| LGBT History Month | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Australia Canada Hungary United Kingdom United States |
| Type | National, civil rights, cultural, ethnic, sexual orientation, HRC, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender |
| Significance | Celebration of LGBT history |
| Begins | February (United Kingdom) October (United States) October (Canada) |
| Date | 1994 |
| Frequency | Annual |
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. LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBT community. 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.
In the United States, Canada, and Australia, it is celebrated in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day on 11 October. 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. In Berlin, It is known as Queer History Month and is celebrated in June.
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.
Brazil
Brazil celebrates LGBT History Month.
Canada
Canada celebrates LGBT History Month in October.
Greenland
Greenland celebrates LGBT History Month.
Hungary
LGBT History Month has been celebrated in February since 2013, and the planned 2020 event is the 8th. 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.
In 2013 there were nearly 30 events in the cities of Budapest, Miskolc and Szeged. In 2015 there were 37 events, with some held in Tahitótfalu and Csobánka As of 2019 there were about 40 events for the celebration.
United Kingdom
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. The Month is an annual event in the United Kingdom taking place every February.
The event came in the wake of the abolition of Section 28 in 2003, the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
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. 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:
- 2005: Tate Modern (sponsored by Southwark Council)
- 2006: the Metropolitan Police's Empress State Building
- 2007: the TUC offered Congress House
- 2008: the main hall of the Royal Courts of Justice.
- 2009: The Urswick School
- 2010: the British Museum
- 2011: the Oval cricket ground
- 2012: Twickenham Stadium.
- 2013: Bletchley Park
- 2014: Birmingham University
- 2015: the Museum of the Order of St John
- 2016: Queens College, Cambridge
- 2017: the Museum of Liverpool
- 2019: The British Library
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.
OUTing the Past festival and the annual Alan Horsfall Lecture
OUTing The Past is an annual festival of LGBT history.
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.
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.
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.
From 2016, Schools OUT UK has partnered with a 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.
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.
In 2020 Scotland's theme was "What have we learned? 20 years since the repeal of Section 28."
United States
LGBT History Month originated in the United States, and was first
celebrated in 1994. It was founded by Missouri high-school history
teacher Rodney Wilson. Wilson originated the idea, served as founder on
the first coordinating committee, and chose October as the month of
celebration. 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.
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.
October was chosen by Wilson as the month for the celebration because National Coming Out Day on 11 October, chosen to mark the date of the Second March of Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, was already established as a widely known event. October also commemorated the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights by LGBT people in 1979. LGBT History Month is intended to encourage honesty and openness about being LGBT.
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 LGBT 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."
On 2 June 2000, President Bill Clinton declared June "Gay & Lesbian Pride Month" to commemorate the June 1969 Stonewall riots in Lower Manhattan.
On 1 June 2009, President Barack Obama expanded the commemoration
further by declaring June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride
Month.
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
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.
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.
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.
