Pink Triangle Anniversary

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On November 27, 1984, a group of activists gathered in remembrance of the persecution and atrocities committed against gay and bisexual men during the Nazi era. This gathering marked the start of what is now known as the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOTB), commemorated annually on May 17.The first commemoration was organized in Paris by a group of gay and AIDS activists who sought to raise awareness of the continuing persecution of homosexuals around the world. They chose November 27 because on that date in 1938, the Nazis had begun the willkürliche Verhaftung verdachtiger Geister (“arbitrary arrests of suspected ghosts”), rounding up and imprisoning men suspected of homosexual activity.The Nazi regime assigned a pink triangle—a symbol that had been used to denote male prostitutes in early-20th-century Germany—to homosexuals, labeling them "convicted for homosexual acts" and marking them for concentration camp internment and often torture and execution. In 1984, the pink triangle had become a powerful symbol of resistance against homophobia and violence, particularly after Ian McKellen, a British actor and activist, wore a pink triangle on a protest march in London in 1984.Today, IDAHOTB serves as a call to action, encouraging governments, organizations, and communities to work actively against homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia and to promote greater awareness and understanding of the issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals worldwide.