Calvin Klein - October 19 Fashion Designer b. November 19, 1942 “I'm crazy, and I don't pretend to be anything else.” Calvin Klein is a pioneering American fashion designer whose minimalist style redefined luxury and casual wear, and controversial advertising reshaped fashion marketing. lgbthistorymonth.com

King James I - October 18 Scottish & English Monarch b. June 19, 1566 d. March 27, 1625 “You may be sure that I love the Earl of Buckingham more than anyone else … Christ had his John, and I have my George.” King James ruled Scotland as James VI (1567-1625) and England and Ireland as James I (1603-1625). Styling himself as the “King of Great Britain,” he is perhaps best known for his unprecedented union of the Scottish and English crowns and the publication of the King James Bible. Based on his well-documented, intensely romantic relationships with men, many historians believe James to have been bisexual or gay. lgbthistorymonth.com

Lani Ka‘ahumanu - October 17 Writer & Bisexual Activist b. October 5, 1943 “We have every right to be in the world exactly as we are.” Lani Ka‘ahumanu is a writer and a leader of the American bisexual rights movement. She was the first openly bisexual board member on the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. lgbthistorymonth.com

Julie Johnson - October 16 U.S. Congresswoman b. May 2, 1966 “That’s what public service means to me: being responsive, cutting through bureaucracy, and making sure federal agencies work for the people they’re supposed to serve.” Julie Johnson is an attorney and the U.S. Representative from Texas’s 32nd Congressional District. A Democrat, she is the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from a Southern state. lgbthistorymonth.com

Robert Joffrey - October 15 Dancer & Choreographer b. December 24, 1930 d. March 25, 1988 “To me, dance is everything that's good. Everything that's beautiful, everything that's difficult.” Robert Joffrey was a world-renowned ballet dancer, instructor, and choreographer. His acclaimed Joffrey Ballet company introduced the art form to scores of Americans. lgbthistorymonth.com

Patricia Highsmith - October 14 American Novelist b. January 19, 1921 d. February 4, 1995 “My imagination functions much better when I don't have to speak to people.” Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist and short-story writer best known for her internationally famous psychological thrillers “Strangers on a Train” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” Popular screen adaptations of these and many of Highsmith’s works have been released over the last 75 years. lgbthistorymonth.com

Muhsin Hendricks - October 13 Islamic LGBTQ+ Activist b. June 1967 d. February 15, 2025 “The need to be authentic is greater than the fear of death.” Muhsin Hendricks is widely regarded as the world’s first openly gay imam. A scholar, an activist, and a pioneering champion of LGBTQ+ Muslims, he compassionately challenged traditional views of homosexuality in Islam. lgbthistorymonth.com

Marsden Hartley - October 12 Modernist Painter b. January 4, 1877 d. September 2, 1943 “It is never difficult to see images — when the principle of the image is embedded in the soul.” Marsden Hartley was a 20th-century American painter, poet, and essayist. An early interpreter of European Modernism, he helped introduce elements of Expressionism and abstraction into American art. Best known for his landscapes, he was also among the first American Modernists to explore homoerotic themes. lgbthistorymonth.com

Andrea Gibson - October 11 Poet & Activist b. August 13, 1975 d. July 14, 2025 “In the end I want my heart to be covered in stretch marks.” Andrea Gibson was an award-winning poet and activist whose work explored themes such as politics, gender identity, love, and trauma. Gibson is the subject of the 2025 documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light.” lgbthistorymonth.com

Edward Enninful - October 10 Fashion Editor b. February 22, 1972 "I like to play with contrast. It's about changing people's perceptions of people.” Edward Enninful is the editorial and creative advisor to Vogue magazine and the founder and CEO of the media firm EE72. A fashion-industry pioneer, he was the youngest person to serve as fashion director of an international publication and the first Black man to serve as editor in chief of British Vogue. lgbthistorymonth.com

Laïla El-Métoui - October 9 LGBTQ+ Educator b. December 10, 1967 “I hope to encourage people to be the change they want to see.” Laïla El-Métoui is an acclaimed UK-based LGBTQ+ equity and well-being educator, motivational speaker, and activist, working to increase equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in schools and workplaces worldwide. She has founded several organizations, including Pride in Education and SWANA Queers (previously UK Queer Arabs). lgbthistorymonth.com

Ernestine Eckstein - October 8 Gay Pioneer b. April 23, 1941 d. July 15, 1992 "I've always believed that love transcends any kind of label — Black, white, woman, man.” Ernestine Eckstein was a pioneering Black lesbian activist and leader of the early LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. She served as the New York chapter vice president of the nation’s first lesbian organization and participated in the Annual Reminders — the first demonstrations for gay and lesbian equality, held from 1965 to 1969, in front of Independence Hall. lgbthistorymonth.com

Barry Diller - October 7 Media Mogul b. February 2, 1942 “In today’s world, you don’t need scale to compete, you just need a good idea.” Barry Diller is a television pioneer, former film studio head, and billionaire businessman. Perhaps best known as the cofounder of Fox Broadcasting Company and founder of USA Broadcasting, he currently serves as chairman and senior executive of the media conglomerate IAC/InterActiveCorp and the travel technology giant Expedia. lgbthistorymonth.com

Rachel Crandall-Crocker - October 6 Transgender Activist B. November 7, 1959 "I wanted a day that we could focus on the living." Rachel Crandall-Crocker is a transgender psychotherapist and activist. She is the cofounder and executive director of Transgender Michigan and the founder and organizer of International Transgender Day of Visibility. lgbthistorymonth.com

Micheal Bennett - October 5 Choreographer & Director b. April 8, 1943 d. July 2, 1987 "I think I am now the king of backstage musicals, and you know what? I like it.” Michael Bennett was a seven-time Tony Award-winning Broadway choreographer, director, dancer, and writer, considered one of the most influential artists of his generation. Known for his work on musicals such as “Promises, Promises,” “Follies,” and “Dreamgirls,” he is most famous for creating, choreographing, and directing the Pulitzer Prize-winning hit “A Chorus Line.” lgbthistorymonth.com

Alvin Baltrop - October 3 lgbthistorymonth.com American Photographer b. December 11, 1948 d. February 1, 2004 “I want people to see these photographs and say, ‘this is something from my time.’” Alvin Baltrop was a photographer who captured raw and often sexual images of LGBTQ+ subculture during the 1970s and ’80s — a perilous time to be poor and gay in America. Largely unseen until after his death, Baltrop’s work provides pivotal documentation of LGBTQ+ life as lived around the Hudson River’s dilapidated piers, near New York’s Meatpacking District.

Giorgio Armani - October 1 lgbthistorymonth.com Fashion Designer b. July 11, 1934 d. September 4, 2025 "To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.” Giorgio Armani was a world-renowned Italian fashion designer and the founder of Armani, a luxury fashion house. Known for sophisticated minimalist silhouettes, Armani’s influential designs shaped contemporary views of gendered clothing and modern red-carpet fashion.

Gabriel Attal - October 2 lgbthistorymonth.com First Gay French Prime Minister b. March 16, 1989 “To be French in 2024 means being able to be prime minister while being openly gay.” Gabriel Attal is the former prime minister of France. Appointed in 2024 by President Emmanuel Macron, he is both the youngest and the first openly gay person to hold the position. He is recognized for his advocacy for workers’ rights and for his efforts to streamline government operations.

LGBT History Month Begins Tomorrow, October 1! Visit the website to see the video, bio, resources and downloadable images for a new LGBT Icon each day of October. lgbthistorymonth.com

Lanford Wilson – October 31 “If you … once dreamed of everlasting love, don’t give up the dream, find it again.” Lanford Wilson was a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and a pioneer of the Off-Off-Broadway and regional theater movements. Known for his experimental style and nuanced exploration of relationships—including themes of gay identity—he was among the first playwrights to transition from Off-Off-Broadway to Broadway productions. lgbthistorymonth.com