Friday, September 4, 2015
Arcus Director Examines the Story Behind LGBT History Month
In August, The Advocate ran an op-ed that seemed to suggest that LGBT History Month was founded a mere decade ago. As those who were there at the start, more than two decades ago, we’d like to set the record “straight.”
In January 1994, a suburban St. Louis high school history teacher, Rodney Wilson, suggested that LGBT history — like women’s history and African-American history — needed a month devoted to its study. But which month? Pride Month, June, would not work because school was out, and other months were spoken for by other groups. But October was free of conflicts, came during the academic year, and serendipitously was the month of both the first and second LGBT Marches on Washington (1979 and 1987) and National Coming Out Day (October 11). He selected October and a draft proposal was written....