Color Splash Out

May 17, 1990: The World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders, now commemorated as the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB).

May 17, 2004: Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.

May 17, 2019: The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act for the first time.

May 19, 2014: A federal judge ruled Oregon's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.

May 20, 1996: The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Colorado's Amendment 2, which had prohibited protections for gay people.

May 22, 1930: Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., was born.

Image Description: Pride flag shaped heart behind text that says "This Week in LGBTQ History". Various hands at the bottom holding different Pride flags.

May 19 marks National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NAPIHAAD). NAPIHAAD is a day to raise awareness and promote action against HIV and AIDS within Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. It also emphasizes the importance of education, quality care, and addressing stigma and related health conditions.

Source: https://www.hiv.gov/blog/resources-for-2024-national-asian-pacific-islander-hiv-aids-awareness-day

Image Description: Island background with a circle shaped logo in the middle. Logo has a red ribbon, yellow flower, and green leaf with a blue circle showing the text, "May 19 National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day"

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

The day, as a concept, was conceived in 2004. A year-long campaign culminated in the first International Day Against Homophobia on May 17, 2005. 24,000 individuals as well as organizations such as the International Le***an and Gay Association (ILGA), the International Gay and Le***an Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the World Congress of LGBT Jews, and the Coalition of African Le***ans signed an appeal to support the "IDAHO initiative" (named after the U.S. state with the same name). Activities for the day took place in many countries, including the first LGBT events ever to take place in the Congo, China, and Bulgaria. In the UK, the campaign was coordinated by the Gay and Le***an Humanist Association (GALHA).

The date of May 17 was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization's decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

The main purpose of the May 17 mobilizations is to raise awareness of violence, discrimination, and repression of LGBT communities worldwide, which in turn provides an opportunity to take action and engage in dialogue with the media, policymakers, public opinion, and wider civil society.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_Against_Homophobia,_Biphobia_and_Transphobia

Image Description: Progressive Pride flag with a white circle on top. Within the circle, the text reads, " International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia May 17"

Armed Forces Day on the third Saturday in May pays tribute to the military personnel serving in the United States Armed Forces. The celebration takes place each year during Armed Forces Week.
The United States Military is composed of six branches, including the Army, Airforce, Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. As of 2019, more than 1.3 million active-duty service members are stationed in the United States and around the world. An additional 800,000 reservists stand ready in the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. The holiday unites the country behind the men and women who currently serve in the United States military.

Source: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/celebrations/national-armed-forces-day-third-saturday-in-may

Image Description: Armed troops silhouettes standing in front of a pride themed American flag with the text Armed Forces Day Third Saturday in May

May 2012: President Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. President to endorse same-sex marriage.

May 2014: Same-sex marriage became legal in Oregon and Pennsylvania

Image Description: Pride flag shaped heart behind text that says "This Week in LGBTQ History". Various hands at the bottom holding different Pride flags.

Are you going to be joining us?

Invest in the CSO Youth Summer Camp

TACO BAR/AGUAS/SODAS INCLUDED

LIP SYNC BATTLE (80s EDITION) - Dress up! Bring the drama. Bring the moves. The crowd decides the winner!

MTV CONFESSIONAL BOOTH - Tell us why you showed up. - Who are you supporting? Leave a message for our youth to see at camp.

WALL OF COLOR - Leave your mark. Drop a message.

MERCH TABLE- Rock the cause in neon. Look good. Do good.

It’s a full-on neon, music-pumping, feel-good experience where every move you make helps invest in the future of our youth.

Dress Code: Totally 80s ✨Break out the neon, leg warmers, denim, big hair, and bold accessories. The louder, brighter, and more retro—the better.

This event is 18+

Today we celebrate all who nurture, love, and show up with care—mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, chosen moms, trans moms, foster moms, aunties, mentors, and every person who holds a mothering role in someone’s life.

We also hold space for those with complicated relationships, those who are grieving, those longing to be parents, and those for whom today feels heavy.

However this day meets you, you are seen, valued, and loved.

In 2017, Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester from Montana introduced a resolution recognizing May 5, as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. It was in response to the murder of Hanna Harris on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and other abductions and killings of Native women across the United States. Since 2017, actions on May 5th to honor MMIW at the local, regional, and national level continue to grow across the United States and internationally. These efforts are as varied as the Indian Nations, where they are being organized. The silence of tolerance and inaction is being challenged.

Source: https://www.niwrc.org/restoration-magazine/february-2020/national-day-awareness-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-may

Image Description: Indigenous woman with red handprint across her mouth. Text reads National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls - May 5 -

May 1, 1915: Laurence Michael Dillon, the first trans man known to undergo phalloplasty, was born.

May 1959: Customers at Cooper Donuts in Los Angeles rioted against police harassment, considered a precursor to the Stonewall riots.

May 1973: The American Psychiatric Association decided to remove homosexuality from the DSM.

Image Description: Pride flag shaped heart behind text that says "This Week in LGBTQ History". Various hands at the bottom holding different Pride flags.

Let’s start by clearing the biggest misconception: No, Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican Independence Day. But, that does not mean it’s less important or notable than it actually is, for the history behind it dawns on the importance of the landscape of North America as a whole.

An economically struggling Mexico was intervened by the French for the second time, who had the hopes to gain control of the Latin American country under the rule of Napoleon III. The French General, Charles de Lorencez, directed his army towards the capital of Mexico City, with the intent to overthrow the president of Mexico, Benito Juarez.

But things didn’t go as planned, as they encountered heavy resistance, culminating at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Even if their forces had half the numbers of their opponents, the Mexican Army, led by Ignacio Zaragoza, managed to successfully win over the French army at Puebla, a city just 70 miles from Mexico City. Four days later, on May 9, Juárez declared Cinco de Mayo a national holiday.

Source: https://nationaltoday.com/cinco-de-mayo

Image Description: Colorful banners, pinatas, flowers, and a sombrero with the stylized wording that reads Cinco de Mayo.

International Family Equality Day (IFED) is celebrated annually on the first Sunday of May to honor the diversity of LGBTQ+ families worldwide and promote equal rights and legal recognition. Founded in 2012, it brings together families, allies, and organizations for community events, fostering inclusion and combating discrimination.

Source: https://internationalfamilyequalityday.org/

Image Description: Indigo colored background with purple organic shapes on bottom corners. Rainbow silhouette of a q***r family under the text, "International Family Equality Day - 1st Sunday in May"