“Thirty years ago this month – on the evening of October 3, 1994 – a few dozen students at the University of Missouri–St. Louis gathered inside a small auditorium to kick off a film festival to celebrate the first Lesbian and Gay History Month, as it was called at the time.
Ten films were screened on four successive Monday nights – documentaries like Before Stonewall (1984), Silent Pioneers (1985), and West Coast Crones: A Glimpse into the Lives of Nine Old Lesbians (1991; as well as feature films like Parting Glances (1986) and the closing-night special, The Boys in the Band (1970).
Back then, LGBTQ+ history was largely still closeted. We hoped in successive years that this new month would be recognized at secondary schools, in higher education, and in communities nationwide. That night, however, we didn’t know if anyone would even join us or if the entire concept of an LGBTQ+ History Month was doomed to failure…”
[Read the full article at lgbtqnation.com]