LGBTQA History Month

LGBT History Month (October) is different from Pride Month (June).

On the national level, LGBT History month has been celebrated since 1994 and aims to teach and share LGBT history. October was chosen because school is in session at this time and because existing national days of recognition (such as National Coming Out Day) are celebrated in October.

According to lgbthistorymonth.com, “The LGBT community is the only community worldwide that is not taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious institutions. LGBT History Month provides role models, creates community and makes the civil rights statement of our extraordinary national and international contributions.”

At FAU, it was decided to call it “LGBTQA” history month both for consistency’s sake and to acknowledge that queer, questioning and ally individuals have also experienced injustices and continue to be part of the movements working to end these injustices. FAU will be having events that not only continue this education about LGBTQA history, but also continue to foster pride and create that safe and inclusive campus environment that FAU is continually building.

Pride Month (June) is typically when you will find Pride Festivals and Parades in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots and the ensuing marches that took place to increase visibility and awareness. The purposes of the month are similar, but there are differences.

In the News – Stonewall Riots of 1969

Week of June 22, 2009

News Item: Forty years ago on June 28, 1969, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement was born after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, New York. A riot ensued and, according to the New York Times, thirteen people were arrested among the crowd of almost 400 people that had formed near the area to protest the harassment. The following evening, more rioting took place as hundreds of people continued to revolt against the Stonewall raid. Stonewall is commemorated each year in June during Gay Pride celebrations throughout the world. This year, a U.S. Presidential Proclamation was issued declaring June as LGBT Month.

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