The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has released a new and compelling two-minute video/public service announcement (PSA) highlighting the impact of homophobic and transphobic violence and discrimination worldwide.
The PSA, called “The Riddle”, features voices of people of diverse backgrounds, and identities, and cameo appearances by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the High Commissioner. Intended to help raise awareness, the message is pitched primarily at a general audience, including those who have perhaps not given these issues much thought before.
By releasing this PSA in time for the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO, held on May 17), the OHCHR hopes to provide UN colleagues, civil society activists and others with a useful advocacy tool for use at events planned on 17 May and beyond.
IDAHO is an annual effort to coordinate international events to call for respect for LGBTs worldwide. The day also marks when homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 17, 1990.
“The Riddle” video is eyed for sharing via social media, with the OHCHR encouraging the broad dissemination of the same.
The PSA is recorded in English; closed captioning is now being added in English, Spanish and French and should be available by clicking the small, square “CC” button in the bottom of the YouTube screen and selecting language. The Russian and Arabic closed captioning should also be added in the coming days.
