A poem for IDOHAR

LGBT Poet Laureate Trudy Howson has written a poem to mark the 8th International Day of Hope and Remembrance for those affected by Hate Crime #IDOHAR

The first #IDOHAR took place on the 30th October 2009 after the death of Ian Baynham, over 10,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square to say No Place For Hate in our communities.

Sandy Toskvig stood up on stage and said “Tonight we stand up for Ian, Tonight we stand up for the first International Day of Hope and Remembrance for all those affected by hate crime” – and #IDOHAR was born.

#IDOHAR takes place at the end of National Hate Crime Awareness Week #NHCAW and is usually marked by Candle-lit vigils against Hate.

#IDOHAR by Trudy Howson

Now is the time to remember.

To remember the beauty and innocence of love,

To remember to nurture and protect it.

Now is not the time for silence.

For sitting on the fence, being invisible.

Remember, we deserve to love and be loved.

It’s time to stand up for justice.

Shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, heart to heart.

For our community and ourselves.

Remembering those brothers and sisters,

Whose senseless torture and killing, pushed us past

The acceptance of hate crime against us.

Let us not continue to be beaten.

Verbally abused, discriminated against, or murdered

Because of the special love we share.

Now is the time to remember

That we can address prejudice, bullying and hatred.

That we can make a real difference

Let us not forget that love.

Nourishes and restores us, makes us strong,

That our love will triumph over hatred.

 

For more information about the LGBT Poet Laureate;

http://www.lgbtpoetlaureate.org.uk/

Register #NHCAW and #IDOHAR events here