Celebrating LGBTQ History Month: How it started and why it matters

Intersex-inclusive pride flag by Valentino Vecchietti
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

In 1994, a Missouri high school teacher named Rodney Wilson – the first out public school teacher in the state – wanted to give students better access to LGBTQ history as well as more role models with whom they could identify.

He established a planning committee with LGBTQ leaders from around the country, and from there, Gay and Lesbian History Month was born.

The group selected October for what would ultimately become LGBTQ History Month because school would be in session. October is also when we celebrate National Coming Out Day (on the 11). The two LGBTQ marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 also took place in October.

After its founding, organizations like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, GLAAD, and the Human Rights Campaign endorsed Gay and Lesbian History Month, and in 1995, the National Education Association passed a resolution officially recognizing it as a commemorative month.

In 2006, the civil rights organization Equality Forum became…

Read full story, and more, from Source: Celebrating LGBTQ History Month: How it started and why it matters