The month of October is well under way now, which means that so is LGBT History Month. The idea of this month-long event is to celebrate the accomplishments, or honor the bravery, of 31 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender icons; one each day. 2010 marks the Month’s 5th Anniversary.
October 1st honored Eric Alva, the first American soldier wounded in the Iraq war. A national spokesperson for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” he has said, “I joined the military because I wanted to serve. I was patriotic, idealistic; I was also gay.”
October 2nd honored the scientist George Washington Carver. He was an important agriculturalist best known for discovering groundbreaking uses for peanuts. Carver was born during the Civil War, and had to overcome racism to establish himself in the scientific community and as an academic. He has said, “where there is no vision, there is no hope.” (Which reminds me a lot of Theodor Herzl, who said, “if you will it, it is not a dream.”)
October 3rd honored the entrepreneur George Eastman, who founded the Eastman Kodak Company (hey, that’s where my printer comes from!), paved the way for modern photography, and was an all-around great businessman and philanthropist. Eastman has said, “What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.”
Today, October 4th, we honor Sharon Farmer, who was a White House photographer during the Clinton presidency. She was the first woman and African American to be esteemed with the position of Chief White House Photographer. She has said, “Never turn down a chance to show what you can do.”
As I researched these outstanding and historic individuals, learning about their achievements and their relevance to my life made me feel connected to them. And I think that’s another huge part of what this month is all about: so often LGBT people are invisible, or they’re deliberately overshadowed. But this month demonstrates their worth by featuring remarkable people whose careers range from activism, to photography, to military service, to science, and who also represent a diverse cross-section of society even though they are LGBT. They’re here; they’re there; they’re queer; they’re everywhere. And they are also amazing, which is so incredible for people to see.
Hopefully I’ll keep posting updates like the above every few days through the month of October, but in the meanwhile, check out this great LGBT Month resource: http://www.glbthistorymonth.com/glbthistorymonth/2010/index.cfm
In other news, check out what GLSEN and PFLAG teamed together to launch; the Claim Your Rights campaign, a groundbreaking initiative to enable students and their allies to report occurrences of harassment, bullying, and discrimination to the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Education Department.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays (PFLAG) National is the nation’s foremost family-based organization committed to the civil rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender people. Founded in 1973 by mothers and fathers, PFLAG has 200,000 members and supporters in more than 300 chapters throughout the United States. To learn more, please visit (www.pflag.org).
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Established in 1990, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community. For information on GLSEN’s research, educational resources, public policy advocacy, student organizing programs and educator training initiatives, visit http://www.glsen.org.
The Equality Girl 
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