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Canadians celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

Canadians are celebrating inclusion and diversity on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

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The event was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

According to Dustyn Baulkham, President of the Okanagan Pride Society, days of this kind are important both locally and abroad.

"I think, with what's going on overseas right now in places like Chechnya, and discussions around gay concentration camps and them encouraging families to kill their own kids if they're gay, I think just shows how important a day like today is in bringing awareness to homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia,” said Baulkham. “And if I look at what discussions we've been having locally… while legally we all have the same rights, when you look at members of our bisexual community, there's still a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to that community.”

“It's important locally as well as abroad that we recognize these days and continue to move the discussion and the conversation forward so that hopefully sometime in the near future it's no longer necessary.”

May 17 is now recognized by more than 130 countries, including 37 where same-sex acts are illegal, with 1600 events reported from 1280 organizations in 2014.

Also speaking on the importance of the event was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who released a statement on the topic earlier this morning.

“No matter who we love or how we identify, all of us deserve to feel safe and secure, live free from discrimination and persecution, and express ourselves fully,” said Trudeau. “Today – and every day – I join Canadians to support gender expression, gender identity and sexual orientation rights for people in Canada and around the world, and to challenge stigma, violence, and prejudices wherever they occur.”

The day comes after it recently came to light that more rainbow crosswalks symbolizing support for diverse and inclusive communities will be expanding across the Okanagan.

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Below is an array of twitter posts from people across the world celebrating May 17th.



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