International Day Against Homophobia Quotes: 10 Sayings To Commemorate This Date

Today is International Day Against Homophobia! This year marks the ninth annual International Day Against Homophobia. It is held in over 120 countries and has impacted millions of lives. This day is the largest LGBTI solidarity action in the world. Activists come together to address many issues that they face day to day as gender and sexual minorities, including violence, intimidation, discrimination and even death.

On this day brave and courageous advocates come together to stand for their rights. They express who they are, to say how they feel to demand fair and equal treatment under the law.

This day was created in 2004 and May 17^th was chosen to mark the day that the World Health Organization declassifies homosexuality as a mental disorder. Different ways people commemorate this day include giant marches and parades, community forums, conferences and public debates and random acts of solidarity to defend freedom of expression. Each year, this day has brought exceptional growth as more groups and individuals adapt. This year, the theme is “Free Expression.”

Here are some quotes and sayings to commemorate this date!

1. “What’s unnatural is homophobia. Homo sapiens is the only species in all of nature that responds with hate to homosexuality.” --Alex Sanchez

2. “The whole world goes on and on about love. Poets spend their lives writing about it. Everyone thinks it’s the most wonderful thing. But, when you mention two guys in love, they forget all that and freak out.” –Mark A. Roeder

3. “Marriage should be between a spouse and a spouse, not a gender and a gender.” –Hendrik Hertzberg

4. “Don’t hide behind the Constitution or the Bible. If you’re against gay marriage, just be honest, put a scarlet ‘H’ on your shirt, and say, ‘I’m a homophobe!” –Henry Rollins

5. “The only thing wrong with being gay is how some people treat you when they find out.” Robin Reardon

6. “Social conservatives seem to see a bigger threat to marriage from committed gay couples who want in on it than from straight ones who opt out of it.” –Margaret Talbot

7. “The sad truth about bigotry is that most bigots either don’t realize that they are bigots, or they convince themselves that their bigotry is perfectly justified.” –Wayne Gerard Trotman

8. “Your working assumption, when you meet a homophobe, should be that you are gay.” –Johann Hari

9. “Man cannot be homophobic without having concerned himself with another’s sex life.” –Mokokoma Mokhonoana

10. “Homophobia is the ignorant and arrogant assumption that copulation and reproduction is all there is to a relationship.” –Mokokoma Mokhonoana