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We need to stay committed to bringing about a region that is free from discrimination and violence and one in which people are free to love and be who they really are.

That’s the message from Pacific Sexual and Gender Diversity Network Chief Executive Officer Isikeli Vulavou as we mark the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT) today.

IDAHOT is marked annually on May 17—the day marks the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1990. The theme for this year is “Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights” – focusing on LGBTQI people claiming their rights to live their sexualities and to express their gender freely, but also demanding to be free from physical violence, conversion or correction “therapies”, forced sterilization, hate crime, bullying, and rejection at all levels.

Vulavou says the day is an important calendar event for LGBTQI activists in Fiji and the region, as well as globally to draw attention to the ongoing violence, discrimination, stigma, and polarization faced by people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and sex characteristics.