October is LGBTQIA+ History Month! One of the big questions people have in response to this is how is it different from Pride Month in June? There are some key differences we’ll discuss in this blog post, along with how LGBTQIA+ History Month started and what its purpose is. The hope is that with more understanding of things involving the LGBTQIA+ community, we can foster more understanding for their mental health needs, as well!
So, What IS LGBTQIA+ History Month?
Simply, it’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a month dedicated to the history of the LGBTQIA+ community, focusing on key figures that have contributed to the forwarding of their civil rights. It also is meant to educate people about the community at large.
Every October, the GLAAD and LGBTQ History Month websites have a write up on important historical (and current) members of the community. The LGBTQ History Month website dedicates one day of the month to a figure and it’s possible to go back into the archives to see the past years’ icons.
It was started by a high school teacher, Rodney Wilson, in 1994 in Missouri. He was the first publicly out educator in that state and he felt it was important to have a month that would help educate people more about the gay community and the need right gay rights, in a way that was approachable and focused on the icons and important people that had made strides to make things better.
He chose October because October 11th (today!) is National Coming Out Day in the USA. October also marks the anniversaries of some of the first marches in LGBTQIA+ history in the 70’s and 80’s.
Okay, but isn’t that just Pride Month?
Well, no, not exactly. Pride Month is focused heavily on the history of political activism in the community, along with an emphasis on proudly being out and living an authentic life, without hiding. It can seem very similar on the outside, but the key differences are really on the focus of the months. LGBTQIA+ History Month is more aligned with general education about the community, with a focus on key iconic figures throughout time that have contributed to the movement of education and civil rights.
Pride Month is more well known because of its heavy emphasis on, well, pride and being proud of oneself despite the cisheteronormative expectations of society telling the community that they are too different. It’s a celebration as much as it is a call to action. LGBTQIA+ History Month is educational.
So, Why Does It Matter?
It matters because history is important. Many of these icons are not well known, especially to the younger generations of LGBTQIA+ individuals. What these figures did in their lives and how they contributed to the community is something that can help continue to foster not only understanding but to empower LGBTQIA+ youth to live their lives in ways that can change the world, as well.
Representation is important for everyone and in a world where we still see widespread prejudice and misunderstanding about this community, the more education we can have around these topics, the better!
It’s all just an effort to continue to make the world a kinder, more understanding place for people from all kinds of different backgrounds.
LGBTQIA+ Mental Health
We’ve discussed in a previous post about how being part of this community can contribute to poorer mental health outcomes. This is primarily because of the prejudices that exist and the fears many individuals have around their safety and if people will accept them. These things can take a very real toll on the mental health of anyone, especially someone who will have to encounter these considerations often when having to decide how much of their lives and selves to share with others.
There is nothing inherently about being LGBTQIA+ that contributes to poorer mental health and it is almost entirely connected to how society responds to individuals who are different from them. The more education we can put out, the more we can hope for a day when those statistics will change.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_History_Month#United_States