Prologue:
The USA observance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer+ (GLBTQ+) history month was founded in 1994 by a Missouri high school (secondary school) teacher named Rodney Wilson. His intent was to provide role models, build community and offer a civil rights statement of the efforts and the achievements of the growing GLBTQ+ community and culture.
The emerging GLBTQ+ History Month was endorsed by Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Education Association (NEA) and other prominent organizations, such as the Gay Lesbian Students Educators Network (GLSEN) and Equality Forum.
The Equality Forum is a national (USA) GLBTQ+ civil rights organization with an educational focus. Equality Forum coordinates GLBTQ+ history month observances, produces documentary films, sponsors high impact social initiatives and hosts an annual GLBTQ+ civil rights conference.
One of the best, exciting and rewarding purposes of any facet of herstory/history is the knowledge and the reality it grants, instills and provides all of us. Our (GLBTQ+) story is one of the most “stories” that is underway. It is slowly gaining acceptance, analysis and recognition throughout the entire world even while we are reading this posting here now.
For and endless amount of time, what we now identify and label as the GLBTQ+ community and culture was ignored, illegal, obscure and unrecognized due to the fact of our forebearers being what and who they were judged to be: outcasts, perverts and sinners. Our people were determined by society to be less and lower than subhumans and we were deliberately, historically and intentionally condemned, excluded, prosecuted and overlooked.
This resulted in the reality that for centuries, our existence was eliminated as often were our lives. This frequently left us with absolutely no story to share except hatred, marginalization and oppression.
The earliest focus of the GLBTQ+ history month concept was primarily on the current (contemporary) examples of accomplishment and achievement within our community. This aided in our interpretation and understanding of “where” we were. Now, we are surpassing that scope and can include episodes and individuals from our past! Our growth is in our accepting, appreciating, knowing, learning and understanding our communal development!
The 2026 USA GLBTQ+ History Month honorees are listed below:
For biographical information on this year’s honourees, please visit the history month link at the conclusion of the listing.
Giorgio Armani, fashion designer
Gabriel Attal, first gay French prime minister
Alvin Baltrop, photographer
Frieda Belinfante, cellist and conductor
Michael Bennett, choreographer and director
Rachel Crandall-Crocker, transgender activist
Barry Diller, media
Ernestine Eckstein, gay pioneer
Laila El-Metoui, GLBTQ+ educator
Edward Erminful, fashion editor
Andrea Gibson, poet activist
Marsden Hartley, modernist painter
Muhsin Hendricks, Islamic GLBTQ+ activist
Patricia Highsmith, novelist
Robert Joffrey, choreographer and dancer
Julie Johnson, USA congresswoman
Lani Ka’ahumanu, bisexual activist writer
King James I, monarch, Great Britain
Calvin Klein, fashion designer
Abraham Lincoln, president US
Chris Pappas, US congressman
Pauline Park, transgender activist
Paul Rudolph, architect
Amber Ruffin, actor, comedian, writer
St. Vincent, guitarist, singer, songwriter
Jessica Stern, diplomat
Charles Sumner, 19th century senator
Jewel Thais-Williams, GLBTQ+ activist
Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, sexologist
Alok Vaid-Menon, comedian
Edmund White, novelist
Congratulations to all of the 2026 honourees!
For additional information and to nominate 2027 recipients, please use the link below.
Naked hugs!
Roger Poladopoulos/ReNude Pride: Guys Without Boxers!
Author’s Note: The next post entry here is planned for tomorrow, Friday, October 2, 2026, and the proposed topic is: “October Footnote!”
