The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia - 17 May, was established as such in 2004 to draw the attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

To mark IDAHOT 2021 in Albania, the action on “Promotion of Diversity and Equality in Albania” under the joint European Union and Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” programme and the Council of Europe Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) unit are supporting local organisations in Albania in the field of human rights for the launch of a series of awareness raising events under this year’s slogan “Together: Resisting, Supporting, Healing!”.

IDAHOT Week in Albania will be extended from 14 to 25 May through various visibility and awareness raising initiatives engaging LGBTI communities and supporters and aims to use this opportunity to involve the larger public through videos, performances, online campaigns and videos, photo exhibitions, podcasts and flash mobs.

Considering the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, Albanian LGBTIQ activists from Aleanca LGBT, Pro LGBT, Open Mind Spectrum Albania and Pink Embassy have prepared a series of combined online and on-site initiatives which are carefully designed to reach out to people and to inspire change that promotes the wellbeing of LGBTI persons around the world.

The main activities happening during 14 -25 May are as follows:

1. 14-17 May, at 19:30 - Theatre Monodrama “Bosh” (Empty); this theatre piece is the first queer theatrical play performed in Albania. It tells the story of a young gay guy who is taken to the hospital by his family to be cured of homosexuality. The play highlights all the struggle that LGBTI people face during their lives in society, schools and family. The theatre will be shown for 4 days.
2. 17 May, at 11:30 - A flash mob action will be organised in “Sheshi Nënë Tereza” where LGBTI activists and allies will open a big rainbow flag with the hashtag #Krenar (Proud).
3. 17 May - launch of Unique final viral video and drone of raising the flags in different castles landmark of Albania.
4. 18 May - Public promo of the Podcast “LGBTI rights in Albania”. The Podcast “LGBTI Rights in Albania” will be a spoken word digital audio file, video with LGBTI experts that a user can easily access online and download to a personal device for easy listening. In this podcast the experts in the field of human rights and members of LGBTI community have the opportunity to talk openly about the LGBTI rights. Comparing to the difficult reality in which LGBTI people live in Albania, this podcast will also reveal another side of their lives, the side of the success that many of the LGBTI persons have achieved in their lives.
5. 19 May, at 11:00 - Human Library: An event that will aim to build interaction among LGBTI people and broader society through storytelling. LGBTI community members will share their life experiences through storytelling with people who will be interested to select them as a book. The event will be organized at the park by lake.
6. 19-23 May - Photo exhibition at ZETA Gallery “Being Trans in Albania”. “Being Trans in Albania” will be an exhibition with photos taken with transgender people from their daily life. In this exhibition the trans people will appear dressed in the way they really feel by showing how transgender persons really want and dream to be and to live by being themselves. Comparing to the reality in which trans people live in Albania, this exhibition will also reveal another side of their lives, the difficulties they are facing in their life obligated to live hidden and being all the time in the conditions of survival in all aspects.
7. 20 May - Online Publication and distribution in hard copy of the Book “TELL IT OUT - parents of LGBTI+ in Europe”, translated in Albanian.