Black History Month is a time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and courageous acts of people of African descent in the United States and around the world. This year, Black History month celebrates its 100th anniversary. And yet, Black History Month has failed to fully acknowledge or celebrate the contributions of Black LGBTQ+ people. Just as Pride Month remains overwhelmingly white in its representation, Black History Month continues to be deeply homophobic in its omissions.
Over 2,000 queer activists and organizers from across the U.S. descended on Washington, D.C., last week to attend Creating Change, the nation's foremost political, leadership, and skills-building conference for the LGBTQ+ movement. The event marked the conference's 38th annual gathering since it began in 1988. If you've never been, the six-day conference features over 100 workshops and caucuses, day-long identity-based institutes led by community educators, keynote presentations by distinguished activists, and awards ceremonies honoring trailblazing queer civil rights pioneers.
"Disability Pride Month enables me to reflect and appreciate my journey as an intersectional disabled, queer person of colour. It makes me value my life and achievements, despite having to deal with ableist behaviours and discriminations on a daily basis."
