During the month of October, Kent State will celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month with different educational opportunities, history lessons, and fun games and events. 

The history month is important because it brings awareness to the history of the LGBTQ+ community that may be lesser known to the majority of people, said Angela Molina, a second year graduate student earning her masters of public administration and the president of Pride! Kent.

During her time in a small middle school, Molina never knew same-sex attraction was something people could experience.

Now, Molina said that any young people who grow up without learning any history about the LGBTQ+ community is disheartening.

“If they don’t know the history of the community, it can be very isolating,” Molina said. “You can very much feel like you’re the only person in the world that’s ever experienced this, which is not true.”

In the American school system, students are taught a history that is not true for all Americans, according to Molina.

“It’s a very white cisgender heterosexual history usually focused on men,” Molina said. 

The LGBTQ+ Center will be hosting ally training on Oct. 7 and the training will also be offered at the Stark Campus on Oct. 28.

Education for allies of the LGBTQ+ community is very important, said Katie Matisse, the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Kent State. 

“In order for a lot of groups or movements to make movement and to push things forward, it’s kind of impossible to do it solely on our own,” Matisse said. “And so we need allies and we need people who don’t identify within the community to help us kind of push things forward. And in order to successfully do that and help us and be in solidarity with us, it requires a certain level of work and education.”

Another important educational event is a coming out day meeting, held by Pride! Kent through their Discord on Oct. 15.

“On this day we celebrate coming out, and if people aren’t ready to come out, we’re also not forcing people to come out,” Molina said. “It’s just a celebration of being able to come out of the closet. I think it’s really important to kind of celebrate that. It’s kind of like an honoring of all the LGBTQ+ people who came before, who couldn’t, or didn’t want to come out and also all the people who did and used their power to help move us forward.”

Bella Hagey is a diversity reporter. Contact her at [email protected]. 

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Hi, I’m Lauren Sasala, a senior journalism student from Toledo. I’m also the editor in chief of The Kent Stater and KentWired this semester. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important news about Kent State and the Kent community. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate.