Today is the International day against homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). With such a catchy set of initials it is a wonder it has caught on. However the truths behind the array of initials are the struggle that some people face on a daily basis, as a result of actions and words used by other people. This should not be a difficult issue to fix, we should all accept that all of us are different from one another. If we criticise others for being different to us, we simply devalue everyone. We become a species headed towards self destruction.

There will be an event in Brighton at the New Steine Gardens, which seems much more appropriate than the events I have attended in previous years at the Old Steine. The event will be a great deal more intimate and probably with a bit less background noise too. I recall the Old Steine reverberating to the sound of an Army Tank traversing the area during the 2012 event which was particularly surreal as we stood in the cold rain, trying to keep our candles alight despite the wind.

Even if you don’t know anyone who is Homosexual, Bisexual or Transexual, if today all of us made an attempt to be nice to everyone we meet, we might have gone some way to counteract the impact of the prejudice that leads some of us to acknowledge IDAHOBIT every year.