LGBTQ+ History Month takes place throughout the month of October and has become an integral part of the USC community for more than fifty years. The origins of this celebration date back to 1970, when a group of students and faculty established the Gay Liberation Forum. This initiative aimed to advocate for the rights and recognition of LGBTQ+ individuals. After years of dedicated activism and perseverance, the movement achieved a significant milestone in 1975 when it was officially recognized by the USC Board of Trustees. This acknowledgment marked a pivotal moment in the university’s history, solidifying the importance of LGBTQ+ issues within the campus community.

By: Paul Samaha ’17

I began this post as I embarked on the annual USC “Weekender”– a weekend-long trip where Trojans travel to the Bay Area for either the Stanford or UC Berkeley football game. This year we play Berkeley, and I’ll be staying in the heart of Downtown San Francisco: a beautiful metropolis in Northern California filled with free spirits and views of the sparkling San Francisco Bay. This same city is also where my past LGBTQ community members shed their blood, sweat, tears and in the worst case, their lives for the sake of basic human rights. Let’s dive in.