Apr 18, 2016 • Views 3,815

Although North Carolina now faces withering national and international backlash for passing a law barring transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender identity, state legislators in Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota and South Carolina are pushing similar discriminatory laws. This is a critical moment in U.S. history for increased advocacy and research in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer issues. Learn more about these 3 unique professional and academic fellowship for LGBT champions and scholars.

Designed for all senior-level executives working with state and local governments — including government officials, nonprofit leaders, and elected officeholders — this intensive, three-week Executive Education program at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, hones skills and furthers the leadership potential of accomplished individuals from across the United States. Candidates must concurrently apply to Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Senior Executives in State and Local Government. The fellowship typically covers half of the total cost of tuition, housing, and many of the meals.

The Williams Institute Summer Fellowship program provides a $5,000 stipend to allow a current law student or recent law school graduate to work for a national lesbian and gay rights organization in the U.S. Examples of eligible placements include the summer internship programs of Lambda Legal, ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy (as a Gleason Kettel Summer Fellow), and similar national and local organizations. During the fellowship, students work on research projects and assist with on-going lesbian and gay civil rights cases.

This one-month fellowship is offered annually, and is designed to provide access to Yale resources in LGBT Studies for scholars who live outside the greater New Haven area. The fellowship supports scholars from any field pursuing research in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer studies at Yale University, utilizing the vast faculty resources, manuscript archives, and library collections available at Yale. Graduate students conducting dissertation research, independent scholars, and all faculty are invited to apply. The fellowship provides an award of $4,000, which is intended to pay for travel to and from New Haven and act as a living allowance. The fellowship must take place between September and April.

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