A series of flags representing the LGBTQIA+ community were placed Friday on the Student Union in commemoration of LGBTQIA+ month. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

Northwest Missouri State University commenced its celebration of LGBTQIA+ Month Friday with a flag-raising ceremony and will continue with a series of events to educate students and the community.

LGBTQIA+ month, which is celebrated throughout the month of October, gives people opportunities to share, understand and commemorate LGBTQIA+ history. The series of flags – which include the Pansexual Flag, Non-Binary Flag, Philadelphia’s People of Color Inclusive Flag, Genderfluid Flag and Genderqueer Flag – will be displayed at the west entrance of the J.W. Jones Student Union through the month.

“First and foremost, we celebrate LGBTQIA+ history month because representation matters,” Brittany Roberts, a diversity and inclusion coordinator at Northwest, said. “We celebrate great members of this community and the achievements that have been made through history. This is a time to be open to others, learn, build up a community and provoke change.”

LGBTQIA+ History Month began in 1994 to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. The month-long celebration is celebrated in October to commemorate the LGBTQIA+ rights marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 and coincides with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.

A list of other LGBTQIA+ History Month activities at Northwest is provided below. All activities are free and open to the public. All attendees are expected to follow Northwest’s COVID-19 mitigation measures.

For more information about LGBTQIA+ History Month activities at Northwest, contact Roberts at broberts@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1517.

Film: “Moonlight”

6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13; Colden Hall 3500

The 2016 film based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s unpublished semi-autobiographical play depicts three stages of a young black man’s life: childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. The film explores difficulties he faces with his sexuality and identity, including the physical and emotional abuse he endures while growing up.

Presentation: “LGBTQIA+ and the Battle Against the Concept”

7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27; J.W. Jones Student Union Tower View Room

Dr. Rikki Charlene Frucht, a Northwest professor emerita of history, will discuss “LGBTQIA+ and the Battle Against the Concept.” Frucht retired as a professor of history at Northwest in 2008 after 28 years. In addition to service as chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, she authored and edited numerous publications, including the award-winning “Encyclopedia of Eastern Europe,” and led student trips to destinations across Europe, Russia and Egypt.