We are all different, yet we’re the same. I understand that many religions condemn any behavior that doesn’t fit their box and some are driven strongly by their religion. What we must not lose sight of is that we are equal.
The Early Gay Rights Movement in America
In 1924, Henry Gerber, a German immigrant, founded in Chicago the Society for Human Rights, the first documented gay rights organization in the United States. During his U.S. Army service in World War I, Gerber was inspired to create his organization by the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, a “homosexual emancipation” group in Germany.
Gerber’s small group published a few issues of its newsletter “Friendship and Freedom,” the country’s first gay-interest newsletter. Police raids caused the group to disband in 1925—but 90 years later, the U.S. government designated Gerber’s Chicago house a National Historic Landmark.
Where and when is LGBTQ History Month Celebrated?
In the United States, LGBTQ History Month is celebrated every October. Canada and Australia also celebrate it this month. It is also recognized in the United Kingdom (in February), Hungary (in February), Finland (in November), and Berlin (in June).
And this past year in May, Cuba became the first country in Latin America to celebrate it. Italy also celebrated its first one this year in April.
How It Started
The first LGBT History Month wound up sparking over 150 events across the country in its first year, and the rest, as they say, is history.
In 2005, the UK became the first country to celebrate LGBT+ History Month, starting the journey towards a more inclusive world.
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.
Iconic Queer Figures to Honor
There are endless LGBTQ figures to honor this month, but here a few icons to start with:
- Bayard Rustin, who organized the March on Washington in 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech took place
- Angela Davis, a radical political activist
- James Beard, a closeted chef who was once as famous for American cooking as Julia Child was for French cuisine
- Harvey Milk, famed out activist who became one of America’s first gay elected officials and was assassinated
- Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, trans rights activists who helped start the Stonewall Uprising
- Lorraine Hansberry, award winning playwright and author of A Raisin in the Sun
- Sally Ride, the first woman astronaut in space
- Marlon Riggs, award-winning filmmaker, educator, poet, and activist
This article about violence within LGBTQ relationships was eye-opening!
https://www.nomore.org/shattering-the-silence-intimate-partner-violence-within-lgbtq-relationships/
Food for Thought
The next time you’re in a room with six people, think about this:
- Almost 1 in 2 women and more than 2 in 5 men experience violence from their partners in their lifetimes.
- Up to 19% of teens experience sexual or physical dating violence, about half face stalking or harassment, and as many as 65% report being psychologically abused.
- Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
- Over 1 in 4 lesbian women, almost half of bisexual women, and over 1 in 4 heterosexual women were raped during their lifetimes.
- About a quarter of gay men (837,000) and 3.0% of heterosexual men (3.3 million) were raped during their lifetimes.
You may think the information isn’t relevant to the posts but it is when you consider all the people affected.
Resources:
- Equality Federation
- Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
- National LGBTQ Task Force
- Victory Fund
- BIENESTAR
- BiNetUSA
- Bisexual.org
- Bisexual Resource Center
- Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
- GSA Network
- LGBTQ Student Resources & Support
- Point Foundation
- Safe Schools Coalition
- The Trevor Project
- The American Military Partner Association (AMDA)
- American Veterans for Equal Rights
- OutServe-Service Members Legal Defense Network
- Palm Center
- Transgender American Veterans Association
- Veterans for Human Rights
- National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE)
- Sylvia Rivera Law Project
- Transgender Law Center
- Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund
- National Resource Center for LGBT Aging
- Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE)
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- Lambda Legal
- The LGBT Bar
- National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
- Anti-Violence Project
- CenterLink
- COLAGE
- GMHC
- Matthew Shepard Foundation
- Movement Advancement Project
- Out & Equal
- Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
- Straight for Equality
- The Williams Institute
EQUAL
Melinda
References:
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/celebrating-lgbtq-history-month-started-matters/
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lookingforthelight.blog 
As someone who is gay I thank you for posting this, it is true, we’re really all the same, and we should love one another not spew hatred!
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Australia has a terrible history of violence against gay men. It’s improved, but has a long way to go.
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That’s surprising considering AUS is one of a handful of countries that recognize the month.
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We do a lot of political correction here, but in reality things will always be unfortunate.
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Sounds like America!
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whether people know it or not, they have family members dealing with LGTBQ issues. I Have several.
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Yes, and some treat them badly if they know.
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I love this and your blog!
My oldest daughter was born a female and when she was 14 – she came out to me that she was a lesbian. I already knew just by the way she supported the LGBTQ community and her friends that were a part of it.
When she was 18 – she felt like she should have been more a male and started to go by “he/him/trans”, and I was fine with that as well. I loved my kid no matter what.
I think this world is cruel enough without parents making it harder for their children who share this kind of news.
Even though my kiddo is gone now, I STILL support and admire anyone who comes out and has the strength to be the light for others.
<3
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Their has been so much shame including from parents when a child expressing what ay go against their beliefs. Be cause I was around many gay people when I was younger, it was not an issue for me. I know it’s still struggle and the stigma is alive.
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They are truly such sweethearts.
I feel like when our parents were younger – they grew up in an era where it wasn’t discussed or accepted, and they passed that on to their kids – who now have their same beliefs as you talked about and now teens and youth are suffering as a result of the way their parents and grandparents were raised.
My mom was always against it, so when she found out my daughter was Les and then trans – she made this face. I had to remind her that wasn’t cool, it’s NOT okay to do that and she doesn’t have to agree with my daughter’s lifestyle – but she does have to accept it.
I never want anyone in the LGBTQ community to feel unloved or unaccepted. <3 They are so amazing.
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Human life is amazing!
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