LGBTQ History Month

Every October, The Ohio State University recognizes LGBTQ History Month and sponsors a month-long series of events that highlight and celebrate LGBTQ+ communities of the past and the present through programming, visibility campaigns and educational events. LGBTQ History Month focuses on developing a sense of belonging and empowerment for the LGBTQ community. We highlight and celebrate the vast history of LGBTQ communities across campus and globally.

Are you hosting an event for LGBTQ History Month? Let us know! Submit your event, and we'll add it to this calendar!

Calendar of Events

Trans 101 (DICE)

Date: Monday, October 2, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom

This workshop explores best practices for engaging with and supporting transgender and gender non-conforming students and communities at The Ohio State University. The workshop is recommended for faculty, staff, and students. During this 1-hour and 30-minute session, participants will gain a greater understanding of transgender identities and the systems of oppression that affect their community, as well as strategies for creating gender inclusive spaces. Registration is required

LGBTQ History Month Kick-Off Dinner

Date: Monday, October 2, 2023
Time: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Location: Ohio Union, Great Hall Meeting Room (1st floor)

To kick-off LGBTQ History Month, join the Center for Belonging and Social Change for our dinner social! This event is open to LGBTQ Buckeyes and allies to connect and celebrate. The night will also feature The Coming Out Monologues, an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and faculty at Ohio State to share their stories of coming out and living authentically. With any remaining time, there will be an open mic for anyone to come up and share their coming out story. Please RSVP to attend and/or speak.

National Coming Out Day: Out & Fabulous Photo Op

Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Location: Ohio Union, Center for Belonging and Social Change - front lounge

Happy National Coming Out Day! Whether you're coming out for the first time or the millionth, celebrate NCOD with the Center for Belonging and Social Change. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to come to the front lounge of the CBSC to have an “out & fabulous” photo taken that can be shared on social media or simply kept as a token of personal pride. If you let us share your picture on our Instagram (cbsc_osu) you get a prize!

EHE Pride Celebrates National Coming Out Day

Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Time: 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Location: PAES A111 (Physical Activity and Education Services)

A time for LGBTQ+ students and allies in the College of Education and Human Ecology to come together and celebrate our coming out stories! Food and drinks will be provided! For more information, contact Brandon Hines at hines.383@osu.edu.

Fisher Celebrates National Coming Out Day

Date: Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Time: 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Mason Hall Lobby

Every year on October 11, National Coming Out Day, the Undergraduate Leadership and Engagement Office (ULEO) at Fischer College of Business celebrates members of the LGBTQ+ community by honoring their bravery in their coming-out journey. Stop by the ULEO table in the Mason Hall Lobby to support and stand in solidarity. For more info, visit fisherosu.campuslabs.com/engage/event/9491049..

Meet the Sheroes: A Night of Jack's/Summit Station Nostalgia

Date: Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Time: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Location: Ohio History Connection (800 E. 17th Ave, Columbus, Ohio)

Come meet the cast of Free Beer Tomorrow, a documentary that tells the story of Jack's/Summit Station, Ohio's longest running lesbian-owned and operated bar! Hear stories from the bar in the 1970s and early 1980s, enjoy LGBTQ exhibits, catch up with friends, and celebrate National Coming Day and LGBTQ History Month! Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7:15 p.m. Snacks and water will be provided. Learn more and get tickets at tickettailor.com/events/friendsofsummitstation/986141#.

This event is brought to you by the Ohio History Connection, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Ohio Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Podcast Club

Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Time: 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Location: Ohio Union, Center for Belonging and Social Change - front lounge

The Podcast Club meets once a month to discuss a podcast episode chosen by the CBSC team, which will be connected to the history and heritage months we celebrate. In celebration of LGBTQ History Month in October, our podcast episode this month is The Lavender Scare from NPR's Throughline. The episode aired August 10, 2023. Starting in the 1950s, thousands became victims of a purge on gay and lesbian federal employees, ordered at the highest levels of the U.S. government, through a program spurred by a panic that destroyed careers and lives and lasted more than forty years. Today, it's known as the "Lavender Scare." In a moment when LGBTQ+ rights are again in the public crosshairs, we tell the story of the Lavender Scare: its victims, its proponents, and a man who fought for decades to end it.

Like a book club, we ask that you listen to the episode ahead of time and then join us for a discussion.

Finding Community: LGBTQ Speed Friending

Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Location: Ohio Union, Center for Belonging and Social Change, Alonso Family Room

At a large university like Ohio State, finding your community can be challenging, especially if you identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. The Center for Belonging and Social Change is here to help! Join us for a night of LGBTQ speed friending. Have some snacks and make some new connections! This event is open to all LGBTQIA+ students at Ohio State. Please RSVP to attend.

LGBTQ 101 (DICE)

Date: Friday, October 20, 2023
Time: 11 a.m. - noon
Location: Zoom

This 1-hour workshop provides an overview of LGBTQ identities, terminology, and history. LGBTQ 101 is open to students, faculty, and staff interested in learning more about the LGBTQ+ community. Registration is required. To register, go to: go.osu.edu/lgbtq101.

Public Square: LGBTQ+ Focus

Date: Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: Page Hall, Policy Forum (1st Floor)

The Public Square: The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs & Administration (NASPAA) is the global organization for Public Policy & Public Administration higher ed programs and where they obtain accredited status. In NASPAA’s DEIJA Action Plan Values, they include the following assertion: “NASPAA will be a leader and active collaborator in building a public square where all members and member institutions can share beliefs, thoughts, and viewpoints in a civil, safe, and respectful space.” LET’S MAKE IT LOCAL!

This event, hosted by the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, provides students, faculty, staff, and alumni the opportunity to gather to discuss timely topics in a civil, safe, and respectful atmosphere, complete with ground rules. Come as you can, leave as you need to. Enjoy pizza and conversation – nobody needs to be an expert or lead the discussions. Readings, videos, podcasts, etc., will be suggested by the College’s DEI Committee and distributed beforehand, so that we can inform and educate ourselves on the topic at hand. In honor of October being LGBTQIA+ History Month, the topic will be LGBTQ+ History and current policies that are affecting or could affect LGBTQIA+ communities. This is an RSVP event, because pizza and salad will be served. For any questions, contact Kate Hallihan at hallihan.3@osu.edu.

Film Screening: She Kills Monsters

Date: Thursday, October 26 - Friday, November 3, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Building - Proscenium Theatre (1932 College Road)

The Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Art presents a screening of the film She Kills Monsters. While grieving the loss of her parents and younger sister Tilly, Agnes Evans uncovers Tilly’s secret—she’s a Dungeon Master. After finding Tilly’s notebook containing a Dungeons and Dragons campaign while packing the family home in Athens, Ohio, Agnes embarks on a quest to New Landia, a fantastical world filled with demons, elves, fairies, and other magical beings, created by Tilly to escape the drudgery and torment of the mundane world. Agnes comes to terms with her family’s deaths in this action-packed comedy that blends 90s pop culture with the fantasy role-playing world of geek culture. Learn more at theatreandfilm.osu.edu/events/she-kills-monsters. For more information, contact J Briggs Cormier at cormier.5@osu.edu.