October is LGBT History Month and it is a time to honor LGBT accomplishments.
LGBThistorymonth.com celebrates the achievements of 31 LGBT icons.
The month coincides with National Coming Out Day in October. LGBT History Month also includes Spirit Day on Oct. 20, when people around the country wear purple in support of LGBT youth.
At lgbthistorymonth.com, a new LGBT icon is featured with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images, and other resources each day in October.
“It’s a very impressive group of people, as it has been for the last 15 years,” said Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum. Equality Forum coordinates LGBT History Month, produces documentary films, and oversees the application/installation of government-approved LGBT historic markers.
“We present them alphabetically. So this year, Oct. 1 is Susan B. Anthony,” Lazin said. “And my guess is probably most of our community are unaware that the leading suffragette was a lesbian. And then it ends on Oct. 31 with Darren Walker, who is the African-American president of the Ford Foundation. And in between, there are three U.S. congressmen and two White House staffers and a list of hugely impressive people.”
One of those people is South Florida’s own Javier Morgado. He’s a journalist who now works as an executive producer at CNN.
“Obviously, he's really was chosen for a couple of reasons,” Lazin said. “He has distinguished himself in his field of endeavor. And, you know, Javi has also been very active with the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and promoting LGBT equality both through the association and in his role as the executive producer of the important national programs that he oversees.”
Many well-known names in entertainment from the past and present also make this year’s diverse list, including Frederic Chopin, Janis Joplin, Liberace, Janelle Monáe, Little Richard, Jerry Herman, and LZ Granderson.
The criteria for making the list include being someone who distinguishes themselves nationally or internationally, someone who made a significant contribution to LGBT civil rights, and establishes themselves as a national hero.
Learning about LGBT heroes is as easy as visiting LGBThistorymonth.com.
“This is a free educational resource,” Lazin said. “We can provide any organization with a link so that every day in the month, that link is automatically updated with that day's icons. It's a very simple way for people to do something important, which is, celebrating our history. If we don't celebrate our own history, no one else will. But if we do celebrate it, obviously there are a lot of allies that will come on board. A perfect example of that is Women's History Month, Black History Month, or Hispanic Heritage Month, among others. Teaching our history not only provides role models, but it also helps to provide information about our civil rights movement, which has been nothing short of amazing.”
To view more LGBT History Month stories, visit sfgn.com/history2021.
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