Northwest honoring LGBTQ+ History Month with campus activities

Sept. 20, 2024 | By Sidney Bentz, communication assistant

Northwest Missouri State University's Office of Diversity and Inclusion invites students and the community to help celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month in October with events comprising a movie night, awareness teaching and bracelet making.

"We want all of our students to feel like they belong," Latonya Davis, a Northwest coordinator of diversity and inclusion, said. "Some people may have the wrong idea of the LGBTQ+ community, but we all have commonalities and there's nothing different. We want to make sure everybody knows that we see them."

The month's activities begin with an information booth at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, on the J.W. Jones Student Union's second floor. Representatives will hand out pride flags, stickers and buttons as well as spread awareness about LGBTQ+ issues.

The LGBTQ+ movie night is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, in the Student Union Boardroom. The featured movie is "Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution," a 2024 documentary exploring the history of LGBTQ+ stand-up comedy with personal stories from all-star performers.

On National Coming Out Day at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11, Safe Zone training will occur in the Student Union Boardroom to develop allies for the LGBTQ+ community.

The month's events conclude with "Love Is Love" beaded bracelet making at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the Student Union's Tower View Room.

LGBTQ+ History Month was established in 1994 to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. The month-long celebration takes place throughout October to commemorate the LGBTQ+ rights marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 and coincides with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.

Additionally, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will offer pride flags for various Northwest offices to display during the month.

For more information about LGBTQ+ History Month activities, contact Davis at [email protected] or 660.562.1584.