LGBT History Month

LGBT History Month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements.[1] It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson.[2] LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community.[3] As of 2020, LGBT History Month is a month-long celebration that is specific to Hungary, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Greenland, and the city of Berlin.

LGBT History Month
Observed byAustralia
Canada
Hungary
United Kingdom
United States
Ireland
TypeNational, civil rights, cultural, ethnic, sexual orientation, HRC, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender
SignificanceCelebration of LGBT history
BeginsFebruary (United Kingdom)
May (Ireland)
October (United States)
October (Canada)
October (Australia)
Date1994
FrequencyAnnual

In the United States, Canada, and Australia, it is celebrated in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day on 11 October and to commemorate the first and second marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 for LGBT rights.[4] In Hungary and the United Kingdom, it is observed during February; in the UK this coincides with a major celebration of the 2003 abolition of Section 28.[5] In Berlin, It is known as Queer History Month and is celebrated in June.[6]

National celebrations

Australia

In October 2016, Minus 18 organised the first Australian LGBT History Month in partnership with the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives, and the Safe Schools Coalition Victoria.[7][8]

Brazil

Brazil celebrates LGBT History Month.[9]

Canada

Canada celebrates LGBT History Month in October.[10]

Greenland

Greenland celebrates LGBT History Month.[9]

Hungary

LGBT History Month has been celebrated in February since 2013, and the planned 2020 event is the 8th.[11] The program series is coordinated by Háttér Society and Labrisz Lesbian Association, events are organized in partnership with other LGBT organization, cultural and academic institutions, professional organizations etc. The majority of the events take place in Budapest, but a few events are also organized in larger cities all over the country, e.g. in Debrecen, Pécs, Miskolc and Szeged.[11]

In 2013 there were nearly 30 events in the cities of Budapest, Miskolc and Szeged.[12] In 2015 there were 37 events, with some held in Tahitótfalu and Csobánka[12] As of 2019 there were about 40 events for the celebration.[13]

United Kingdom
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LGBT History Month was initiated in the UK by Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick as a Schools OUT UK project, which first took place in February 2005.[14] The Month is an annual event in the United Kingdom taking place every February.[14]

The event came in the wake of the abolition of Section 28 in 2003, the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003[14] as well as the government's proposals to bring in a single equality act and a public duty, although this, in fact, did not come to fruition until 2010.

The Month is intended as a means to raise awareness of, and combat prejudice against the LGBT community while celebrating its achievement and diversity and making it more visible.

The first celebration in 2005 saw the organisation of over 150 events around the UK. The second logo for the organisation behind the month was designed by LGBT typographer Tony Malone in 2006, and was reworked by him in 2007 when it then became the corporate logo for the national committee.

From that point in time, each yearly iteration of the Month started to receive its own mark designed by students of the University of the Arts and later by design students at the University of Bedfordshire.

England

The initiative received government backing from the deputy DfES and Equalities Minister Jacqui Smith, although some sections of the press argued against its political correctness, and pointed out that the sexuality of some historical figures is more a matter of speculation than fact.[15] Supporters of the event countered that it is important to challenge heterosexist attitudes in society.

The DfES promised funding for LGBT History Month for the first two years to help get the event off the ground. It is now very well established and has garnered support from other sources. Long standing sponsors include the Metropolitan Police Service, the Metropolitan Police Authority, Amnesty International and the Crown Prosecution Service.

The early patrons of the Month included Cyril Nri, Ian McKellen, Angela Eagle, Gareth Thomas and Labi Siffre.

Each year, a "launch event" takes place in November, for the following Month. Those events took place in the following locations:

Through the years many speakers have spoken at the events. These include Ian McKellen, Stella Duffy, Allan Horsfall, Linda Bellos, Baroness Scotland and Barbara Follett, Michael Cashman, Stuart Milk, Phyl gyimah opuku and Rikki Beadle Blair among others.

On 5 March 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown hosted a reception at Downing Street to mark the Month.[16]

OUTing the Past festival and the annual Alan Horsfall Lecture

OUTing The Past is an annual festival of LGBT history.[17]

In 2015 saw the first edition of OUTing The Past, a festival of LGBT History spearheaded by Dr Jeff Evans. The festival started in three venues in Manchester: the LGBT Foundation, The Central Library and the Peoples History Museum. Comprising several presentations of diverse history presented by a mixture of academics, LGBT enthusiasts and activists. Sitting alongside the popular presentations was an academic conference with the inaugural Allan Horsfall Lecture given by Professor Charles Upchurch of Florida University. This is now a yearly event funded by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality. Stephen M Hornby was appointed as the first National Playwright in Residence to LGBT History Month. The first production created as a result of this was a three part heritage premiere co-written with Ric Brady and performed across the weekend called "A Very Victorian Scandal" which dramatised new research about a drag ball in 1880 in Hulme.

The following year the festival expanded to six hubs around England and the conference had its own slot. The Alan Horsfall lecture was given by Professor Susan Stryker of the University of Arizona in 2016. The national heritage premieres were "Mister Stokes: The Man-Woman of Manchester" written by Abi Hynes, which told the story of Harry Stokes a Victorian trans pioneer and "Devils in Human Shape" by Tom Marshman, which dramatized Georgian sodomy trials in Bristol.[18]

In 2017, there were 18 venues round the country and by now over a hundred presentations on LGBT history had been given. The Alan Horsfall lecture was given by Diana Souhami. The national heritage premieres were "The Burnley Buggers' Ball" by Stephen M Hornby, which told the story of the first public meeting to establish an LGBT Center in the UK in 1971 at Burnley Library, and "Burnley's Lesbian Liberator" by Abi Hynes which told the story of one of the first demonstrations in support of a woman sacked for wearing a Lesbian Liberation badge by the Burnley & Pendle Bus Company in 1978.[19]

In 2018, there were 11 venues which included Wales and Northern Ireland. The lecture was given by Tom Robinson.

2019 there were 18 venues including the first international events in The Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Norway and New York. The lecture was given by Dr Jeffrey Weeks in Belfast. The national heritage premiere was "The Adhesion of Love" by Stephen M Hornby, which toured to a number of venues in the North West of England. It told the story of a visit by a member of the Eagle Street College to Walt Whitman in 1891.[20]

From 2016, Schools OUT UK has partnered with several contract publishers to produce magazines as an Official Guide to LGBT History Month, putting 35,000 copies of their publication into every secondary school in the UK, plus community spaces, charities and businesses. The magazine had introductions from the leaders of all the main political parties and the Mayor of London. The magazine's Diversity Dashboard runs job adverts and events listings from LGBT-friendly employers and the community.

Scotland

In 2005 and 2006, LGBT History Month was celebrated in Scotland as an LGBT community event, receiving support from LGBT community history projects such as Our Story Scotland and Remember When.[21]

For 2007 and 2008, the Scottish Government provided funding for a post at LGBT Youth Scotland to bring LGBT History Month into the wider community, including schools and youth groups.[22]

In 2020 Scotland's theme was "What have we learned? 20 years since the repeal of Section 28." [22]

United States

LGBTQ+ History Month originated in the United States as Lesbian and Gay History Month, and was first celebrated in October 1994. It was founded by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson.[23] Wilson, the first openly gay public school teacher in Missouri, originated the idea, served as founder on the first coordinating committee, and chose October as the month of celebration.[24][25] Among early supporters and members of the first coordinating committee were Kevin Jennings of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); Kevin Boyer of the Gerber/Hart Gay and Lesbian Library and Archives in Chicago; Paul Varnell, writer for the Windy City Times; Torey Wilson, Chicago area teacher; Johnda Boyce, women's studies major at Columbus State University and Jessea Greenman of UC-Berkeley.[25] Many gay and lesbian organizations supported the concept early on as did Governors William Weld of Massachusetts and Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, Mayors such as Thomas Menino of Boston and Wellington Webb of Denver, who recognized the inaugural month with official proclamations. In 1995, the National Education Association indicated support of LGBT History Month as well as other history months by resolution at its General Assembly.[26]

October was chosen by Wilson as the month for the celebration because the first and second LGBT Marches on Washington, in 1979 and 1987, were in October; National Coming Out Day is on 11 October, chosen to mark the date of the Second March of Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, and October is within the academic calendar yeart.[27] LGBT History Month is intended to encourage honesty and openness about being LGBT.[27]

While it was first known as Lesbian and Gay History Month, the coordinating committee soon added "bisexual" to the title. It has subsequently become known as LGBTQ+ History Month. The event has received criticism from conservative groups, such as the Concerned Women for America and others who believe it to be a form of "indoctrination."[3]

In 2006, Equality Forum began picking 31 LGBTQ icons from all over the world through all eras of history and highlighting one each day in October. In 2011, Equality Forum introduced an internal search engine for all Icons from inception in 2006 to present. By clicking on "Icon Search" and choosing one of hundreds of categories[28] such as African-American, athlete, California, Germany, HIV/AIDS, Military, Religion, Transgender, Youth; visitors to the site will be provided with links to all Icons in that category.

In 2012, for the first time, two American school districts celebrated LGBT History Month. The Broward County school district in Florida signed a resolution in September in support of LGBT Americans, and later that year the Los Angeles school district, America's second-largest, also signed on.[29]

Citywide celebrations

Berlin

In Berlin, it is known as Queer History Month instead of LGBT History Month. Every year it takes place in June. It is to educate and help people deal with sexual, sexual diversity, and anti-discrimination in small projects.[30]

During Queer History Month (QHM), people are able to find detailed lessons on queer history suitable for both school and non-school education. Also, educational institutions provide education to schools and youth institutions directly.[30]

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See also

References
  1. LGBT History Month Resources Archived 18 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  2. J.R. Tungol (4 October 2012). "LGBT History Month Icon of the Day: Rodney Wilson". The Huffington Post.
  3. K.L. Billingsley (21 July 1996). "NEA drops plan for gay history month". The Washington Times.
  4. "Op-ed: The Story Behind the First LGBT History Month". 2 September 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  5. "Home". Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  6. "Erster Berliner Queer History Month". fu-berlin.de (in German). 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  7. "LGBTI History Month". minus18.org.au. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  8. Wadw, Matthew (8 September 2016). "Schools in Victoria to celebrate first LGBTI History Month". Star Observer. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  9. Okeugo, Peter (22 February 2018). "LGBT History Month: Whither Nigeria". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  10. "Celebrate LGBT History Month". GLAAD. 3 October 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  11. "LMBT Történeti hónap". Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  12. "Bemutatkozás". LMBT Történeti Hónap (in Hungarian). 5 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  13. Krasznahorkai, Emma. "Explore Budapest's Vibrant LGBTQ Culture With a Local Activist". Culture Trip. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  14. "Everything you need to know about LGBT History Month". The Independent. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  15. "LGBT sub menu". geocities.ws. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  16. "Gordon Brown hosts first LGBT reception", PinkNews, 6 March 2009, archived from the original on 16 October 2011, retrieved 16 July 2009
  17. "OUTing the Past: The Festival of LGBT History". National Gallery of Ireland. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  18. "Man-Woman of Manchester: an extraordinary story". Northern Soul. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  19. correspondent, Mark Brown Arts (7 February 2017). "Burnley Buggers' Ball to mark 50th anniversary of Sexual Offences Act". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  20. "REVIEW: The Adhesion of Love at Bolton Museum". The Bolton News. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  21. "Guide to LGBT research resources – National Library of Scotland". nls.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  22. "LGBT History Month | Scotland.org". Scotland. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  23. "LGBT History Month Icon: Rodney Wilson". The LGBT History Month Project. 31 October 2017.
  24. Smith, Gwendolyn (1 October 2018). "Do you know the history behind LGBT History Month?". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  25. "Op-ed: The Story Behind the First LGBT History Month". advocate.com. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  26. "About | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  27. "LGBT History Month: Whither Nigeria". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  28. "Equality Forum website provides 31 new icons for LGBT History Month – National Constitution Center". National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  29. "Two school districts recognize LGBT Month". CNN. 8 October 2012.
  30. "queerhistory.de | teaching queer history". queerhistory.de. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
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