For the month of October, the NC State GLBT Center is running its GLBT History Month event series in celebration of LGBT History Month. LGBT History Month was established in 1994, when Rodney Wilson, then a teacher at a St. Louis high school, made the decision that he was going to teach his students about the contributions of LGBTQ+ people in history. National Coming Out Day is celebrated on Oct. 11, which was when the Second National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights took place in 1987.

This year, the GLBT History Month theme is “take flight.” The theme celebrates all people, whether they are beginning or continuing their journeys with the LGBTQ+ community.

There are two events and two workshops coming up in celebration of the month. On Thursday, Oct. 24, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., the GLBT Center will be hosting prominent LGBTQ+ leaders of organizations, businesses and agencies in the Triangle area at the Triangle LGBTQ+ Community History Panel. The panel will take place in Room 356 of Witherspoon Student Center and will be discussing the history of LGBTQ+ people in the Triangle and their experiences.

On Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 6-8:30 p.m., the GLBT Center will be showing “Upstairs Inferno,” and a discussion of the film will follow. The film documents the burning of a New Orleans gay bar called the Upstairs Lounge. For 40 years, this event was considered the largest mass murder of gay people in United States history. The film will be screened in the GLBT Center Lounge in Suite 5230 of Talley Student Union.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 1-3 p.m., there will be a workshop titled Not Driven by Desire: Asexuality and Aromanticism. This event will be held in room 4280 of Talley Student Union and will focus on educating attendees on the experiences of asexual and aromantic people on campus and in the community.

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 9-11 a.m., there will be a workshop titled Trans 101 in room 3285 of Talley Student Union. This workshop will be focusing on and educating attendees on the experiences of transgender students on campus and in the community.