
Please join us in celebrating and honoring LGBTQIA+ History Month. Taking place every October, this month allows us to reflect on what came before, and where we are going next.
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As William Shakespeare said, “the past is prologue.” Basically, what has already happened informs our present and our future. It’s important to remember what’s come before, especially when our history is often overlooked and pushed to the sidelines.
So when does LGBTQIA+ history start? Contrary to some narratives, it doesn’t start with Stonewall. In fact, Stonewall wasn’t even the first uprising. You can learn more about a few of the riots in this video.
In reality, LGBTQIA+ history is as old as time. To get a small glimpse of a vast timeline, check out this website from Gladstone Institutes.
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This week, we want to highlight two prolific gay men and Civil Rights activists and thinkers - Bayard Rustin and James Baldwin.
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was a key advisor of Martin Luther King Jr. and a prolific Civil Rights advocate. A proponent of nonviolent resistance, he was a central organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Afterwards, he went on to help create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, travel on various humanitarian missions, and continue his work in advocacy. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. Learn more about Bayard Rustin here.
James Baldwin (1924-1987) was a writer and civil rights activist. His writings featured themes of race, identity, love, and justice, and his candid nature when including LGBTQIA+ themes was controversial at the time. He was outspoken when it came to injustice, and was a part of the Civil Rights Movement. He was friends with many prolific civil rights activists - including Martin Luther King Jr, Nina Simone, Malcolm X, and Maya Angelou. Learn more about James Baldwin here.