October: GLBTQ History Month

In the USA, the month of October, annually, is celebrated as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer History Month (GLBTQ History Month). This observance is a national time to acknowledge, focus, highlight, learn and to review the numerous and frequently overlooked contributions made by GLBTQ persons to both our national and international societies. Many of these awesome efforts were offered before what’s now the GLBTQ community was ever appreciated and recognized.

As I have published here in the past, my Friday postings on ReNude Pride will feature vintage photographs of bare practicing (naturist or nudist) men enjoying themselves in antics or escapades of social nudity without shame. As often as possible, I’ll try to include as much background information on each and every image. This series will be entitled: “Photo-blog: GLBTQ History Month Friday.” 

“The Swimming Hole” by Thomas Eakins, 1885

The above work of art confirms the popularity of skinny-dipping (swimming naked) long before modern times. Actually, author Mark Twain wrote about the favored past-time before the artist even began his painting.

GLBTQ History Month is intended to encourage honesty, openness and pride about one’s sexuality. It also empowers educators to explore the numerous contributions and achievements this community has made in all of our lives.

GLBTQ History Month history

In the United States, GLBTQ History Month was first observed in 1994. It was founded by a Missouri high school (secondary school) teacher named Rodney Wilson. Wilson conceived of the idea, served on the first coordinating committee and he also chose October as the month of celebration (primarily because it was the same month as the National Coming Out Day celebration on October 11).

Along with Rodney Wilson, the first coordinating committee for GLBTQ History Month in 1994, also consisted of Kevin Jennings of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); Kevin Boyer of the Gerber/Hart Gay and Lesbian Library and Archives in Chicago, Illinois; Paul Varnell, a journalist with the Windy Times, also in Chicago; Torey Wilson, a Chicago area teacher; Johnda Boyce, a woman’s studies major at Columbus University in Ohio; and Jessea Greenman of the University of California – Berkeley.

Many gay and lesbian organizations openly supported the very first observance of GLBTQ History Month. Two state governors, William Weld of Massachusetts and Lowell Weicker of Connecticutt, signed endorsements of the event. The mayors of Boston, Massachusetts, (Thomas Menino), and Denver, Colorado, (Wellington Webb), both issued official proclamations recognizing October as GLBTQ History Month. The following year  the National Education Association (NEA) supported GLBTQ History Month by resolution at its General Assembly.

Initially, the celebration was known as the Gay and Lesbian History Month. After several observances, the label “bisexual” was added to the official designation. That same year, a number of conservative and fundamentalist religions began to offer criticism of the event. The Concerned Women for America went so far as to accuse the celebration as a form of “sexual indoctrination.”

The title for this designated month remains “history” focused and oriented as the labels for the communities being recognized continues to expand. It is now currently promoted and featured as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer history month – GLBTQ History Month. The haters continue to despise and hate and the number of celebrants and observances continues to increase.

GLBTQ Bare History Month

With the modern emergence of the GLBTQ community beginning on June 28, 1969, through the Stonewall Inn Riots in New York City, the appreciation of clothes freedom by the newly liberated GLBTQ followed. The 1960’s were infamous for the proliferation of “free love” and the pleasures of living naturally without the necessity of covering ones body. This newfound freedom was enjoyed by the growing number of GLBTQ community members who sought as much freedom as possible from the standard norm.

The naturist/nudist establishment was very typical in condemning and rejecting the advances of the emerging GLBTQ bare community. Few, if any, GLBTQ individuals were allowed membership in the naturist/nudist organizations already in existence and almost all of the clothing-optional facilities and resorts prohibited GLBTQ attendance and membership.

By the early 1980’s, anger and frustration over the blatant discrimination practiced by the naturist/nudist establishment led to the creation of many GLBTQ nudecentric (bare focused and designated) groups and organizations. These bare practicing social clubs were initially local and lacked any type of regional or larger determination.

This trend changed with the founding of two distinctive social groups for GLBTQ bare practitioners. These are International Men Enjoying Naturism (IMEN) and Gay Naturists International (GNI).  Click in the title of both or either one of the groups to visit.

GLBTQ Nude History Month and ReNude Pride

As I have in the past, here at ReNude Pride, we will observe October as not only a month to celebrate our being GLBTQ, but also a celebration of our being bare practitioners (naturist or nudist) as well. Every Friday during this month, vintage photographs will be featured here representing our community doing what it does best – clothes free!

As I have learned in the past, there isn’t always a sufficient amount of information of the persons reflected in these images. I’ll provide what I can and then encourage everyone reading or visiting here to use their imagination to create a possible scenario. The first posting takes place this upcoming Friday.

For additional information on GLBTQ History Month, click on the following link to be directed to the website: GLBTQ History Month. Below is a list of the 2019 Historical nominees featured on this site. The number assigned to the individual is the date the background is featured. Hopefully, as in the past, all the honorees are featured once their date arrives!

1. Ethel Allen
2. Kwame Anthony Appiah
3. Gladys Bentley
4. Jackie Biskupski
5. Kate Bornstein
6. Ana Brnabic
7. Pete Buttigieg
8. Eliza Byard
9. Brandi Carlile
10. George Chauncey
11. Lou Chibbaro, Jr.
12. Sharice Davids
13. Babe Didrickson
14. Cheryl Dunye
15. Lillian Faderman
16. Ronan Farrow
17. Jewelle Gomez
18. Emma Gonzalez
19. Sherente Harris
20. Rock Hudson
21. Robert Indiana
22. James Ivory
23. Anne Lister
24. Arthur Mitchell
25. Julia Morgan
26. Anaraa Nyamdorj
27. Jared Polis
28. Angela Ponce
29. Keshaw Suri
30. Lillian Wald
31. Edith Wharton

Happy 2019 GLBTQ Nude History Month!

Naked hugs!

Roger/ReNude Pride