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LGBTQ+ History Month events
LGBTQ+ History Month is a month-long celebration that occurs in October to observe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer history. It also honors the history of gay rights.
In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history. The month, which garnered early support from organizations such as GLAAD and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), was initially chosen to include the by-then well-established National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 and the anniversary of the first march on Washington by LGBT people in 1979 on Oct. 14.
At MSU Texas, we invite all students, faculty, staff, and surrounding community to learn and honor LGBTQ+ History through a variety of events. For more information, visit https://www.glaad.org/blog/celebrate-lgbt-history-month
LGBTQ+ History Month Booth
October 4 @ 12 PM- 2 PM, CSC Food Court
Pick up informational handouts and a calendar!
Safe Zone Training
October 4 @ 12:30 PM- 2 PM, CSC Kiowa
Safe Zone Training increase the awareness, knowledge, and skills for individuals and addresses the challenges that exist when one wants to advocate for their LGBTQ peers, family members, friends, coworkers, and themselves. Creating safe zones or safe spaces is a proactive step schools, agencies, and corporations can take to create welcoming, inclusive spaces so that all people are empowered to reach their full potential. Please RSVP here and reach out to christopher.damico@msutexas.edu or jonathon.quam@msutexas.edu if you have any questions.
Self-Portrait Party!
October 6 @ 6 PM, Sikes Lake Center
Frida Kahlo inspired painting with the LGBTQ+ STAND Council.
P.R.I.D.E. National Coming Out Day
October 11 @ 11 AM- 6 PM, Sunwatcher Plaza
A door is displayed for students, faculty, and staff to symbolically “come out”.
Virtual Safe Zone Training
October 12 @ 2 PM- 3:30 PM, Zoom
Safe Zone Training increase the awareness, knowledge, and skills for individuals and addresses the challenges that exist when one wants to advocate for their LGBTQ peers, family members, friends, coworkers, and themselves. Creating safe zones or safe spaces is a proactive step schools, agencies, and corporations can take to create welcoming, inclusive spaces so that all people are empowered to reach their full potential. Please RSVP here and reach out to christopher.damico@msutexas.edu or jonathon.quam@msutexas.edu if you have any questions.
Movie & Discussion: Disclosure
October 13 @ 8 PM, Legacy MPR
Hollywood’s depiction of transgender people and the impact in the community.
LGBTQ+ CommuniTEA & Trivia
October 19 @ 6 PM, CSC Comanche
Test your LGBTQ+ knowledge! Free coffee, tea, and prizes!
P.R.I.D.E. Meeting
October 20 @ 5 PM, P.R.I.D.E Room
Stop by a P.R.I.D.E meeting to learn how you can get involved!
P.R.I.D.E. Drag Show
October 22 @ 8 PM, Legacy MPR
Experience drag culture! See a variety of performances by drag queens and kings.
Grab a Pronoun Button
Stop by CSC 194 to grab a pronoun button! The purpose for pronoun buttons are to proactively give each individual the opportunity to define themselves.
Questions? Email mosaic@msutexas.edu
To request disability accommodation, please contact Disability Support Services (940) 397-4140 or disabilityservices@msutexas.edu at least one week prior to the event. Thank you.
@MSUTX_MOSAIC
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Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15, the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries, and lasts through October 15. This commemoration began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon B. Johnson and was then extended to a month-long observance in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. Today the Hispanic and Latino community makes up almost 1/5th of the U.S. population. At MSU Texas, we invite all students, faculty, and surrounding community to appreciate and celebrate Hispanic culture through a variety of events.
MSU Texas had a great celebration this 2021. Check out the video below to see highlights of events, and highlights of faculty, staff, and students.
Mario Ramirez (not in video)
My name is Mario Ramirez. I serve as the Director for Student Leadership and Involvement here at Midwestern State University. I am from a small border town in Texas called Eagle Pass, Texas. I was born there but grew up in TOWN IN SPANISH, which is the border town of Mexico to Eagle Pass. So most of my family is from TOWN NAME in all these different places from there going down all the way to South Mexico, but my parents and sisters they’re all from TOWN NAME.
What makes me proud to be Hispanic is definitely embracing my roots I think. I think when I was younger, when I grew up around a lot of Hispanic people so it was just common to feel that, but when I moved away from that area and realized it was a huge part of who I was or who I am I realized how much more I needed it and how much more I needed to appreciate it. So Hispanic culture or Latino culture to me is the food, the diversity, the people, the language, the arts, the crafts. A lot of that is what represent our roots. I love being a part of it and love being able to embrace it. I mean, I was born in the US so I am American but I do see myself as a, maybe some people see it as a Chicano or like a Tex-Mex but I embrace both cultures, but I still do care a lot about my Latino roots.
Hispanic Heritage Month to me represents the beautiful culture of Latino culture, or Latinx culture. I think that that’s super important to as a country for us to embrace the diversity of our people. We come from all walks of life, all different areas and regions, to near the oceans to near the mountains, to the rivers and all sorts of stuff and I think it’s just a beautiful culture and beautiful ancestry and tons of different diversity that comes with that. So being able to celebrate that and celebrate the fact that I the United States we all exist on a big dish that doesn’t blend in together but there are all different pieces and I think that is important to recognize.
One of the things I would say how being one of the very few Hispanic or Latino males as a staff or faculty member, I now recognize that it comes with an additional role. I do find that students, Hispanic students automatically are drawn to me and automatically seek me as an advisor or mentor or things like that which I didn’t recognize when I started working eight years ago that that was going to be a thing. I thought I would be a mentor to all, which I am, but I know populations, the Hispanic/Latino populations are automatically drawn to me and I think now I want to play a positive role model and mentor to them and being able to guide them because I did coming from a Latino background we experience similar things and our families cultures are very similar so we do see things through that lens so that allows us to be able to help them. And so, I really do respect the fact that I do want to be that role model and mentor and I am, I try to be as much as I can be so students can get the assistance or guidance they need
Dr. Erica Judie (not in video)
My name is Dr. Erica Judie and I am the Assistant Professor in the Respiratory Care Department and I am in my ninth year here at MSU. I am born and raised here in Wichita Falls, Texas. I guess it just kinda depends on who’s asking me. If somebody asks me where I’m from and they’re from here I say I’m here from Wichita Falls, born and raised here in Wichita Falls. But if somebody from Hispanic origin asks me where I’m from, I’m from TOWN NAME, Mexico
Well, there’s so many things when I think about being Hispanic that come to mind: family, food, culture, perseverance, hard work, sacrifice. If I had to pick one of those that makes me the proudest it would be hard work and perseverance. My family, not only my parents, but my family instilled that in us. Things are going to be thrown at you in life and you have to keep pushing forward and how you persevere and get through those tough times in life is what makes you the person you are. And so regardless of what those challenges might be you always have that family to fall back on, that culture and you know without a doubt that that crazy family that is huge; for instance, I have 147 cousins just on my dad’s side of the family. My abuelita, she just passed away, and we counted and there’s 147 of us. Of course, that’s grandkids and great-grandkids, but there’s 147 and counting. So, you know if something goes wrong it’s okay because you’re going to have family there. They’re going to be there, especially with the great food.
Hispanic Heritage Month is obviously to celebrate all of the people that have paved a path for the Hispanic population and kind of set that pathway for us. Of course, there’s so many famous people out there that can celebrate. If I have to really pick somebody that I want to celebrate or something I don’t know if I could pick a famous person, but my parents. They paved my path and so them, my aunts, my uncles they are who paved the path for my family to go forth and succeed. So that’s who I celebrate in Hispanic Heritage Month.
