LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — While many celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride in June, celebrations also happen in October, which is LGBT History Month.
"Pride is really about sort of marking that moment in time where we began to try to advocate for our civil rights and with the Stonewall riots," Melvin Beavers said with the University of Arkansas Little Rock. "During October, you'll also come across celebrations as part of LGBT History Month. It's a time to think more in terms of, 'How can we educate the public about the history of members of the LGBTQ+ community?'"
Beavers said LGBT History Month was started by a Missouri teacher in 1994.
"He was looking for ways to help his students understand the holocaust and what it was like," Beaver said. "What it was particularly like to be a gay person, right, or to be someone that was out, and if you were out, you were marked with a pink triangle."
According to Beavers, the teacher used it to connect his students to the material he was teaching while including his own experiences.
"He wanted his students to be able to connect that to that story," Beavers said. "He wanted to use that to share part of his experience by coming out to his students."
Since then, the month has been recognized worldwide, sharing the milestones and accomplishments of the community throughout history.
"Want to make sure that we're taking opportunities to educate ourselves about the experiences and the lives of a community that's been historically marginalized," Beavers said.
Beavers said keeping those stories front and center by sharing experiences is essential.
"It helps create a community [and] helps folks see themselves reflected in that community," Beavers said. "Ultimately, what it does is it creates a center of belonging."
He encourages those who want to learn more to utilize the resources here in Central Arkansas.
"Those are the ways we sort of remove and eliminate stereotypical thinking," Beavers said.
The University of Arkansas Little Rock is holding a banned book panel discussion on Thursday night. The panel includes someone from the school's history department and the Central Arkansas Library System.
The event is from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on campus.