Washington University students recognize the importance of LGBTQIA* history month through events honoring the LGBTQIA* community.

The events include Asexual Awareness Week, International Lesbian Day and most recently, National Coming Out Day among others. All are devoted to the celebration of diverse elements of gender identity and sexuality.

The Washington University Pride Alliance will continue to organize events for LGBTQIA* students and allies to promote a sense of community and affirmation on campus.

Photo by Curran Neenan

The Legacy Wall, a mobile, digital exhibit illustrating the victories and achievements of national and international LGBTQIA* figures, was displayed in Hillman Hall until Oct. 11.

Various student groups also plan to promote awareness of LGBTQIA* history by hosting a number of events over the course of the month, including a Pride Alliance general body meeting on the month Oct. 18.

“The event will focus on international queer history, from the Stonewall riots in America, to Magnus Hirschfeld’s work in Berlin, to discrimination under apartheid and legal protections afterward in South Africa,” Pride Alliance executive board member junior Max Jenkins wrote in a statement to Student Life.

“To me, this month symbolizes a remembrance period of all the struggles the LGBTQIA* community went through in their lives,” freshman Eliot Magalnik said. “All the struggles with gay rights, legalizing gay marriage—the struggles with hate and discrimination in the workplace.”

Pride Alliance also hosted a National Coming Out Day photo opportunity Oct. 11.

“I actually came out on Instagram on Coming Out Day this year, so it was really my chance to let everyone know my identity and to feel secure in it,” freshman Izzy Yanover wrote in a statement to Student Life. “The day itself also made me feel like a part of the community because I could look at other people coming out with the same identity as me and feel validated.”

Student groups such as SafeZones, LGBTQ Med and Transcending Gender have all created spaces for open discussion and peer support on campus in order to create opportunities for LGBTQIA* students to become familiar with and confident in their respective identities.

While organizations such as Pride Alliance work to create a culture of acceptance and comfort for queer and questioning students on campus, students recognize the importance of replicating these accomplishments on a larger level.

“It’s easy to forget that our liberal college campus isn’t indicative of the rest of the city, state or country, so we’re susceptible of falling under the illusion that it is safe to be queer,” senior Sylvia Yu wrote in a statement to Student Life. “I have to remind myself [that] there’s still much to be done in terms of de-stigmatization.”