Focused on raising awareness about the discrimination still facing the global queer community, IDAHOBIT works to identify ways the community can be more welcoming and supportive of difference.

For Trans and Gender Diverse Bendigo and Beyond president Zara Jones IDAHOBIT is a chance to reflect on the challenges she has faced while she transitions.

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"I guess my perceived fear has not been realised," Zara said, "saying that, I still do face challenges every day.

"It actually isn't hard to be transgender and in fact, transitioning is the best thing that I've ever done in my life.

Zara said it had been encouraging to hear about so many businesses and groups organising events for IDAHOBIT and encouraged those in Bendigo and the region to get involved in making everyone feel safe and included for May 17 - and for all days.

And a great place to start with that, she said, was volunteering with the LGBTQIA+ community and learning the language to use to avoid misgendering or offending people.

"(The best thing people can do is) communicate with their community but also call out bullying and harassment, and the human rights abuses that they see within their community," she said.

Even if the queer person doesn't appear to be visibly offended or there simply isn't anyone queer in the conversation Zara said it is still important to call out.

"People can also have signs of support such as pronoun badges or the rainbow lanyards," she said.

Zara said these accessories can highlight to LGBTQIA+ folks that an individual or workplace is a supportive space and that, even if people are still learning the correct language or terminology, they are willing to learn.

"When (an LGBTQIA+ person) approaches somebody - anybody in the community that they don't know - it's really hard to know how they're going to be received," she said.

"So those signs of hope are really, really wonderful."

"And of course, they can always write to political leaders and call for change to the harmful legislation or policies that are being promoted."

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With positive media representation and increased community support, Zara believes the lives of LGBTQIA+ folks are improving, but they aren't free of discrimination yet.

"There are more people questioning discrimination and oppression and challenging those behaviours that isolate us - so there's absolutely improvement," she said.

"But the current election shows that politicians are still happy to use us as tools and discriminate against us as a way of getting their popular vote through, so that's a bit concerning."

While she has to "muster up (the) courage and strength to live with the same freedoms as other people", Zara said it came down to the choices of those who discriminate - and there are many others who make the choice to give their support to the community.

Thousands of workplaces and schools around the country will be similarly backing the LGBTQIA+ community on Tuesday, with everyone invited to wear their rainbows with pride.

Zara will be at the Library Gardens at 12pm where council will raise the pride flag to celebrate the rainbow of diversity in the region while identifying the ways it can be more welcoming and supportive of difference.

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