Blue Mountains News

The event will be held from 10am to 12pm in the Tibbi Whalan Hall, Katoomba Civic Centre, with speeches from Blue Mountains Mayor Cr Mark Greenhill and members of the Blue Mountains LGBTQIA+ community, stalls, morning tea and a chill out space.   
 
Blue Mountains City Council is one of the few Australian councils committed to flying the Pride flag annually on 17 May in support of IDAHOBIT and the LGBTQIA+ community more broadly.  
 
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said, “Council is proud to be an enthusiastic supporter of IDAHOBIT and we invite Blue Mountains members of the LGBTQIA+ community, their friends, family and allies to join us as we recognise how far we have come in the fight for equality and acknowledge the work still to be done.
 
“Flying the flag sends a strong message of the value and respect the Blue Mountains holds LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors in, and reinforces we will never tolerate acts of discrimination, hatred or intimidation in our community.
 
“The theme for IDAHOBIT 2025 is ‘The Power of Communities’. Community is one of the most valuable things we experience in life. Strong communities make us feel safe and included and creating vibrant community has immense social and cultural benefits for us all.
 
“The LGBTQIA+ community has changed the world in many ways; on a global scale they have achieved Marriage Equality in 38 countries while on an individual level many people found the connections and collective strength there to support them to live authentically and wholly themselves. Both are examples of powerful community-driven actions that create life-changing outcomes.”
 
Council’s IDAHOBIT event is organised in partnership with community members and MOCS Mountains Outreach Community Services, Blue Mountains Trans & Gender Diverse Social Group, Blue Mountains Women’s Health & Resource Centre, MYST Mountains Youth Services Team, Bent Art, ACON, Pick ‘n’ Mix Belong Blue Mountains and Springwood Neighbourhood Centre Cooperative.
 
Council has a strong history of supporting our local LGBTQIA+ community.
In addition to its annual IDAHOBIT activities, Council partners with a range of community groups to present cultural and social events across the LGA that champion the LGBTQIA+ community.

Council’s Gender Equity Strategy supports equal opportunities for all members of the community, including non-binary and transgender people, to live fulfilling lives and contribute equally at home, the workplace, in decision-making and wider. You can read the strategy at: bmcc.nsw.gov.au/gender-equity  
 
IDAHOBIT is celebrated internationally on 17 May, the anniversary of the World Health Organisation removing homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases in 1990.

IDAHOBIT free community event will be held 10am – 12pm, Saturday 17 May, in the Tibbi Whalan Hall, Katoomba Civic Centre, Katoomba.