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LGBTQIA2S+ History Month

LGBTQIA2S+ History Month was created in 1994 when Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school history teacher, felt that a specific month was needed to teach and celebrate LGBTQIA2S+ history. In 1995, the General Assembly of the National Education Association selected the month of October to commemorate LGBTQIA2S+ History Month. October was intentionally chosen since the academic year would be in session and to coincide with other traditions such as the first National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11, 1987) and the inaugural National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights (Oct. 14, 1979). 

During this time, Macalester College invites our community to learn about LGBTQIA2S+ history, center the stories of intersectional queer identities, and engage in meaningful and intentional action to support our queer community. 

 If you would like to have your event and/or program featured please submit it via our online form. 

Please note that the events below are coordinated by different organizations and departments at Macalester. Use the links below for further information or directly contact the event host with questions.

*LGBTQIA2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Trans, Queer and Questioning, Intersex, Asexual or Agender, and Two-Spirit)

Julia Bryan-Wilson: Queer Histories

Wed., Oct. 1 | 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | John B. Davis Lecture Hall (Campus Center)
Hosted by: Art and Art History

Julia Bryan-Wilson, Professor of Contemporary Art and LGBTQ+ Studies at Columbia University, will discuss her exhibition Queer Histories (2024–25) at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, exploring themes of queer representation, abstraction, and archives. A noted scholar and curator, her recent books include Louise Nevelson’s Sculpture (2023) and Fray (2017). She served as President of the 2024 Venice Biennale Jury and is Curator-at-Large at MASP. In 2025, she will open two major exhibitions: GUTSY (MoMA Warsaw) and Lotty Rosenfeld: Disobedient Spaces (Wallach Art Gallery).

Lavender Community Luncheon

Tue., Oct. 21 | 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
RSVP Form (Due to limited space, RSVP is required)
Hosted by: Institutional Equity | [email protected]

Institutional Equity invites our students, faculty, staff, and alumni to join us for our annual Lavender Luncheon in honor of LGBTQIA2S+ History Month.

This community luncheon will host guest speaker Giiwedin (they/them), an Ojibwe Two-Spirit Influencer and featured artist in the Queering Indigeneity exhibit at the MN Museum of American Art. They will share about how their art is informed/impacted by their Two-Spirit identity. Giiwedin will also share insights and advice on how LGBTQIA2S+ community members and allies can uplift stories that have been continually pushed into the margins. 

Giiwedin (they/them) is an Ojibwe Two-Spirit Influencer who is also an environmentalist who uses social media to share about their culture, indigenous and environmental issues, and queer indigenous history and acceptance. Their primary account is @giiwedinindizhinikaaz on Instagram with 200k+ followers and they were GLAAD and Teen Vogue’s 20 under 20 honoree for LGBTQ+ changemakers in 2022. They have also begun modeling in the Native Fashion world, walking at Native Fashion Week in Santa Fe and the first ever Indigenous New York Fashion Week. Giiwedin is also an advocate for the health of wild rice and teaches harvesting and processing through camps they host on their land in northern Minnesota.

Queering Indigenity at the MN Museum of American Art

Sat., Nov. 8 | 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | MN Museum of American Art
RSVP Form *Open to all students, faculty, and staff.
Hosted by: Institutional Equity and Program Board | [email protected]

Institutional Equity invites our campus community to visit the Queering Indigenity exhibit at the MN Museum of American Art. Transportation will be provided. Please stay tuned for updates!

  • Queering Indigeneity is a multi-year, multi-generational project that celebrates the vision and diversity of 2-Spirit, Native queer, gender expansive artists in the Upper Midwest. In seeking out and amplifying voices of Indigenous artists and culture bearers, the M, guided by Penny Kagigebi, hopes to influence the types of artists who are supported, seen, and centered at the museum, and to show both Indigenous and non-Indigenous visitors a more comprehensive and complex story of this region’s art and artists.

    Beginning in 2023, the M’s partnership with Kagigebi has emphasized opportunities for intergenerational transfer of knowledge and artmaking, such that community is nurtured among artists, and sustaining mentorships develop. The M’s legacy of community-guided collaboration paved the way for a project like Queering Indigeneity, which responds to Kagigebi’s leadership on radical commitment to Indigenous practices that support artists.

    There’s a confluence of beautiful potential when 2-Spirit, Native queer, and gender expansive relatives fully embody their gifts. However, disruption lingers in the form of boarding school-infused homophobia and health disparities in Native communities, and in the past has erased this demographic from traditional practices, ceremonies, and stories. 2-Spirit medicine carries tremendous potential for healthy and vibrant Tribal communities. Queering Indigeneity offers one pathway for 2-Spirit cultural reclamation.

    Queering Indigeneity artists include Sharon Day, Ryan Young, Delia Touché, Awanigiizhik Bruce, Niibawi Ajijaak, Awanaabe Syverson, Zoe Allen, Naawakamigookwe Lera Hephner, Noah Polk, Madeline Treuer, Chewie Mason, Asin-Gwiiwizens, Sav Jonsa, Giiwedin, Nick Metcalf, and Penny Kagigebi. (MN Museum of American Art)

For student-centered programming and spaces, please visit the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice for more information about their Identity Collectives and Qmmunity Connections. Follow their Instagram (@lsc_mac) for upcoming dates and times.

We also encourage you to explore the Gender & Sexuality Commons (GSC) in Kagin Commons 018 (lower-level).

Past Events and Programs

  • 2024

    Dialogue and Dinner with The Other Jeannie Retelle ’11

    Mon., Oct. 7 | 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | The Loch
    Hosted by: Institutional Equity

    Do you wanna hear a joke? Well she doesn’t have one.

    Institutional Equity invites our campus community to join us for a dialogue and dinner with The Other Jeannie Retelle, facilitated by American Studies Professor Duchess Harris. Our time with The Other Jeannie Retelle will be opened by her performance and then move into a facilitated dialogue. Jeannie will share about their student experience at Macalester ’11,  her journey into drag, and her artistic inspirations. If you have questions for Jeannie, please share them with us in the RSVP form.

    The Other Jeannie Retelle (he/she/they) is a Minneapolis-based fat liberationist, storyteller and organizer. She is a co-producer of Hot Pink at The Saloon, and founding member of Queerdo. She is also the director of The Other Show at Modist Brewing, The Other Haus Party at Bauhaus Brew Labs, The Other Fat Show at Black Hart of Saint Paul and Bumpers at LITT Pinball Bar.

    Some people call her your mom with a mustache, but you can call her the elephant in the room. Bringing heart, laughter and the unexpected, she may be original most of the time, but will never be the one and only. Uncompromisingly, she will always be The Other Jeannie Retelle.

    Lavender Community Luncheon

    Tue., Oct. 22 | 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
    Hosted by: Institutional Equity

    In honor of LGBTQIA2S+ History Month, Institutional Equity invites our campus community to join us for our community luncheon. This will be an opportunity to engage in community and build meaningful connections across campus while centering the stories and experiences of LBGTQIA2S+ students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

    Qmmunity Connections
    Drag 101: DIY Doll with Diora Doll

    Wed., Oct. 23 | 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Gender & Sexuality Commons (Kagin, Lower-Level)
    Hosted by: Qmmunity Connections

    Join us to learn about drag culture and history from our very own local drag queen, Diora Doll (@dioradawl)! Find out more about drag aesthetics, wardrobe, and performance! Bring your curiosity!
  • 2023

    Lavender Community Luncheon

    Tue., Oct. 3 | 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
    Hosted by: Institutional Equity

    In honor of LGBTQIA2S+ History Month, Institutional Equity invites our campus to attend our community luncheon. This will be an opportunity to engage in community and build meaningful connections across campus while centering LGBTQIA2S+ students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

    Qmmunity Connections: HallowQueen Makeup Workshop

    Mon., Oct. 16 | 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Gender & Sexuality Commons (Kagin 18)
    Hosted by: Qmmunity Connections

    With the holiday being one of the few opportunities for people to play with gender expression and express themselves freely, Halloween is often a favorite holiday amongst many Queer folks.

    Whether you’re unfamiliar with celebrating Halloween and looking to get inspiration for your fierce costume, or just looking for a fun time in playing with make-up, join drag artist Gemini Valentine as they teach a workshop in creating a Halloween-worthy make-up look. Bring your own make-up kit if you have one, we will have extras for you to use if needed!

    All make-up experience levels welcome!

    Fireside Chat & Dinner with Transforming Generations

    Mon., Oct. 23 | 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel – 117
    Hosted by: Institutional Equity

    Take a break from studying and join Institutional Equity for a fireside chat and dinner (Union, Hmong Kitchen) with Transforming Generations, a local Twin Cities non-profit dedicated to providing service and support to Hmong and Southeast Asian youth who are queer identifying and/or experiencing gender-based violence. Their services include queer justice programming, youth programming, holistic healing, community awareness, training and education.

    From Transforming Generations we will have: Xay Yang – Executive Director, Schoua Na Yang – Youth Organizing Coordinator, and Seng Xiong – Queer Justice Program Coordinator. Through storytelling, our panelists will share their stories, the history they have seen and experienced within the LGBT Hmong community and where we are headed.

    Meet our panelist:

      • Xay Yang (She/Hers)

          • Xay Yang currently serves as the Executive Director at Transforming Generations, a non-profit organization located in St. Paul, MN. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker with 15 years of experience working with Hmong/Southeast Asian families impacted by domestic violence/sexual assault, organizing LGBTQ+ community members and supporting marginalized youth. Xay’s clinical experiences span across the board from providing school-based therapy, community-centered therapy, working with Hmong men with addiction, as well as providing mental health support and advocacy services for victims/survivors of domestic violence/sexual assault.  Aside from providing direct services, Xay has also facilitated healing circles locally and nationally, provided LGBTQ+ competency and culturally specific mental health trainings to service providers, school personnel and county staff. Xay currently provides mental health therapy for kids 0-5 and their caregivers (dyadic work), play therapy for children ages 6-13, talk therapy to people ages 14+, and provides education sessions for Hmong/Southeast Asian parents who are supporting their LGBTQ+ children. Xay is the recipient of the 2023 Lavender Magazine Community Award.

      • Schoua Na Yang (They/Them)

          • Schoua Na is the Youth Organizing Coordinator at Transforming Generations. They’ve launched the youth programs Adventure Time and HeartBeat for Hmong and Southeast Asian youth of all gender identities, ages 12-17 yrs old. Combining outdoor activities with life skill education on healthy relationships, boundaries, consent, and teen dating violence topics. Using media art to create stories and important messages through the lens of young people. Schoua Na provides youth advocacy support for students in middle and high school. They are passionate in uplifting youth voices and creating more inclusive space for Hmong and Southeast Asian youth.

      • Seng Xiong (They/Them)

          • Seng Xiong is a queer second-generation Hmong American artist and community advocate that resides in the Twin Cities. Currently, they serve as the Queer Justice Coordinator at Transforming Generations, a non-profit agency dedicated to ending gender-based violence in Hmong & Southeast Asian communities. They’ve helped to launch and oversee the organization’s LGBTQ+ support group, Sib Hlub Circle, that has been going on since the height of the pandemic for the past 2.5 years. In their work, Seng seeks to provide ongoing assistance for individuals in need of resources and support that revolve around coming out, gender exploration, family structures and intimate partner violence.

    Redefining LGBTQIA2S+

    Tue., Oct. 31 | 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Markim Hall – Davis Court
    Facilitated by Mads Clark, Associate Director of the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice

    In this workshop, we will break down the evolution of the acronym LGBTQIA2S+ and expand on what it means to redefine and reclaim language. Additional highlights can include a timeline of the people’s history of pivotal trans and queer historical events as well as unpacking the meaning behind pride flags.