LGBT History Month

Today we are looking at LGBT History Month. The term LGBT refers to Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender. The purpose of this initialization is to promote an emphasis of the diversity amongst “sexuality and gender identity-based cultures.” The term LGBT derives from its original form of LGB, which became widely used in the 1990s. In 1996, a “Q” was added to the initialism, which served as a means to include those who identify themselves as “queer” or “questioning their sexual identity.” Please note, for the purposes of this post, I will continue to refer to this event as LGBT, not LGBTQ, as this is what it is officially known as. It is in no way meant to disrespect anyone who identifies with the term queer, or who may be questioning their sexuality. 

The celebration of LGBT History Month is meant to promote “the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements,” as well as to “to encourage honesty and openness about being LGBT.” Recognized in the United Kingdom and the United States, this event actually has conflicting months. February is the UK’s officially designated month, while in the US, it is celebrated in October as part of their National Coming Out Day on October 11. LGBT History Month was first celebrated in 1994 in the United, and was founded by a high school teacher by the name of Rodney Wilson. The first celebrations in the UK took place in 2005. The month of February was selected in the UK due to the lack of activities scheduled in the school calendar. 

For more information, visit the United States LGBT History Month website, or the United Kingdom’s website.