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The AfterEllen.com Huddle: LGBTQ History Month

We have June for Pride, but October is for History. All this month, we celebrate our lesbian past – our herstory, if you will. So what’s a good way to participate? Well, we all have some different ideas for you.

Get to it, bloggers.

Heather Hogan: I don’t want to brag (yes, I do) but I’m kinda awesome at carving jack-o-lanterns. Last year, these beauties were on display on the walkway to my front porch on Halloween.

The Halloween before last, I carved a really intricate Sirius Black pumpkin, and it was glorious. Except half of my trick-or-treaters didn’t know he was Harry Potter’s godfather; they thought he was Jesus. They kept being like, “God bless you, too!” And I was like, “No! Mischief managed!” But they didn’t get it. I guess that’s when I realized that jack-o-lanterns can be used for more than decorations. They can be used as tools for political and social messages! If Jesus can make an appearance, why not carve some pumpkins this October for LGBTQ History Month? Here are just a couple of ideas, off the top of my head.

Suze Orman‘s DENIED!-o-lantern is sure to be a hit among your frugal trick-or-treaters. Or how about Rachel Maddow‘s glasses? Or, if you want to go with a classic, how about a line from Gertrude Stein? Make sure to hand out good candy, though; you don’t want kids to start associating lesbian icons with those disgusting, generic orange and black candies that taste like “peanut buttter.”

Meg Streit: My girlfriend and I recently had dinner with her family and some friends of the family. When we left the restaurant, my gf casually mentioned that one of the family friends seemed kind of uncomfortable with us — and she suggested that it might be because we are gay. I was literally bewildered. I had noticed this guy was acting a little weird at dinner, but I just assumed that he was shy, uninteresting or dumb. It honestly never even occurred to me for a nanosecond that he might not enjoy sharing a meal with a pair of charming and witty lesbians. Never. Even. Crossed. My. Mind.

I live in a world where homophobia, by and large, does not exist. So it confuses me when it happens. I go wherever I want and I feel comfortable being affectionate with my girlfriend in public. Once my lady and I were driving past Chicago’s Wrigley Field on game day with our convertible top down, and some drunk idiot yelled, “Saabs are for fags!” I said, “Thank you.” I thought it was a compliment. (If Saabs are for fags, I wonder what unsuccessful, overweight ex-frat boys drive?)

Anyway, it might seem like I am just oblivious to blatant homophobia, but the point is that I have that luxury. But, I am not so oblivious that I forget what a luxury that is. I know that if I had been born a decade earlier, my life would have been very different. I also know that if it weren’t for the lesbians and gay men who paved the road for me, I would not be able to live in such blissful ignorance. If the generation of gays before me didn’t have the courage to come out, to organize protests, to lobby to change laws, then I would not be able to live as freely as I do. So, in their honor and to celebrate Gay History Month, I am going to be as flagrantly gay as possible all month long — just because I can!

Drummerdeeds: This LGBTQ history month, I’m toasting some good whiskey to all of the wise and queer older ladies before me: Ellen, Rosie, Wanda, Meredith Baxter, Melissa Etheridge and Tila Tequila (she, after all, was the one who paved the way for Ellen’s coming out, right?).

Also, since it’s the month during which we celebrate a holiday dedicated to using our imaginations, I’m channeling my inner Pagan spirits to sing a duet of “Come to My Window” with Brittany S. Pierce, who will hopefully be dancing in circles around/upon me to another time and place. It’s LGBTQ history month, ladies – dream big!

Grace Chu: Not only is October LGBTQ history month, it also contains the holiday that serves as an excuse for grown women with corporate jobs to dress up like prostitutes and get away with it: Halloween, of course. This month, instead of running around in ill-fitting reflective underwear and shoes with clear heels, dress up as your favorite queer lady, queer icon, or queer television/film character. Buy a bunch of clear balloons and go as Lady Gaga in her bubble dress. Grab a buddy, a couple of lab coats and go as Calzona from Grey’s Anatomy.

I already have my costume. In a moment of insomnia-induced bad decision making, I bought a bullhorn to bring to Dinah Shore 2011. 10,000 lesbians and a mouthy little Asian chick with a portable loudspeaker seemed like an excellent idea. Then it arrived, and I realized it was probably not a wise decision to use it anywhere in public. But on Halloween all bets are off. I bought a red tracksuit, a short blonde wig, a whistle and a stopwatch. Instant Sue Sylvester.

So if you see a small Taiwanese girl in a blonde wig running around in various locales downtown, screaming at passersby about “secret gays” on October 31, say hi!

Megan Hargroder: How to celebrate LGBTQ History Month: New Orleans style.Huge event starting with speeches and presentations, then a second line (note: a second line is like a parade but where people just walk/dance down the street from one place to another; usually accompanied by a walking jazz band), then end at a huge concert full of badass LGBTQ musicians.

Courtney Gillette: My favorite kind of history is the oral kind, so I’d think there’s no better way to get cozy with LGBT history than to seek out some awesome LGBT elders and hear their stories. In a society that’s totally youth obsessed, queer old folk are often forgotten, which is terrible, considering how much history and change they’ve probably seen in their day. Just the opening scenes of Milk, showing those raids on gay and lesbian bars not so long ago, made me realize how different it was back then, and how important those stories are. Oral history interviews – whether formal, or just a chat – are a phenomenal way to both learn and validate the lives of LGBT folks whose voices aren’t normally heard.

You can get involved with LGBT older adults’ rights through organizations like Sage, or the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. And if you’d like to take some time to visit and talk with an LGBT elder, there are dozens of gay and lesbian retirement communities that would totally welcome visitors. Make it a real oral history excursion with the help of Storycorps, the national oral history archive. You can download a DIY oral history kit, or order one of their more complete packages, to help you interview and record the stories of any old queer folk you talk to. I’m thinking of skipping one October weekend of apple picking for some quality time with some old dykes.

Trish Bendix: If you are lucky enough to live in a larger city, there are likely events going on, like LGBT-themed art exhibits, speeches and readings that you can participate in. But if you are on your own to celebrate October, here are a few ideas: Read memoirs/biographies by and about lesbians. I don’t care if it’s about Gertrude Stein or Kate Clinton; you’ll learn something. These can be found at your local feminist bookstore or in the Gay and Lesbian section that even Borders and Barnes and Noble has (no matter how small it may be).

If movies are more your speed, there are those, too! Aimee & Jaguar, The Secret Diaries of Anne Lister, Tipping the Velvet – old school dramas of what it was like to be gay back in the day (fictionalized, but still). My person recommendation: The Heretics, a documentary about the women behind one of the first feminist magazines in existence. Very, very lesbian-oriented.

Music also counts. Dig up some records/MP3s from women like Alix Dobkin who was among the first to sing about lesbian love. You’ll laugh, but you’ll also be able to appreciate it for what it is: revolutionary at a time gone by.

How will you be celebrating LGBTQ History Month?

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