A new scholarship opportunity for LGBTQ students has been created by AT&T and the Human Rights Campaign called The Live Proud on Campus scholarship competition.
According to AT&T’s website, the company is working with the Human Rights Campaign “to help the next generation of LGBTQ and allied leaders continue the fight for equality.”
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest civil rights organization for the LGBTQ community. This scholarship requires that students 18 years of age or older to submit a video pitch on what changes they would like to see made at their school for members of the LGBTQ community.
These pitches “must focus on equality, visibility and acceptance for the LGBT community.”
The public will vote on 15 videos for the semi-finals and the HRC will choose three winners. The grand-prize winners will be chosen on LGBTQ spirit day, October 16.
The winners will receive a $10,000 scholarship and a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the HRC National Dinner this year. In addition, they will be given a free smartphone and tablet.
They will also receive $2,500 to fund the project they proposed on their video pitch. In addition, winners will have the opportunity to participate in a semester long internship with HRC leadership mentors, who will help them plan their on-campus project.
The entry period for the scholarship ended Sept. 22, but the public will be able to vote for the finalists starting Sept. 27 until Oct. 11.
This scholarship has the potential to be a huge step when it comes to providing opportunity for people of minority groups and moving LGBTQ relations forward.
Another step being taken outside of Sinclair is in New York City.
Chirlane McCray, the First Lady of New York City, is rolling out a new project to expand outreach for LGBTQ citizens.
It is called the NYC Unity Project, and it aims to streamline the work of 16 agencies offering programs to help LGBTQ youth.
They include plans for single-stall bathrooms in all public schools by January, as well as implementing training and certification in treating LGBTQ people for more than 500 Health + Hospitals system doctors. There are also plans for expanded mental health and suicide prevention outreach.
“With dangerous rhetoric and hateful policies coming from the White House and its allies, LGBTQ New Yorkers are on constant alert,” McCray said. “Their families have been threatened, their service and patriotism questioned, their sense of safety and security violated. Their rights hang in the balance.”
McCray said things are better for LGBTQ youth today; but that there was still a long way to go, citing disproportionate rates of homelessness, bullying, and other issues.
Councilman Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) noted that advocates had been seeking better coordination among agencies for years and that this is a step in the right direction.
“Sometimes we feel like the progress we’re making is a little too incremental,” Johnson said. “But that progress adds up, and it takes time to change hearts and minds.”
Kali Macklin
Reporter