Browsing Instagram, on the eve of May 17, International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, I found some friends indignantly sharing a terrifying photo. Two young men, presumably homosexuals about to be hanged by the Iranian government. The photo soon went viral, shared on stories and accounts from the LGBTQ+ news and community.

During the course of the day, the true context of the photo began to circulate. It was of an execution that had taken place 16 years ago, in Iran. At the time, a controversial execution involving the accused, minors, an unconfirmed rape conviction and some accusations of homophobia by the Iranian authorities. A case that to date remains unclear.

As soon as the true origin of the photo became known, many friends were relieved. It was in 2005, "we are not in those times anymore".

This May 17 marked the 31st anniversary of the removal of homosexuality as a mental illness by the World Health Organization. Three days earlier, on May 14, 2021, Alireza Monfared was murdered by his own family when they found out about his sexual orientation.

As I write this blog, many companies will be preparing social media posts, a rainbow version of their logo and some will even be preparing a Pride float in cities that are already vaccinated.

We celebrate 31 years of no longer being a mental illness. It may seem like a long time, but it's really not that long, it's barely half a generation, the year Madonna launched Vogue and the Hubble space telescope went into orbit. Come on, contemporary history.

More importantly, 31 years is an important figure of progress and struggle but one that applies based on your nationality, gender, race and socioeconomic status.

The echo chamber

And it's not that we want to be a gay Pride Grinch. Every battle won should be recognized, treasured and, of course, celebrated, but it is important to be aware that we cannot yet speak of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in the past, even if we live in countries where everything seems to be moving forward.

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Just as we have shared social media for much of the past 31 years, a phenomenon known in the communications industry as the echo chamber has grown.

As social network users and as people belonging to a social group (such as the LGBTQ+ community) our digital behavior is to follow accounts with similar tastes, media, influencers, etc. This, combined with social network algorithms, shows us a timeline only with things we want to see, interest us and reinforce our view of the world.

This digital environment is known as an echo chamber. A space designed to consume, generate and share a similar vision, completely leaving aside other points of view and even giving them the appearance of minorities or non-existent. This causes a comfort of thinking that everything is moving forward, even in those countries where the greatest privilege is concentrated.

The lottery of being born in certain countries or communities is also present within the LGBTQ+ community. Even within our digital echo chambers, there is exclusion to people who may not have access to the internet or a device to raise their voice. Many of the terrifying stories of homophobia come to light through mobile devices and internet connection. How many more stories have we missed because they have not been documented? Who are we excluding from the progress we have gained?

Pending battles

In the late 60's, in the United States, a conflict with the local police originated at the Stonewall Inn, a bar in New York where much of the gay nightlife of the time was concentrated. Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman, was one of those who initiated the protests after the confrontation, thus originating an unprecedented struggle in favor of the LGBTQ+ community.

A year after the incidents, the first march for the rights of the community was held in the United States. The rest is history, a small struggle escalated to more visibility in society, more protests and demands for rights, equality and respect. In the cradle of the movement, the black trans community in New York was present, and yet we are years behind in terms of the fight for their rights. We owe a historical debt to the trans community.

Currently, out of 193 UN member countries, in 28, same-sex couples can express their love and marry, while in 11, they must hide their preferences and identities to avoid a death sentence in their countries.

And for the trans community it is an even more critical reality. Considering that the average life expectancy of a woman in Latin America is 79 years, being a trans person costs half a life expectancy less: 35 years.

By the way of giving examples among the sub struggles within the LGBTQ+, this 2021 will be just two years since the WHO removed transsexuality from the list of mental illnesses, to place it as a condition of "gender incongruence" (yes, considering that there are still strictly the only two genders constructed by society and that there is a correct and " congruent " way to be a man or a woman).

Comparing the realities of a white gay man versus a black trans woman, it is inevitable to ask, then what good has it done for the WHO not to list us as a mental illness?

And while there may not be a clear answer, we believe it has served so that the privilege we have can be distributed and be a powerful tool to encourage the advancement of the LGBTQ+ struggle to all those societies that have not yet seen it and need it.

We have (outside and inside the LGBTQ+ collective) a responsibility to rethink our practices, our paradigms, to be able to identify machismo, misogyny in actions where we did not know we had them.There are pending battles for the racialized community, those who suffer because of their gender or their identity, battles that we can fight by removing prejudices and consuming content created by them to raise awareness on the matter.

Since the Stonewall incidents, within the LGBTQ+ acronym, the letter that has received the most weight is the one that represents the Gay community, where the effects of the struggle are materializing with greater notoriety. However, there is still a long way to go for the lesbian, trans and non-binary community.

This is combated by attacking prejudices and paradigms that have nothing to do with the community, they are in fact, things that are fucked with humanity.

Let's celebrate the visibility of the trans community in the media, in magazines, in the movies, but let's not neglect the trans community in our streets, in those countries without or with poor legislation to defend their rights.

LGBTQ+ or not, let's celebrate and be grateful for our privilege, let's use it to give platforms to others and make their voices heard. Let us also use our voice to demand the rights of those left behind. This is a collective struggle as human beings, for the dignity of all.

Let us break paradigms every day, hoping that our efforts will impact new generations and resonate for others in the distance.

In 31 years what do we in the LGBTQ+ community want to celebrate? What do we want to fight for?

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Do you want your team to feel safe, regardless of their gender identity or sexual preference? As part of The Failure Program, we have a variety of online courses, workshops and private events, plus a survey that will diagnose how you are managing difficult conversations, psychological safety and failure in your organization. Leave us your details and let's start collaborating to make failure work for you.

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Trans memory file 😉

Places of support for the trans community in México

Interactive map of LGBTIQ+ organizations in LATAM