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Aired Oct 6, 2022

October is LGBT History Month. And That Matters.

LGBT History Month (formerly Gay and Lesbian History Month) was founded in 1994 by a Missouri high-school teacher named Rodney Wilson as a way to acknowledge the contributions of LGBTQ+ people throughout history. Now, nearly 30 years later, it’s importance, existence, and formal recognition is being attacked, challenged, and debated in communities across the country.

We hosted a conversation about this article as a part of PFLAG Connects and Something to Talk About Live on Thursday, October 6. Did you miss it? You can still watch it here!   

Article: What is LGBTQ History Month and why did a Miami school board change its mind about it?

Source: NPR

Author: Dustin Jones

Questions for Discussion:

  1. Were you aware that October is LGBT history month? If so, where did you learn about it? If not, why do you think that’s the case?

  2. The article notes that there were more than four hours of public testimony for and against the initiative to recognize LGBTQ History month. What impact do you think that debate had on the people who are LGBTQ+ that were watching?

  3. What can we as parents, caregivers, and allies do to elevate the stories of people who are LGBTQ+ throughout history? How can we be sure that those stories capture the diverse experiences and identities of people who are LGBTQ+?  

Bonus Resources: Check out “Cuba marks Latin America’s first LGBTQ+ history month” from Reuters by Nico Lang and watch “Taboo Teaching: A Profile of Missouri Teacher Rodney Wilson (founder of LGBTQ History Month)” a short documentary about this week’s guest, LGBT History Month founder Rodney Wilson, on YouTube.

About Our Guests:

Rodney Wilson, the founder of LGBT History Month

Ways to Watch:

Also available on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Something to Talk About Live is a series designed by PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality program to create conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. Each week we offer an article on LGBTQ+ topics and suggest a few questions you can use to lead a discussion with your ERG, community group, or PFLAG chapter.