October is LGBTQ+ History Month, and several events will be held at Missouri State University to celebrate it.
It was in Missouri where the month originated. In 1994, St. Louis area high school teacher Rodney Wilson believed a month should be dedicated to celebrating and teaching about gay and lesbian history and began an effort to make it happen, according to the websitelgbthistorymonth.com.
Events kick off Monday night, October 10, with Movie Night, featuring the queer film “Moonlight,” at 6 in the Plaster Student Union Theatre.
American transgender advocate, educator and social media influencer Kayden Coleman will give a talk at the PSU Theatre Tuesday night, October 10, at 7.
A voting awareness event will be held October 17 at 2 at the MSU Multicultural Resource Center. PROMO and MSU”s Paws to the Polls will talk about voting and advocacy.
The PRIDE Fair is set for 2 to 4 p.m. on October 27 in the PSU Ballroom and will be open to the public. Shy Wells, assistant director of Multicultural Programs and LGBTQ+ Student Services at MSU, said the event will allow attendees to connect with LGBTQ+ allies in the Ozarks.
"We really wanted the first one to be open to the idea that there is a community here in Springfield that notices individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and takes time to make sure that they have the same accessibility that everyone else does," said Wells.
You can find a list of allies at ozarksinclusionproject.org.
The month will wrap up with the International Queer Panel at 2:30 October 30 at the Multicultural Resource Center. International students will talk about their experience in the U.S. as queer individuals.
Wells said she believes knowledge is power, and MSU’s observance of LGBTQ+ History Month will provide that.
"It's a month long of being able to share history and talk about things," she said, "and have those conversations that maybe people are not aware of, which I think is really important."
MSU is the license holder for KSMU.