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LGBTQ Scholarship Accepting New Applicants

The Time Out Youth Center (T.O.Y.) in Charlotte is offering two LGBTQ individuals $5,000 each as they embark upon their freshman year of college in the fall of 2021. This scholarship is also available to those who will be attending university or vocational school. The Tonda Taylor Scholarship was established in 2007. This scholarship came about as a way to financially support any LGBTQ youths who reside in the counties of Mecklenburg, Union, Iredell, Cabarrus, Lincoln, Gaston or in York in South Carolina. Applicants must be a current high school senior, high school graduate or GED graduate who is under the age of 21, as of April 26.

These scholarships are possible only through the generosity of TOY volunteers, employees and donors. Tonda Taylor is a Charlotte native who founded Time Out Youth in 1991. The very first meeting of TOY was attended by educators, members of the clergy and other professionals who wanted LGBTQ youth to have a safe space. Should anyone like to donate to the scholarship fund, they may contact Director of Development and Communications David Samson at dsamson@timeoutyouth.org.

According to Time Out Youth Student Advocacy Coordinator Haeley Rimmer, the scholarship’s primary objective is to help those who have financial barriers toward higher education. Although the monetary value of the scholarship will not be enough to cover four years of tuition, it will make an enormous difference in the lives of Fund Will Provide $5k for Freshman College Students. those who have very modest economic means. (Photo Credit: timeoutyouth.org)

“LGBTQ+ students likely have other obstacles in their way that makes higher education harder or impossible,” Rimmer added. “Including a lack of support from families, medical debt due to transition costs, more demands with their finances or generally fewer resources overall.”

Past recipients of this scholarship have attended the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill for Political Science and Statistics, Davidson Community College for Aquarium Sciences, Gaston College for Business and Culinary Arts and UNC Chapel Hill for Public Health and Chemistry.

All parts of all applications are due Monday, April 26 at 5 p.m. For queries regarding the scholarship, email Rimmer at hrimmer@ timeoutyouth.org. info: timeoutyouth.org/scholarships.

— Compiled by Julianna Peres

The Compass Center for Women and Families to Offer LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex Education

North Carolina state law mandates that some form of sex education be taught in public schools to students in grades seven, eight and nine. The parameters, however, are not strict. Many schools teach abstinence-only sex education while other schools utilize visual aids to teach STD prevention and contraceptive use. These mandates are often completely forgone in the more rural areas of North Carolina and especially in those that are extremely conservative. Private Christian schools are also more likely to teach abstinence-only sex education without even including an anatomy component. Unfortunately, these conversations between teachers and students do not often welcome further investigation beyond the classroom or local community. The Compass Center for Women and Families, based in Chapel Hill, has made it their mission to supplement the gaps within sex education. In the past, Compass has provided aid for survivors of domestic violence, those who are unemployed, and persons who require mental health counseling. Hundreds of individuals have received legal counsel from Compass for divorce, child custody and separation.

The Compass Center has made it their mission to supplement the gaps The educational aspect of Compass stems from their service to within sex education. (Photo Credit: Valerii Zan via Adobe Stock survivors of domestic violence. These instructions were not only for survivors, but for community members and professionals as well. Compass maintains that all persons within society should know how to interact with domestic abuse survivors and connect them to local domestic violence crisis services.

The Teens Climb High (TCH) empowerment program is a subsection of the Compass education initiative. Since the law mandates that schools must provide some sort of sex education to students by ninth grade, the TCH program endeavors to accomplish that in a much more comprehensive manner.

LGBTQ inclusivity is a central tenet of the program, which means that educators should use gender-neutral language, refer to students by their preferred names and pronouns, and emphasize the importance of consent across gender and sexual orientation.

While their accomplishments are admirable and have helped many, Compass is at a place today where assistance from able parties could be extremely beneficial.

In the area of education, for example, the materials utilized by Compass are in desperate need of updating. Even though the TCH program receives some funds from the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, they continue to use instructional pieces from the 1990s. The goal of the Compass Center is to create a space that is more open to LGBTQ students and more detailed in their teachings.

For more information on the Compass Center for Women and Families and their LGBTQ education initiative, visit them on Facebook or at their website at compassctr.org. : : info: compassctr.org.

Charlotte LIFE SKILLS: A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS FOR LGBTQ YOUTH (AGES 13-24) OFFERED BY TIME OUT YOUTH

These workshops are open to LGBTQ individuals and allies alike who may not have been taught common life skills. The presenters for each week will differ based on the topic at hand. The sessions are as follows: March 9 (Finances 2: Taxes and Credit), March 16 (Finances 3: Big Purchases), March 23 (Balanced Cooking on a Budget), March 30 (Resume Building & Interview Skills), April 6 (Employment & Housing), April 13 (Navigating Public Transportation). T.O.Y. is also offering a $25 gift card to those who attend 5 or more sessions and a $50 gift card to those who attend 10 or more sessions. Contact Haeley at hrimmer@timeoutyouth.org or Noah at ngranade@timeoutyouth.org. info: timeoutyouth.org.

North Carolina DINE IN FOR LIFE WITH THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AIDS PROJECT

Donations are being raised for HIV prevention and care. The WNCAP is collaborating with Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR) on April 29. In the past, this event has been a way for Participating Restaurants to make donations to WNCAP projects. However, due to the COVID-19, WNCAP has decided to ask community members to support local restaurants. This is the best way to thank these Participating Restaurants for their aid in the past and keep the acts of kindness and supporting going. WNCAP is also holding a drawing for anyone who donates to support the organization. Grand prize is a private film screening and a $500 cash card. info: bit.ly/3bxwjCw.

National FAMILY EQUALITY HOSTS ZOOM PARTY FOR THE PREMIER OF YES DAY

The Zoom session will commence at 11:00am on Saturday, March 13 and will continue until 2:30pm. The pre-show party will be hosted by drag superstar Nina West and DJ Ryan Skyy. There will also be giveaways and a chat feature for participants. This is an event created especially for LGBTQ families, but is open to all who enjoy a G-rated fun time. info: bit.ly/3rCAWk7.

National THE LESBIAN HEALTH FUND GRANT APPLICATION 2021 IS OPEN NOW THROUGH JULY 16

Facilitated by the GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality, this will be the 29th year since the grant’s establishment. There will be three to eight grants doled out vacillating between amounts of $1000 to $10000 each. Candidates would ideally pursue this grant if their project focuses on intersexuality, bisexuality, BIPOC individuals or other intersectional approaches to gender and sexuality studies. Applicants may be graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior/senior scholars, faculty, and even nonprofit organizations. Email lhf@glma.org for more information. info: bit.ly/38u4Hw1.