NATO will defend the rights of LGBTQ people, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced Friday.
He was among hundreds of Western public officials, institutions and organizations who made a statement confirming the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
“NATO exists to defend 32 nations and the right of our people to live in freedom and peace,” Stoltenberg posted on X, formerly Twitter. “On the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, and every day: all love is equal. LGBTQ+ people deserve respect and dignity, and I am proud to call myself your partner.”
#NATO exists to defend 32 nations, and our peoples’ right to live freely & in peace. On the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia, and every day: all love is equal. LGBTQ+ people deserve respect & dignity, and I am proud to call myself your ally. #IDAHOBIT
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) May 17, 2024
However, most responses to Stoltenberg’s posts were negative.
“And the relationship between the military mutual defense alliance and the rights of some minorities is…?” asked one
“You’ve made me support Russia more,” said another response, while another wondered if the Russians had somehow managed to hack Stoltenberg’s account.
Another social media user accused him of “smearing war crimes and warmongering,” using a term that describes individuals or organizations that espouse an LGBTQ agenda to distract from their bad behavior.
IDAHOBIT was born in 2004 and is a French gay activist. Organizations such as the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association (ILGA), the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the World Congress of LGBT Jews and the African LGBT Alliance approved the project, giving rise to the first ceremony. in 2005.
May 17 was chosen as the date to commemorate the removal of homosexuality from the international classification of diseases by the WHO in 1990.
“Transphobia” was added to the name in 2009, followed by “biphobia” in 2015, giving rise to the acronym in its current form.