The 2014 participants with Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) – Photo courtesy NGLF
The Next Generation Leadership Foundation (NGLF), a locally-based national nonprofit dedicated to mentoring and cultivating potential LGBT leaders, announced on Feb. 3 that it will be accepting applications for its second annual Leadership Institute. Held each summer, the institute brings up to 25 LGBT students from around the country to Washington for a week of programming designed to help foster leadership skills and establish networks with successful LGBT community leaders.
“This is a unique program in our community,” says Sean Bugg, NGLF’s founder and executive director. “We know LGBT youth still face barriers, stereotypes and stigma. The Leadership Institute is about showing youth that they can succeed not despite being LGBT, but because they are LGBT.”
“We want to make sure that young LGBT people can do whatever they want in life, without feeling limited by their upbringing, their circumstances, or stereotypes.”
This year’s institute will be held from June 22-26 in Washington, D.C., and will allow the youth a change to meet with leaders from Capitol Hill, the White House, entrepreneurs, and leaders in various fields including art, technology and community activism. NGLF pays for participants’ travel and lodging expenses. To be accepted to the summer institute, interested LGBT youth must submit applications, which can be found on the NGLF website, by Mar. 6. The program is restricted only to those who will be 18 years old as of June 21, 2015. Selection criteria for admission into the institute includes a student’s academic record, community involvement, and an essay or multimedia submission on how selection for the program will impact their lives as LGBT people and their future career goals.
“We want to make sure that young LGBT people can do whatever they want in life, without feeling limited by their upbringing, their circumstances, or stereotypes,” says Bugg. “We put them together with people can show them how to achieve their own hopes and dreams.”
Bugg notes that even though space in the program is limited, he wants as many people to apply as possible. He also hopes to expand the program in future years to accept more students and expand the institute’s offerings.
“When you look at the agenda we put together for last year, it’s really an incredibly broad, deep and exciting agenda,” says Bugg . “The depth and breath of what we’re offering is really unparalleled. I’m very excited we’ve been able to create this opportunity for young people.”
Racers, start your engines. RuPaul’s Drag Race has revealed the 14 new queens set to grace the runway for its 18th season as they vie for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar and a grand prize of $200,000.
Premiering January 2 on MTV, the season will be accompanied by another run of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, where viewers get the chance to get an inside look at all the tea being spilt behind the scenes of the hit show.
The new season will also feature a bit of a twist from the outset. Unlike the recent spate of season-premiere episodes that feature a talent show -- remember Season 15, when the judges were somehow unimpressed with Irene the Alien’s keen ability to make a glass of ice water? -- the competition appears to be starting with a sewing challenge.
A masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a queer woman in Minneapolis after opening fire through the window of her SUV during a confrontation in the street.
Video footage posted online shows two masked ICE officers approaching a Honda Pilot stopped in the middle of Portland Avenue near 34th Street in Minneapolis' Powderhorn neighborhood. One agent can be heard yelling at the SUV's driver -- later identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good -- telling her to "get out of the fucking car" while attempting to open the driver's door, as a second officer stands back.
Ihab Mustafa El Mahmoud was arrested in West Palm Beach after allegedly trying to run down members of an LGBTQ running group during a meet-up in a local park. The Florida man faces two counts of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony and one count of reckless driving.
El Mahmoud could also face hate crime charges or bias enhancements for allegedly targeting the group because of their sexual orientation.
According to West Palm Beach police, El Mahmoud allegedly took offense at what he perceived as a comment about his sexual orientation when a runner asked if he was at Howard Park for the "Night Runners West Palm Beach" group's regular meet-up.
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