October is LGBT History Month—an annual observance of the histories, cultures, and contributions of LGBTQIA2S+ communities.
And queer history is our history.
This October, departments and student organizations across campus are centering queer and trans joy, histories, and experiences through their educational events, social gatherings, and discussions.
Here, we've created a one-stop shop to find what's happening on campus for LGBT History Month.
Events across campus
Help us co-create this calendar by submitting your event. Posted events will also receive access to a special commemorative LGBT History Month badge they can append to their marketing materials.
EVENTS
LGBTea
October 1, 2025 | 2:30-4:30 pm
Michigan Union, Spectrum Center (3020)
Sponsored by Spectrum Center
Sip, spill, or just chill—we're taking a break! Bookmark your spot, close that laptop, and join us at Spectrum Center for some LGBTea. Relax with some tabletop and Switch games, activities, community, and more. Then leave recharged and ready to take on the rest of your day. Your body and mind will thank you later.
★ LGBT HISTORY MONTH KICKOFF
Let's Have a Ball
October 2, 2025 | 6:00-8:00 pm
Walgreen Drama Center, Towsley Studio
Sponsored by Spectrum Center
HAVE A BALL at our LGBT History Month kickoff, featuring performer and house mother Legendary Monica Revlon. The audience will be immersed in show—get ready!
Queer and Now Concert Series
October 3, 2025 | 6:00-7:00 pm
Uplift Ann Arbor
Sponsored by OUT Ensemble
OUT Ensemble presents Queer and Now, a concert series celebrating the works of contemporary queer composers. Hosted by local venues, these performances are built around Dreaming in Color, a world premiere by Mary Denney that explores the perseverance of the queer community.
The Politics of 'No!': Armenia's National Survival and Queer Futures
October 8, 2025 | 4:00-5:30 pm
Weiser Hall 555 and Zoom
Sponsored by the Center for Armenian Studies
Tamar Shirinian examines how two dominant moral narratives shaped Armenian society: right-wing and media rhetoric linking sexual perversion to homosexuality, and working-class discourses connecting moral perversion to oligarchs.
QTBIPOC Kickbacks
October 10, 2025 | 5:00-7:00 pm
Trotter Multicultural Center
Sponsored by Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, Spectrum Center, and Trotter Multicultural Center
Be in community! Join our monthly gatherings as we create memorable connections around community and meals, centering Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Drop in, grab food, enjoy some tunes, play some games and hang out! Open to all U-M students.
A2CAF: Small + Indie Press
October 11, 2025 | 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Downtown Library, Ann Arbor
Sponsored by Ann Arbor District Library and Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival
Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF): Small + Indie Press is a one-day venture into the world of small press comics publishing. This event offers attendees the chance to meet comic artists and learn about the art of creating comics outside of a traditional publisher.
Pronouns 101—International Pronouns Day
October 15, 2025 | 9:00-11:00 am
Zoom
Sponsored by Spectrum Center
Spectrum Center's Pronouns 101 workshop is for U-M faculty, staff, and students. In this 2-hour workshop on the basics of pronouns and their usage, participants will have the chance to practice using different sets of pronouns and work on bystander intervention skills.
Sociology's Gender and Sexuality Workshop—Xavier Fields
October 16, 2025 | 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
LSA Building, 4147
Sponsored by LSA Sociology
A setting for students and faculty interested in any aspect of gender or sexuality to come together to share their ongoing research and receive feedback from others. The workshop aims to assist students with many aspects of doing research.
Feeling Singular: Queer Masculinities in the Early United States
October 17, 2025 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Virtual
Sponsored by William L. Clements Library and Spectrum Center
Feeling Singular reconceives the Early Republic period of the United States by presenting the forgotten and queer stories of a series of marginal, even eccentric figures.
Voguing Open Practice
October 18, 2025 | 7:00-9:00 pm
Michigan Union Movement Studio 2425 (Mezz)
Sponsored by Shift Creator Space
Following “Let’s Have a Ball,” ballroom performer Casa 007 is hosting first Voguing Open Practice event. We’ll learn fundamentals (hands, catwalk, duckwalk, spins & dips), talk culture and categories, and end with a mini-ball (10s and some battles) demo at the end.
From Notes of a Crocodile to Taiwan Travelogue: The Shifting Female Homoerotic Imaginary in Contemporary Literature from Taiwan
October 19, 2025 | 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Downtown Library, 4th Floor Program Room
Sponsored by Ann Arbor District Library and Taipei Cultural Center in NY/Michigan Taiwanese American Organization
In this talk, with Prof. Tze-Lan Sang of MSU, we will revisit the development of LGBTQ+ literature in Taiwan from the 1990s to the present, focusing especially on the female homoerotic imaginary in Taiwanese lesbian classics.
LGBTQ Center Awareness Day Open House
October 20, 2025 | 12:00-3:00 pm
Michigan Union, Spectrum Center (3020)
Sponsored by Spectrum Center
Learn about the center, meet the staff team, get connected with other students, get resources, play games, get prizes, and enjoy light refreshments. Never been to the center? This is a great time to visit for the first time!
Feel Good Friday: Queer Night
October 24, 2025 | 7:00-10:00 pm
University of Michigan Museum of Art
Sponsored by UMMA
It’s finally Friday and you deserve to feel good! Step into a night of queer magic, creativity, and community at UMMA’s Feel Good Friday. Whether you're rolling solo, arriving with your boo, or a crew, expect an unforgettable celebration of joy, self-expression, and spooky delight.
Queer Camp
October 25-26, 2025
Adventure Education Center, 1120 N Dixboro Rd.
Sponsored by Adventure Leadership and Spectrum Center
[Registration full] Get ready to explore the breathtaking outdoors and go camping with Spectrum Center and Adventure Leadership. This program is open to students of all sexualities and genders, regardless of experience level. All equipment and food will be provided for free—registration is required.
Gay-ncient History: Through the Gaze of Dionysus
October 27-31, 2025 | 2:00-3:30 pm daily
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Sponsored by Spectrum Center's Programming Board and Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Take a 30-minute guided tour focused on queer identities in Ancient Greece and Rome. Learn about the changes in gender expression in depictions of Dionysus through the ages (and more)! Tours are offered at 2:00 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:00 pm.
How to Flourish: Sweet Sensations
October 29, 2025 | 5:00-6:30 pm
Trotter Multicultural Center
Sponsored by Trotter Multicultural Center and Spectrum Center
This workshop will inform how sexual health and engaging in safe and smart sexual practices will impact your physical wellness. Join us for this informative, fun, and engaging event. Boba, cookies, and other sweet treats will be provided.
Name Change Info Session
October 29, 2025 | 7:30-8:30 pm
Spectrum Center, Michigan Union 3020
Sponsored by Spectrum Center, OutLaws, and Jim Toy Community Center
Join the Jim Toy Community Center, Outlaws, and Spectrum Center for a presentation on how to legally change your name and gender marker in Michigan.
Sociology's Gender and Sexuality Workshop—Dr. Carlo Handy Charles
October 30, 2025 | 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
LSA Building, 4147
Sponsored by LSA Sociology
A setting for students and faculty interested in any aspect of gender or sexuality to come together to share their ongoing research and receive feedback from others. The workshop aims to assist students with many aspects of doing research.
Queer History Extravaganza: The Halloween of Dionysus
October 31, 2025 | 4:00-7:00 pm
Michigan League, Vandenberg Room
Sponsored by Spectrum Center's Programming Board
Come dressed through the lens of queer self and Greek mythology. This is not a historically accurate toga party—it’s an explosion of queerness, mythology, and Halloween energy. There will be music, food, drinks, DIY crown laurels and a costume contest!
Interactive timeline: Queer history at U-M
Explore key moments from the 1960s to present day—from advocacy to action, policies to people, and queer conferences to court cases.
View photos, watch videos, and take a tour through time in our new interactive timeline.
Download our marketing toolkit
With U-M login, student organizations and schools, departments, and units can download and use our pre-designed LGBT History Month marketing toolkit, which includes:
- slides for your building's digital signage
- social media graphics
Slides are also available for units in the U-M Digital Signage Community Content Feed.