Behind The Scenes Of LGBTQ History Month’s Name Change

By Sara Rizzo – Syracuse, N.Y. (CitrusTV) – It is a team effort to plan Syracuse University’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer History Month. During the month of October, SU’s LGBT Resource Center partners with many other organizations on campus to plan events for students.

Formally known as Coming Out Month, khristian kemp-delisser, the director of the LGBT Resource Center, said they want to celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ individuals rather than focus on the coming out aspect.

“We don’t want to pressure people to actually come out, that we can still celebrate history, you know, become aware and educate ourselves, but that can be done where it doesn’t require someone to come out and share whatever their identity with you or with the community,” kemp-delisser said.

The LGBT Resource Center partnered with several organizations including Hillel, The Disabilities Cultural Center and the College of Engineering to plan events around campus. Events this month included a Media Symposium for Queer and Transgender people of color, as well as mixers for LGBTQ students in the STEM community.

Annabelle Lee, a graduate assistant at the LGBT Resource Center, said she had a great experience interacting with students at Hillel this year.

“We had the Pride Shabbat with the Hillel center and we got to interact with those students because even though not every queer or gay student comes through our doors, it doesn’t mean that they’re not on campus and that we shouldn’t be coming to them, as well as them coming to us,” Lee said.

Overall, kemp-delisser thinks the month has been a success.

“We now have increased the visibility and the access to our resources and to our knowledge at this center in many different spaces,” kemp-delisser said.