About LGBTQ+ History Month
This year's celebration of National LGBTQ+ History Month will take place from October 1 through October 31, with a variety of events taking place on both the San Bernardino and Palm Desert campuses to honor and educate the campus community about issues of social justice and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as to raise awareness of these issues among the general public. The goal of LGBTQ+ History Month is to enhance public awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) individuals, their history, lives, and experiences, as well as their contributions to society. Moreover, it is concerned with ensuring that educational and other institutions are safe spaces for members of all LGBTQ+ populations. CSUSB will celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month by highlighting student leaders, faculty, and staff in various activities and special events throughout the month. In this year's annual celebration, the theme is "Connecting at the Intersections."
History
The first LGBTQ+ History month was organized in October of 1994 by Rodney Wilson and Kevin Jennings who are members of the Gay and Lesbian Education Network, known as GLSEN. They selected October because public schools are in session and existing traditions, such as Coming Out Day (October 11), occur that month. In 2006 Equality Forum assumed responsibility for providing content, promotion and resources for LGBT History Month. (source: LGBT History Month website & GLSEN).
