Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) celebrates LGBTQIAP+ History Month 2022 by honoring the contributions, achievements, and legacy the LGBTQIAP+* (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual/aromantic, pansexual) community has made to United States history in every field, from science and the arts to politics and religion. We encourage our community to learn about, advocate for, and celebrate the various communities within the LGBTQIAP+ umbrella and their rich history.
*Please note: We have added the plus sign to show this acronym does not include all sexual and gender identities under the queer umbrella. The plus sign is meant to represent additional identities such as asexual, intersex, pansexual, two spirit, and many more. For a full list of identities, visit: thesafezoneproject.com/resources/vocabulary/
LGBTQIAP+ History Month was created in 1994 by a high school history teacher in Missouri called Rodney Wilson. The month, which garnered early support from organizations such as GLAAD and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), was initially chosen to include the by-then well-established National Coming Out Day on October 11 and the anniversary of the first march on Washington by LGBT people in 1979 on October 14. The month now also includes Spirit Day on October 20, on which people around the country wear purple in support of LGBT youth; Ally Week, a week in which allies against LGBT bullying are celebrated; and the anniversary of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard's murder on October 12, 1998, which sparked the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Learn more at: https://www.glaad.org/blog/celebrate-lgbt-history-month
STEM Scholar Highlights:
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (Theoretical Physicist and Feminist Theorist)
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Sophie Wilson (Computer Scientist)
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Nergis Mavalvala (Dean of MIT’s School of Science)
Read, Watch, Listen, and Learn
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Explore Gordon Library's LGBTQIAP+ History Month collection
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Explore ODIME’s LGBTQIAP+ Support and Resources page
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Explore GLSEN’s LGBTQ History Timeline Reference online
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Explore the LGBTQ Rights Timeline in American History online
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Explore the GLBT Historical Society: Museum and Archives online
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Read Pocan Introduces Bills to Create National Museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture
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Download the Quist LGBTQ History App to your mobile device
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Watch Stonewall Forever - A Documentary about the Past, Present and Future of Pride
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Watch Before Stonewall on Tubi
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Listen to the Making Gay History Podcast
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Listen to the University of Oxford LGBT History Month Lectures Podcast
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Listen to the Queer as Fact Podcast
Take Action
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Join WPI's The Alliance, oSTEM Affiliate Chapter
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Volunteer with the Trevor Project
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Support the Safe Homes right in Worcester, MA
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Everything you need to vote. Vote.org
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Become a Poll Worker
Thank you to all of the members of the LGBTQIAP+ History Month Planning Committee who made this month possible:
- Kalvin Cummings (ODIME)
- Jaime Dillon (Career Development Center)
- Mia-Kay Fuller (ODIME)
- Gregory Lane (Pre-Collegiate Outreach)
- Vi Leroux (Career Development Center)
- Ann McCarron (Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics)
- Paige Neumann (Gordon Library)
- Taylor Rohena (Office of Accessibility Services)
- Jill Westover (Gordon Library)
"LGBTQ+ History Month allows the opportunity to extensively learn about the history of the LGBTQ+ movement, and what factors and measures will be successful in building communities and providing role models who will best represent and address the issues of the LGBTQ+ community. The month-long commemoration is most prominently celebrated in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Hungary, Brazil, and the city of Berlin. The particular month of celebration varies across different countries — in the United States, Canada, and Australia, LGBTQ+ History Month is celebrated in October; in the United Kingdom and Hungary, it is celebrated in February; and in Berlin, the holiday is celebrated in June and is known as Queer History Month."
Learn More: https://nationaltoday.com/lgbtq-history-month/