Celebrate and honour the diversity of LGBTQ+ families across the globe with the 13th annual International Family Equality Day (IFED).
On May 5, LGBTQ+ people and their families and friends will get together across the globe to celebrate the 13th annual IFED – an awareness day that highlights family diversity and advocates for equality for everyone. This year’s motto, We Are Family, aims to honour all families regardless of how they are created.
“We all belong to a family,” says IFED Co-President Benny Odongo (Kenya). “And while not all families are the same, what matters is that we are part of and contribute to one. Therefore, even if it can’t be written in official documents, even when the laws ignore or discriminate us, even if somebody says we shouldn’t exist, all families are families worthy and deserving of recognition and protection. This is the message we will be getting across with this year’s IFED.”
According to IFED Co-President Matcha Phorn-In (Thailand), it’s clear that it’s love that forms a family, that the definition of marriage as union between one man and one woman must be challenged, and that the right to parent children and co-adoption must be granted regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics.
“That’s what this year’s IFED motto is all about,” says Phorn-In. “With Thailand being right on its way to becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to pass a bill legalising marriage for LGBTQ+ couples, this year’s motto has an extra special meaning.”
“All families, including LGBTQ+ families, deserve to be celebrated and protected,” added Tonya Agnew (United States), IFED board member and Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Family Equality, the leading organisation that works for LGBTQ+ families in the US. “Family is the ultimate uniter. Regardless of a person’s background or political views, each of us knows what it means to be part of a family. We all want to be loved, supported, and to feel like we belong. That is what is means to be a family. IFED is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ families around the globe to be recognised and celebrated.”
Since its beginnings in 2012, IFED has grown into a world-wide movement. Last year, the event was commemorated in 258 cities in 78 countries – another record!
“It is truly humbling, and inspiring to see the IFED family grow the way it does,” says IFED-founder Maria von Känel. “To see all these people coming together, spreading joy, supporting one another, and standing up for what’s needed most in this world – love and respect for the human condition, which is diverse and colourful. I’m beyond excited to celebrate again this year and to watch all these brave, wonderful people setting an example by cherishing and supporting the ones they love. To me, that’s IFED and I invite people from around the globe to join the IFED family and help change the world!”
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