GREATER Manchester’s LGBT Foundation is hosting a community event at its building in Richmond Street to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on Wednesday 17 May from 5.45 – 7pm.

This is an opportunity for the people across the city region to come together to support the LGBT community and to remember those who have been the victims of hate crime.

This year’s theme is family and a variety of speakers will be sharing their experiences. The gathering will look back at the past year and highlight the importance of supporting LGBT family members, particularly in light of recent events.

It will feature members of Greater Manchester’s diverse LGBT family sharing their experiences, and include performances from local communities and artists and culminate in a minute of noise against LGBT Hate Crime.

Confirmed speakers and performers will include Prossy Kakooza, co-founder of Lesbian Immigration Support group (LISG), Young Identity Poetry Collective, musicians and performers from Manchester College, Village favourites Belinda Scandal and Dick Slick and Smyth Harper, Chair of LGBT Foundation. The event will also feature an outside exhibition focusing on members of Greater Manchester’s LGBT refugee/asylum community.

Paul Martin OBE, Chief Executive of LGBT Foundation, who will also be speaking at the event, said: “IDAHOBIT is an important date in the LGBT calendar. It is an opportunity for members of our diverse community to come together to reflect and to remember those who have been victims of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.

“Family is the theme for this year, and in light of the events of the past twelve months, including the attack on Orlando and the recent events in Chechnya, it is even more important that we come together as a family to take a stand against hate.”

Groups and organisations are also welcome to attend as a show of solidarity with the community. For further information, join the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1818338261814787/or tweet us @LGBTfdn using #IDAHOBIT2017.