LGBTQ History Month: Why we celebrate in October and Pride Month in June – masslive.com

October is LGBTQ History Month, a 31-day celebration to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer achievement and influence on the world and a time to learn more about the history of LGBTQ rights.

Centering around National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, LGBTQ History Month was first celebrated in the United States in 1994.

It all started when Missouri high school teacher Rodney Wilson decided there should be a month dedicated to learning about LGBTQ history, gathering teachers and leaders in the community. They selected October to coincide with the academic year as well as Coming Out Day.

Soon, the celebration was endorsed by GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Education Association and other national organizations, the website said. By 2006, Equality Forum created content, promotion and resources for LGBTQ History Month.

Octobers celebration differs from Pride Month in this way, as Pride Month is focused on honoring the visibility of LGBTQ people as well as the movement toward equality. The holiday is celebrated in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots. On the other hand, LGBTQ History Month is meant to teach about historic figures and their contributions to the world.

Massachusetts has a history of LGBTQ influence. Most notably, it was the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2003, with the first marriage licenses being issued in 2004. In 1971 Boston held its first Pride March and in 1989 Massachusetts became the second state, after Wisconsin, to prohibit discrimination based on sexuality in credit, public and private employment, union practices, housing and public accommodations.

In 2011, Gov. Deval Patrick issued an executive order that banned discrimination on the part of the state and its contractors against transgender employees, the website added.

Currently, Massachusetts has a high equality profile, rating a sexual orientation policy tally of 15.25/18.5 and a gender identity policy tally of 17.25/20, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

The state ranks the highest in relationship and parental recognition, state nondiscrimination laws, LGBTQ youth laws and policies and healthcare laws and policies. Activists say there is still a ways to go towards equality, as the state ranked lower in criminal justice laws and policies and in the ability for transgender people to correct name and gender marker on identity documents.

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LGBTQ History Month: Why we celebrate in October and Pride Month in June - masslive.com