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.”
Sawyer Hemsley, co-founder and chief branding officer of Crumbl Cookies, recently came out as gay after an influencer's viral TikTok speculated about his sexuality.
Hemsley, who launched the billion-dollar cookie chain in 2017 with his cousin Jason McGowan while a student at Utah State, has become a prominent face of the brand on TikTok.
Hemsley addressed the speculation in an Instagram post, writing, "here have been people online trying to define me, twist things, and share conversations that feel harmful. Instead of letting others write my story, I want to share it in my own words. The truth is, over the past few years I've come to understand and accept that I'm gay."
Owners of several D.C. LGBTQ bars and nightclubs say the federal takeover of the city’s police force -- and the surge of federal agents stationed on 14th Street NW and along the U Street corridor -- cost them thousands of dollars in lost business this past weekend.
Mark Rutstein, co-owner of Crush Dance Bar at 14th and U Streets NW, told CBS affiliate WUSA that August 15 was the worst Friday the bar has seen since opening last year. He estimated losses to be approximately $15,000 for the night.
Rutstein told The Advocate that Crush sat near a multi-agency checkpoint, including agents from the Department of Homeland Security, set up on Wednesday evening. Authorities reportedly made 45 arrests, 29 of them immigration-related.
Edward O'Keefe, owner of Peabody Heights Brewery in Baltimore's Abell neighborhood, says a man maced two people outside the brewery as they were leaving "Butch Garden," a queer community event held from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, reports NBC affiliate WBAL.
According to charging documents, police received a call around 9:30 p.m. reporting that someone with a plastic baton was trying to attack him.
At Abell Avenue and 32nd Street, a few blocks from the brewery, a police officer saw a man in dark clothing running east. The man was later identified as 34-year-old Matthew Middleton. When the officer approached and asked what was happening, Middleton allegedly said he had been chased.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.