Dowsing for Divinity

In Canada and the USA, February is Black History Month. June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and October is LGBTQ+ History Month.

In the UK, February is LGBTQ+ History Month and October is Black History Month.

Black History Month

Black History Month is in February in the US, Canada and Jamaica, and in October in the UK and Ireland.

It’s also worth noting that the theme of Black History Month is different each year, and that Canada has different Black History Month themes than the US. The reason for this is that Black history is different in Canada than in the USA. For example, in Canada and other Commonwealth countries, Emancipation Day is on August 1st (not June 19th). Emancipation happened 31 years earlier in Canada. And there are different stories of Black people and communities in Canada, as illustrated in the series of Black History stamps issued by Canada Post, especially the 2021 series, which showcased historic Black communities across Canada.

The theme for Canadian Black History Month 2026 is “30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations — From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries.”

The theme for Black History Month 2026 in the United States, designated by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), is “A Century of Black History Commemorations, which explores the profound impact and meaning of Black history commemorations in transforming the status of Black peoples in the modern world.”

The reason why Black History Month is in October in the UK is very inspiring. Here is Ansel Wong, one of the founders of Black History Month in the UK, explaining why they chose October:

Apart from the significance of October within the African calendar – the period of the autumn equinox in Africa – October is also consecrated as the harvest period, the period of plenty, and the period of the Yam Festivals. It was the time in history when Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia for example were the cradle and breadbasket of civilisation.

October is also a period of tolerance and reconciliation in Africa, when the chiefs and leaders would gather to settle all differences. This was also the time to examine one’s life in relation to the collective and to see if the targets set for oneself and the group during the past year had been achieved or not.

Africa gave the world the calendar. Our ancestors built the Pyramids, knowing about mathematics, architecture and astronomy. October was therefore chosen because of these factors. Black History Month is a reconnection with our cultural and political sources.

In the USA, Carter G. Woodson chose February as the US Black History Month because Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas were born in that month.

LGBTQ+ History Month

LGBTQ+ History Month is in February in the UK, March in Hungary, May in Germany and Cuba, and October in Australia, Canada, and the United States. This infographic explains why.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH VS. PRIDE MONTH?

LGBT+ History Month honours lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer achievement by historical figures and is a time to learn more about the history of the LGBT+ rights and related civil rights movements.

Pride Month is celebrated in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots and is focused on honouring the visibility of LGBT+ people as well as the movement toward equality.

– The United Kingdom (including Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales) celebrates LGBTQ+ History Month in February as it coincides with the abolition of Section 28 in February 2003, a series of laws that had prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality”.
– In Hungary, LGBTQ+ History Month was celebrated for the first time in February 2013 when a group of people from different nationalities gathered in Ljubljana and decided that more European countries should organize their own event, similar to the American and British versions.
– The LGBTQ+ Cuba History Month had its first celebration in May 2022, to celebrate the history of the LGBTQ+ Cuban community and to strengthen education and debate on the Family Code and promote the visibility of LGBT rights in Cuba.
– In Berlin, it is known as Queer History Month instead of LGBT History Month. During Queer History Month (QHM), people are able to find detailed lessons on queer history suitable for both school and non-school education. Also, educational institutions provide education to schools and youth institutions directly.
– In the United States and Canada, LGBTQ+ History Month is celebrated in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day (October 11th) and to commemorate the first and second marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 for LGBT rights.
– In Australia, the annual month-long observance began in Australia in October 2016 when Minus 18 organized the first Australian LGBTIQ History Month in partnership with the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives, and Safe Schools
Coalition Victoria.

The 2026 theme of LGBTQ+ History Month in the UK is “Science and Innovation”. Its aim is to “highlight the contributions of LGBT+ people historically and today, and to raise awareness of the people behind them.”

Other history months

Canada has a variety of history months and commemorative days.

• January is Tamil Heritage Month.
• March is Irish Heritage Month.
• April is Sikh Heritage Month and Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month.
• May is Asian Heritage Month, Canadian Jewish Heritage Month, and Polish Heritage Month.
• June is Indigenous History Month, Italian Heritage Month, Filipino Heritage Month, and Portuguese Heritage Month.
• October is German Heritage Month (presumably because it’s when Oktoberfest happens), Canadian Islamic History Month, and Latin American Heritage Month.
• November is Hindu Heritage Month and Lebanese Heritage Month.

The observance of history months is different in different countries because the history of the groups being highlighted is different in each country, but as long as marginalized groups have a history month, it’s all good.

Intersectionality

The fact that the UK and North America have their Black and LGBTQ+ history months switched makes for a great opportunity to highlight intersectionality and the existence of Black LGBTQ+ people.

The fact that Pride month and Indigenous History Month are both in June in Canada is a great opportunity to highlight the existence of Indigenous two-spirit and LGBTQ+ people.