October is LGBTQ History Month, which celebrates the many contributions that the LGBTQ community has made to society. This year it has been particularly important because of the strides that have been made for equality recently. It is now time for organizations around the world to stand up and demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion by hosting an event at work during this month. Here are some ideas on how you can do just that!

• Create and host an informational session on historical members in the community who have made contributions to society. Some ideas include: Harvey Milk who was the first openly gay elected official in California, Alan Turing who broke German codes during World War II, and Bayard Rustin who was a founding organizer of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The more inclusive we are towards exploring all of our history, the better!
• Put together a display in your office of LGBTQ milestones that have happened over time. These can include everything from sports teams allowing openly gay players to serving in the military, and even same sex marriage. Put them all side by side for all to see how far we’ve come, but also serve as encouragement for what else is possible if we all strive for positive change.
• Host an event on National Coming Out Day! This day falls on October 11th every year which gives you a great opportunity to demonstrate your company’s commitment to openness in the workplace.
• Invite a speaker from the LGBTQ community who has been active in their workplace or elsewhere. There are many people out there making history today that others haven’t heard of, so take advantage and invite them! This is an excellent way for your company to show support as well as learn what else can be done at work to promote diversity and inclusion. The more we know about each other, the easier it becomes to understand how best to serve one another.

We hope that you will join us in celebrating LGBTQ History Month by making use of some of these ideas. It is important to recognize the contributions made by members of the diverse LGBTQ community, as well as their continued efforts for equality. As part of the celebration, we invite you to share your knowledge with others about how business can be inclusive of all people. Regardless of what you do in celebration, let’s all work towards building more inclusive workplaces.