LGBTQIA poster art

LGBTQIA+ History Month Celebrates Diversity

Lectures on identity and talks by noted authors highlight October’s LGBTQIA+ History Month on campus. A full schedule can be found here.

poster of UA's events for LGBTQIA+ History MonthUA’s Spectrum organization presents lectures about identities and their histories. Lectures are from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays in  2418 Ferguson Student Center. Topics are:

  • Oct. 1 – Lesbianism
  • Oct. 8 – Bisexuality and Pansexuality
  • Oct. 15 – Asexuality and Aromanticism
  • Oct. 29 – Transgenderism
  • Nov. 5 – Gender Non-Conforming Identities

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Other events include:

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Queer Artists of Color Showcase” featuring the poet Radi will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, in the Ferguson Student Center Theater.

Author Samantha Allen discusses her book “Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States” at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in 118 Graves Hall.

A National Coming Out Day photoshoot will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at Ferguson Center Plaza. The Safe Zone Resource Center will have a table on the Ferguson Plaza, and visitors may stop by for information about the coming-out process. A pride-themed photo booth will be available.

Author Kate Bornstein will discuss “World Peace Through Gender Anarchy and Sex Positivity” at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, at the Ferguson Center Ballroom. Bornstein is an American author, playwright, performance artist, actress and gender theorist.

A Campus Dialogues – Coming Out Day Awareness event will be from 1 to 1:50 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the  Ferguson Student Center Great Hall. The event is part of the weekly Campus Dialogues series.

Empowering Voices: A LGBTQ+ History Month Reception will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in the  W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library (second floor of Mary Harmon Bryant Hall). This event is a showcase of the University Libraries’ digitized collections on LGBTQ+ Southern life and will launch an interactive timeline of events and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community in Alabama and the South.

The Pride Homecoming Dance will be Oct. 18 in the Ferguson Center Ballroom; time is to be announced.

A screening of the 1996 film “The Watermelon Woman” will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, in 216 Reese Phifer Hall.

The Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil and Reception will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, on the Ferguson Center lawn.

Nationwide, October is recognized as LGBTQ+ History Month, which focuses on opportunities to discuss contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified individuals. In 1994, a coalition of U.S. education-based organizations designated October as LGBT History Month. A year later, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBT History Month within a list of commemorative months. For more information, visit https://lgbthistorymonth.com.