAHOT 2018 came in: the shared exclusion helped us understand that we needed to have one another’s back – through creating powerful alliances.

“Even though our society is becoming more open [to gender and sexual diversity], but the right of two people [of the same sex] who want to live together as a family is not yet recognized. I have no problem accepting the law, and I am ready to push for it,” said Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party.

“Thai people are very tolerant of sexual diversity. It’s time to review the laws blocking fundamental rights and equality for all. Today is the day to end hatred for same sex couples. I strongly support the idea,” said Korn Chatikavanij, Chairman of the Democrat Party.

On the day, panel discussions, workshops and performances by members of the LGBTI communities and partner organisations were held alongside the exhibition’s launch at the museum in the afternoon.

There was a common impression that Taiwanese society had been changing dramatically over the last 20 years on gender and sexual diversity issues, the LGBTI movement had been flourishing, and LGBTI people had more room to be themselves. However, this campaign had exposed the darker side through dialogues between family members. Religious groups had been well-endowed with resources to campaign against LGBTI people and deepen stigma against the community.