Director of Ohio University’s LGBT Center, delfin bautista, breaks down just what these ‘holigays’ mean.
The first of October marked the beginning of LGBT History Month and Oct. 11 is National Coming Out Day. What do these “holigays” mean you ask? Read more below.
What is LGBT History Month?
In 1994, high-school teacher Rodney Wilson advocated that there be a month long celebration honoring the contributions of gay and lesbian people in the United States. October was selected because of the celebration of National Coming Out Day. In 2006, Philadelphia’s Equality Forum took the lead in organizing festivities for the month, expanding the month long celebration to include the bisexual and transgender communities. Yale history professor Samuel Knight reflects, “LGBT History Month sends an important message to our nation’s teachers, school boards, community leaders and youth about the vital importance of recognizing and exploring the role of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in American history."
LGBT History Month is an opportunity to celebrate both the struggles and resilience of queer communities — not only in the U.S. but around the world. It is a chance to share our histories, herstories, theystories, zestories and “gender-pronoun-stories.” LGBT people have been vital and vibrant members of society throughout history contributing to racial civil rights (Bayard Rustin, Jane Addams and Gloria Anzaldua), literature (Oscar Wilde and Alice Walker), artistic expression (Frida Khalo), science and engineering (Sally Ride) and even the American Revolution (Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben).
Along with other heritage months, LGBT History Month provides possibility models to help inspire creative innovation across disciplines,fosters community among marginalized communities and sends a message of the importance of recognizing the presence of ALL people in our nation’s and world’s histories. As LGBT people today, we honor our foreparents by continuing their journeys and honoring their legacies, with our own unique glittery style of wit and wisdom.
Some of the month’s festivities include co-hosting author and activist Emanuel Xavier on Oct. 14 (dual celebration with Hispanic Heritage Month), screen the film Pride on Oct. 30, host lunch discussions focused on LGBT identities in the U.S. and around the world (Oct. 15 and Oct. 21), sponsoring the bulletin boards in all residence halls and co-sponsoring the 4th Annual LGBT History Month Lecture featuring journalist Masha Gessen on Oct. 22. Learn more about these and other events by contacting the LGBT Center.
What is National Coming Out Day?
Oct.11 is the anniversary of the second large scale demonstration for gay rights in the U.S., the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Like in 1987, today in 2015 we continue to celebrate the transformative power of coming out not only on the individual but also on our communities. We honor and continue the millennia-old tradition of story sharing by coming out: sharing stories of overcoming trials and tribulations, sharing stories of being welcomed, sharing stories of embracing who we are as sexual, romantic, queer and gendered beings. Coming out is not limited to just LGBT people, our allies and supporters must also come out with us. To quote the Human Rights Campaign, “Every person who speaks up changes more hearts and minds, and creates new advocates for equality.”
At Ohio University, National Coming Out Day overlaps with Homecoming. The LGBT Center has partnered with the Campus Involvement Center to incorporate National Coming Out Day into Homecoming, honoring coming out as a way of coming home to oneself and to one’s community. As part of Homecoming, the LGBT Center will host a rally on Friday, Oct. 9, “National Coming OUt Day SpeakOUt,” in the Bobcat Lounge and a lunch discussion, “Same Bricks, Different Stories — LGBTQ Narratives over the years at LGBT Center,” in Baker 354. For more information contact the LGBT Center.
Come out, come out wherever you are, whoever you are and however you can, whether it be for the first time, whether it be for the 1804th time — may this National Coming Out Day we embody the words of Harvey Milk, “Burst down those closet doors once and for all, and stand up and start to fight … Every [LGBTQ+] person must come out. As difficult as it is, you must tell your immediate family. You must tell your relatives. You must tell your friends, if indeed they are your friends. You must tell your neighbors. You must tell the people you work with. You must tell the people in the stores you shop in. Once they realize that we are indeed their children, that we are indeed everywhere, every myth, every lie, every innuendo will be destroyed once and for all. And once you do, you will feel so much better. For your sake, for [our] sake … ”
delfin bautista is the director of the LGBT Center at Ohio University. Do you have a question relating to the LGBT community? Email them to lgbt@ohio.edu, tweet @oulgbtcenter with #qaqueer or post to the center’s Facebook page, oulgbtcenter. Individuals who submit questions will appear anonymously in our responses.
