Important LGBTQ+ Dates

The Steel City Softball League believes visibility, education, and remembrance are central to who we are. Below is a comprehensive, year-round calendar of LGBTQ+ awareness, remembrance, and celebration days — organized chronologically — with context and links you can use to learn more, get involved, or honor the moment.

Some observances move year to year. Where that’s the case we note the rule (e.g., “3rd Wednesday of October”). Pittsburgh-local events appear in their own section at the bottom.

Table of Contents

January

January 27 — International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Designated by the United Nations in 2005, this day commemorates the six million Jews and millions of others — including Roma, disabled people, political dissidents, and an estimated 5,000–15,000 gay men identified by the pink triangle — who were murdered by the Nazi regime. The pink triangle, originally a badge of persecution, was reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community in the 1970s as a symbol of remembrance and resistance.

Learn more: United Nations · International Holocaust Remembrance Day · USHMM · Persecution of Homosexuals in the Third Reich

February

All Month — Black History Month

While not exclusively LGBTQ+, Black History Month is a vital intersectional observance — honoring leaders such as Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Marsha P. Johnson, Pauli Murray, and countless others whose Black queer activism shaped the modern civil rights and LGBTQ+ liberation movements.

Learn more: ASALH · Black History Month · GLAAD · Black LGBTQ History

All Month — LGBT+ History Month (UK)

Founded in 2005 by educators Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick to coincide with the abolition of Section 28 (the UK law that prohibited “promotion” of homosexuality in schools). The U.S. observes its LGBTQ+ History Month in October.

Learn more: LGBT+ History Month UK

Week After Valentine’s Day — Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week

An aromantic person experiences little or no romantic attraction; aromanticism exists on a spectrum and is independent of sexual orientation. ASAW raises awareness, dispels myths, and celebrates the validity of aromantic and aro-spectrum identities.

Learn more: Aromanticism.org · ASAW · Arocalypse

March

All Month — Bisexual Health Awareness Month

Launched in 2014 by the Bisexual Resource Center, BHAM addresses the disproportionate physical and mental health disparities faced by bi+ people, who make up the largest segment of the LGBTQ+ community but consistently report the worst outcomes for healthcare access, depression, anxiety, and chronic illness.

Learn more: Bisexual Resource Center · Bi Health Month

All Month — Women’s History Month

An opportunity to recognize the contributions of women, including the lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and Two-Spirit women whose activism, scholarship, and labor built the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Learn more: National Women’s History Alliance

March 31 — International Transgender Day of Visibility

Founded in 2009 by Michigan-based activist Rachel Crandall-Crocker, TDOV celebrates living transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people and the contributions they make to the world. It was created as a counterpoint to Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors trans lives lost to violence; TDOV is a day of joy, pride, and recognition.

Learn more: Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) · GLAAD · TDOV

April

April 6 — International Asexuality Day

First observed in 2021, IAD is a coordinated worldwide campaign that celebrates the ace community — asexual, demisexual, grey-asexual, and questioning people — under four pillars: advocacy, celebration, education, and solidarity.

Learn more: internationalasexualityday.org · AVEN · Asexual Visibility & Education Network

2nd Wednesday of April — International Day of Pink

Originated in Nova Scotia in 2007 after two students wore pink to defend a classmate who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. Day of Pink has grown into an international observance against bullying, homophobia, transphobia, and gender-based discrimination, particularly in schools.

Learn more: dayofpink.org

2nd Friday of April — GLSEN Day of Silence

Held annually since 1996, the Day of Silence is GLSEN’s student-led day of action protesting the silencing effect of anti-LGBTQ+ bullying and harassment in schools. Students take a vow of silence for the day to symbolize the experience of LGBTQ+ youth who feel forced to hide who they are.

Learn more: GLSEN · Day of Silence

April 26 — Lesbian Visibility Day & Lesbian Visibility Week

Lesbian Visibility Day, first marked in 2008, has expanded into Lesbian Visibility Week (the week containing April 26), founded in 2020 by DIVA Media Group’s Linda Riley. The week celebrates lesbian and queer women, recognizes intersectionality, and elevates the voices of LBTQ+ women across the globe.

Learn more: lesbianvisibilityweek.com

Last Week of March / Early April — National LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week

Created in 2003 by the National Coalition for LGBTQ Health, this week highlights the health disparities and unmet needs of LGBTQ+ people, advocates for culturally competent care, and pushes for equitable access to healthcare and behavioral health services.

Learn more: National Coalition for LGBTQ Health

May

All Month — Mental Health Awareness Month

LGBTQ+ people, especially youth, face significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality due to stigma and discrimination. May is a moment to check in, reduce stigma, and connect with affirming mental-health resources.

Resources: The Trevor Project (24/7 LGBTQ+ youth crisis line) · Trans Lifeline · 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

1st Sunday of May — International Family Equality Day

Founded in 2012, IFED celebrates LGBTQ+ families around the world and advocates for legal recognition, equal parenting rights, and protection from discrimination for rainbow families.

Learn more: internationalfamilyequalityday.org · Family Equality

May 16 — Honor Our LGBT Elders Day

Established in 2015 by Baltimore’s Chase Brexton Health Care, this day recognizes the older LGBTQ+ generations who fought for the rights and visibility we enjoy today, and draws attention to the unique challenges facing LGBTQ+ seniors — isolation, healthcare discrimination, and the pressure to re-closet in care settings.

Learn more: SAGE · Advocacy & Services for LGBTQ+ Elders

May 17 — International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)

Marked since 2004 in over 130 countries, IDAHOBIT’s date commemorates the World Health Organization’s 1990 decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. The day coordinates global action against discrimination and violence faced by LGBTQ+ people worldwide.

Learn more: may17.org

May 19 — Agender Pride Day

Agender Pride Day celebrates people who identify as having no gender or as gender-neutral, raising visibility for an identity often overlooked even within the broader nonbinary umbrella.

May 22 — Harvey Milk Day

Honoring Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California history. Milk was assassinated in 1978, and the day was established by California legislation in 2009. The Harvey Milk Foundation continues his legacy of hope, equality, and political engagement.

Learn more: Harvey Milk Foundation

May 24 — Pansexual & Panromantic Visibility Day

Pansexuality refers to attraction to people regardless of gender identity; panromantic refers to romantic (rather than sexual) attraction without regard to gender. This day recognizes pan identities and pushes back against the erasure pan people often experience within and outside the LGBTQ+ community.

June — Pride Month

June is recognized worldwide as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, commemorating the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969 in New York City. Officially proclaimed by President Bill Clinton in 1999 as Gay & Lesbian Pride Month and expanded by President Barack Obama in 2011 to honor the full LGBTQ+ community, June is a global celebration of self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and visibility, and a time to remember the activists — many of them transgender women of color — who started it all.

June 5 — HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day

Marked on the anniversary of the first reported AIDS cases (June 5, 1981), this day recognizes the resilience of those who have lived with HIV for decades and the unique medical, mental-health, and social challenges of long-term survivorship.

Learn more: Let’s Kick ASS · HIV Long-Term Survivors

June 12 — Pulse Night of Remembrance

On June 12, 2016, 49 people — most of them young Latinx LGBTQ+ patrons on Latin Night — were murdered and 53 were wounded at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Pulse Night of Remembrance honors those lost, the survivors, and the families and community forever changed.

Learn more: Pulse Nightclub Shooting — History & Memorial

June 26 — LGBTQ+ Equality Day (Obergefell & Windsor Anniversary)

June 26 is a triple landmark date for U.S. LGBTQ+ rights at the Supreme Court: Lawrence v. Texas (2003) struck down sodomy laws nationwide, United States v. Windsor (2013) struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) made marriage equality the law of the land.

Learn more: Human Rights Campaign · Lambda Legal

June 27 — National HIV Testing Day

Established in 1995 by the National Association of People with AIDS, NHTD encourages people to know their status. Routine testing is the cornerstone of HIV prevention and treatment.

Find a test: CDC GetTested · CDC · HIV Resources

June 28 — Stonewall Uprising Anniversary

In the early hours of June 28, 1969, patrons at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village — led by trans women of color including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, alongside butch lesbians like Stormé DeLarverie — resisted a routine police raid, sparking six days of protests. Stonewall is widely regarded as the catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement and is the reason we mark Pride in June. The Stonewall Inn was designated a National Monument in 2016.

Learn more: National Park Service · Stonewall National Monument

July

Week of July 14 — Non-Binary Awareness Week

The week containing July 14 is set aside to raise awareness of the experiences, challenges, and contributions of nonbinary, genderqueer, agender, genderfluid, and other gender-expansive people.

July 14 — International Non-Binary People’s Day

July 14 was chosen because it falls exactly between International Women’s Day (March 8) and International Men’s Day (November 19) — a fitting symbol for nonbinary identities that exist outside the male/female binary. The day amplifies nonbinary voices and pushes for legal recognition, healthcare access, and dignity.

Learn more: Nonbinary Wiki

2nd Saturday of July — International Drag Day

Founded in 2009 by drag artist Adam Stewart, International Drag Day celebrates the artistry, history, and political power of drag — an art form that has been at the heart of LGBTQ+ liberation since long before Stonewall.

September

September 15 – October 15 — Hispanic / Latinx / Latine Heritage Month

An opportunity to recognize the cultural, political, and artistic contributions of Hispanic, Latinx, and Latine communities — including queer Latinx leaders such as Sylvia Rivera, José Sarria, Pedro Zamora, and many more.

Learn more: hispanicheritagemonth.gov

Week Containing Sept. 23 — Bisexual Awareness Week (#BiWeek)

Launched in 2014 by GLAAD and BiNet USA, Bi+ Awareness Week culminates in Celebrate Bisexuality Day on September 23 and seeks to accelerate acceptance and visibility for the entire bi+ community (bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and other multi-attraction identities).

Learn more: GLAAD · #BiWeek

September 23 — Celebrate Bisexuality Day (Bi Visibility Day)

First observed in 1999, this day was created by activists Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur in response to the erasure of bisexual people within both straight and gay/lesbian communities. Bi+ people are the largest segment of the LGBTQ+ community.

Learn more: Bisexual Resource Center

October — LGBTQ+ History Month (USA)

Founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson, LGBTQ+ History Month was first endorsed by GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Education Association, and others. October was chosen to align with National Coming Out Day on October 11 and the anniversary of the 1979 and 1987 marches on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.

Learn more: lgbthistorymonth.com

October 8 — International Lesbian Day

Originating in Australia and New Zealand in the early 1980s, International Lesbian Day celebrates lesbian culture, history, and visibility around the world.

October 11 — National Coming Out Day

Founded in 1988 by psychologist Robert Eichberg and activist Jean O’Leary on the anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian & Gay Rights. Coming out — on your own timeline, in your own way — remains one of the most powerful tools against stigma. Coming out is also a lifelong process; many people come out repeatedly across new relationships, jobs, and communities.

Learn more: HRC · National Coming Out Day

3rd Wednesday of October — International Pronouns Day

Founded in 2018, International Pronouns Day promotes the practice of sharing and respecting personal pronouns as a basic act of human dignity. Learning to use someone’s correct pronouns is one of the simplest, most meaningful ways to be an ally.

Learn more: pronounsday.org

October 16 — Spirit Day

Begun in 2010 by Canadian high-schooler Brittany McMillan in response to a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bullying-related suicides, Spirit Day asks people to wear purple in support of LGBTQ+ youth. Now organized by GLAAD, it’s the most visible anti-bullying campaign in the world.

Learn more: GLAAD · Spirit Day

Last Full Week of October — Asexual Awareness Week (Ace Week)

An international campaign founded in 2010 to educate about asexual, demisexual, grey-asexual, and aromantic experiences. Asexuality is a sexual orientation; ace people experience little or no sexual attraction.

Learn more: aceweek.org

October 26 — Intersex Awareness Day

Marks the anniversary of the first public demonstration by intersex people in North America, on October 26, 1996, when activists from the Intersex Society of North America and Transexual Menace protested outside the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in Boston. The day calls for an end to non-consensual surgical interventions on intersex children.

Learn more: interACT · Advocates for Intersex Youth · intersexday.org

November

All Month — Native American & Indigenous Heritage Month

A time to honor the histories, sovereignty, and cultures of Native Nations — including Two-Spirit traditions, which long predate Western frameworks of gender and sexuality and remain central to many Indigenous communities today.

Learn more: Native Americans in Philanthropy · Wikipedia · Two-Spirit Identities

1st Sunday of November — TransParent Day

Established in 2009 to celebrate the bond between transgender parents and their children, and between transgender children and their parents — an alternative to traditional Mother’s and Father’s Day observances that center cisnormative families.

November 8 — Intersex Day of Remembrance (Intersex Solidarity Day)

Marks the birthday of Herculine Barbin, a 19th-century French intersex person whose memoirs were published by Michel Foucault. With Intersex Awareness Day on October 26, the period in between is sometimes observed as “14 Days of Intersex.”

Learn more: intersexday.org

November 13–19 — Transgender Awareness Week

The week leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance is set aside to raise visibility for trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people and the discrimination, violence, and legislative attacks they continue to face.

Learn more: GLAAD · Transgender Awareness Week

November 20 — Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR)

Founded in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, a Black trans woman murdered in Allston, Massachusetts in 1998. TDoR memorializes transgender people lost to anti-transgender violence each year, with the names of the dead read aloud at vigils worldwide. Black and Latina trans women, particularly those engaged in survival work, remain disproportionately targeted.

Learn more: GLAAD · TDoR · Transrespect vs Transphobia (TMM Project)

December

December 1 — World AIDS Day

The first global health day, established in 1988 by the World Health Organization. World AIDS Day is dedicated to remembering the more than 40 million people lost to AIDS-related illness, supporting the 39 million people currently living with HIV, and recommitting to ending the epidemic. Modern antiretroviral therapy makes HIV undetectable and untransmittable (U=U); PrEP makes HIV prevention possible.

Learn more: UNAIDS · HIV.gov · U=U · Prevention Access Campaign

December 8 — Pansexual Pride Day

A celebration of pansexual identity and visibility, complementing May 24’s Pansexual & Panromantic Visibility Day with a focus on community pride.

December 10 — Human Rights Day

Marks the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly. LGBTQ+ rights are human rights — and consensual same-sex relationships remain criminalized in over 60 countries, with the death penalty still on the books in several.

Learn more: United Nations · Human Rights Day · Outright International

December 17 — International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

Founded in 2003 as a vigil for the victims of the Green River Killer in Seattle. The day calls attention to the disproportionate violence faced by sex workers — especially trans women, women of color, immigrants, and drug users — and the criminalization that compounds their vulnerability.

Learn more: Wikipedia · International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

Pittsburgh-Area LGBTQ+ Events & Organizations

Beyond the international calendar above, our region has a rich slate of LGBTQ+ events and organizations worth knowing — many of which we partner with throughout the year.

Crisis & Support Resources

Sources & further reading: GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, Advocates for Trans Equality, Outright International, National Park Service LGBTQ Heritage, and the linked organizations above. Have a date or organization we should add? Let us know →