October is celebrated for many things, such as Asian Heritage Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. One celebration for this month that is very important is LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) History Month.
What is this you may ask? LGBT History month is a celebration of LGBT individuals who have contributed great things to both in and outside the LGBT community.
Take Lt. Dan Choi for example. He served in the US Army as an Arab linguist and was discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, a law that was created under the Clinton Administration back in the 90′s in order to protect LGBT soldiers. However, this law somehow evolved into a “witch hunt” type of law where if you are found to be gay or lesbian, you are automatically discharged from the military. Lt. Dan Choi has helped in bringing this issue to the nation, and in addition to his help and other military members who were discharged under this same law, attention was given to this issue, and on Sept. 20, 2011 at 12:00AM, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed for good.
Another great example also is Constance McMillen, who was involved at the famous 2010 Itawamba County High School Prom incident, where she was not allowed to go to prom because she was not allowed to bring her girlfriend as her date on her prom, and also was not allowed to wear a tuxedo. This has caused an uproar within the entire nation, and organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stepped in to help Constance with her fight against her school board for her right to attend prom.
(Pictured from Left to Right: Lt. Dan Choi, Constance McMillen) All rights to images belong to their respective owners.
Another example is Dan Savage, an author who is responsible for the project “It Gets Better”, which started with him and his partner posting a video on youtube sending out the message that “It Gets Better” even if life now as an LGBT person is difficult due to the challenges we face.
Click to see Dan Savage’s video here: It Gets Better by Dan Savage
These individuals I mentioned are just some of the individuals who have made a great impact within the LGBT community, and there are many more that are featured for this year’s LGBT History Month Celebration. For more information, you can check out http://lgbthistorymonth.com/ for more information on what LGBT History Month really is and also who will be the LGBT individuals featured each day of the week.
Back in 2008, I went to the nearest Emergency Room because of back pain that was ongoing for 5 days. I could not stand properly and there was a slight limp when I walked due to pain. It affected my activities of daily living and my concentration on school.
