LGBT History Month | |
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Observed by | Cuba (since 2022) Australia (since 2016) Germany (since 2014) Hungary (since 2013) UK (since 2005) US (since 1994) |
Type | National, civil rights, cultural, ethnic, sexual orientation, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender |
Significance | Celebration of LGBTQ history |
Begins | February (United Kingdom) March (Hungary) May (Germany, Cuba) October (Australia, Canada, United States) |
Frequency | Annual |
LGBT History Month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements.[1] It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson.[2] LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community.[3] As of 2022, LGBT History Month is a month-long celebration that is specific to Australia, Canada, Cuba, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In the United States, Canada, Armenia, Romania, the Netherlands, Southeast Asia, and Australia, it is celebrated in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day on 11 October and to commemorate the first and second marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 for LGBT rights.[4] In the United Kingdom it is observed during February; in the UK this coincides with a major celebration of the 2003 abolition of Section 28.[5] In Berlin, the capital of Germany, it is known as Queer History Month and is celebrated in May.[6]