LGBT History Month is the month-long observance celebrating the milestones and impacts made by LGBTQIA+ individuals and movements throughout history. Every October events and programs are held to honor LGBTQIA+ figures and role models, build stronger community, and acknowledge the contribution and strides made by the LGBTQIA+ community. Additionally, October 11th is recognized as National Coming Out Day, to both commemorate the first and second marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 for LGBTQIA+ rights and create awareness about LGBTQIA+ lives.
Events
Below are highlighted events, but be sure to check the University Calendar for a full listing of events happening across the University.
TransPride Pittsburgh Health & Wellness Conference
October 6th- 8th | Virtual Conference
The 2022 TransPride Health and Wellness Conference perseveres during a time when transgender and gender diverse individuals, particularly young people, are the targets of a coordinated legislative campaign that seeks to revoke their rights to participate in sports as their affirmed gender while also criminalizing and denying critical access to gender-affirming care. This conference rallies against these issues by centering the lives and lived experiences of the transgender and gender non-conforming community.
Registration starts at $25 for Allies, Supporters, and Students; Register for the conference.
For more information about the conference, please visit TransPride Pittsburgh.
Bodies/Magic
Thursday, October 6th | 3:30–5pm| University Art Gallery in Frick Fine Arts
The work of trans artist Greer Lankton, from her artist’s book Medical Magic to her elaborate, unsettling dolls, explored and challenged ideas about the body and self-invention. This Center for Creativity workshop will include a visit with the Lankton exhibition in the University Art Gallery; staff from the University Counseling Center will facilitate conversation about the way we perceive ourselves and others. Participants will then have a chance to create dolls of their own.
Learn more and register for Bodies/Magic
SOGIE 101 presented by Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation
Friday, October 7th | 1-2:30pm | Zoom
Facilitated by Jule Arney (Xe/They), Director of Training & Research at Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation, SOGIE 101 (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) seeks to provided participants with introductory cultural competence addressing LGBTQ+ terminology and experiences with the goal of creating more inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ community members.
Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation seeks to improve the health of the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities. Jule Arney, our facilitator, has over 15 years of expertise in developing and facilitating LGBTQIA+ trainings and workshops for a wide variety of industries and audiences. Learn more about Hugh Lane’s services and training offerings.
Pitt Homecoming LGBTQIA+ Happy Hour
Friday, October 7th | 6-8pm | 5801 (5801 Ellsworth Ave, PGH, PA 15232)
Pitt LGBTQIA+ Alumni, Faculty, Staff, and Graduate/Professional Students are invited to social event as a part of the University’s Homecoming festivities! This event is open to all in the Pitt community who are 21+.
RSVP for Pitt Homecoming Happy Hour
Pitt Pride on the Patio
Tuesday, October 11th | 10am-2pm | William Pitt Union Patio
Hosted by the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, come celebrate both LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day with us on the William Pitt Union Patio! In addition to a campus and community organization fair, we will have fair-style snacks and treats. We will also have a tie-dye station for you to show your Pitt Pride with all the colors of the rainbow!
RSVP for Pride on the Patio in advance for exciting Door Prizes!
Interested in Tabling? Contact Zach Davis for more information.
Going In on Coming Out
Tuesday, October 11th | Noon-1pm | Hybrid (William Pitt Union Lower Lounge and Zoom)
Register for Going In on Coming Out
“Coming out” is a traditional metaphor used to describe to disclosure of someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. Targeted at faculty and staff, this event will be comprised of a panel of Queer students and employees sharing their coming out journeys and offering advice to faculty and employers on how to create a welcoming environment for LGBTQIA+ students and employees. Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.
Curator Tour: Greer Lankton: Science Fictions
Wednesday, October 12th | Noon-1pm | Frick Fine Arts Building
Join curator Isaiah Bertagnolli for a walk-through of the exhibition and a discussion of Lankton’s art and life. This event is free and open to all.
Drawn from Greer Lankton’s archive at the Mattress Factory, this exhibition, hosted by the University Art Gallery, explores how her sculptures and drawings imagine subjects that live beyond the male-female binary. Greer Lankton (1959-1986) was a pioneering transgender artist who probed myths of sex and gender in her work. The Greer Lankton exhibit runs from September 16th to December 09th.
Everybody Has a Secret Face: Queer Horror and Poetry
Tuesday, October 18th |6:30–8pm | C4C: The Workshop (lower level of the University Store on Fifth)
Explore horror films and poetry writing from a queer perspective in this generative writing workshop.
Horror cuts right to the heart of our hidden fears and desires. For decades, queer horror fans have found dark reflections of our lives and experiences in scary movies. In this workshop, participants mine horror film imagery to find poetic inspiration, exploring the scenes that haunt us to write about what's terrifying, intriguing, or maybe even attractive in this genre.
No previous writing experience is required: beginners welcome.
Learn more and register for Everyone has a Secret Face.
Queering Multiple Minority and Intersecting Identities
Friday, October 28th | 3pm | Zoom
This panel discussion will explore the experiences of individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community with multiple intersecting identities. Examples of these identities include but are not limited to racial identities, sexual minorities, marginalized gender identities, the aging, individuals with disabilities, and socio-economic status (past and present). Panel participants represent a wide array of individuals with both lived experiences and are known for their contributions to the movement addressing the exclusion of marginalized individuals within the LGBTQIA community.
Register for Queering Multiple Minority and Intersecting Identities
Panel Speakers
Jule Arney (Xe/They) trainer at Hugh Lane
Tracy C. Baton, LCSW (She/her) Clinical supervisor at Hugh Lane
Dakota R. Rottino-Garilli, MSW (She/They) MSW alum, abolitionist activist
Kathy Boyle, MSW (She/her). Aging activist for LGBTQ seniors, former director of PITT AIDS TASK FORCE (now Allies for Wellbeing)