OutFront!, an area organization dedicated to increasing the visibility and inclusion of the LGBT community in local government, closed down last month, but not before making a final contribution.
OutFront! served the community for 10 years and, in its last gesture of support, is using the revenue it had left over to institute two scholarship programs, which will be overseen by the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund.
Michael Hinson, interim executive director of The COLOURS Organization Inc. and one of the founding members of OutFront!, said the organization’s mission shifted somewhat since its inception in 1999.
“Our primary purpose at first was strictly political: We wanted to have a bipartisan group that looked at getting folks who were supportive of LGBT issues into elected office. But then we also later expanded into doing education and public-policy work,” Hinson said. “We worked to build strong bipartisan support of LGBT issues in a variety of areas.”
Among its list of accomplishments, OutFront! was one of the leading forces in the success of the 2002 City Council bill that added gender identity as a protected class under the city’s nondiscrimination law. Hinson noted that OutFront! members later worked to pass similar legislation in New Hope, Allentown and Norristown.
The group has also conducted training seminars with the Philadelphia School District about the district’s Policy 102, a diversity-education initiative, and organized workshops with local LGBT community members to strengthen their lobbying skills.
“OutFront! was a powerful force for equality for over a decade,” said founding member Kathy Padilla. “Its legacy includes several civil-rights laws, progressive policy development and effective electoral advocacy for the LGBT community. Our leadership has included some of the best and brightest people that it has been my privilege to know. I believe their commitment to equality and to including the most marginalized members of our community has in some significant ways been woven into the fabric of our city.”
Hinson said the group, which most recently had nine members, made the decision to close late last year.
“There were smaller and smaller groups of people doing work for the organization for some period of time, and it was becoming more difficult for some folks to put in the work that they used to,” he said. “I think the organization just ran its course. We did some really great work and decided that it was time for us to move on. We’re clearly all going to continue to support the mission of the organization, but we felt that it was in all of our best interests to dissolve.”
Although the organization will no longer be functioning, the group used the last of its funds to create the “Keeping the Promise Scholarship Award,” a grant for local transgender students, as well as the “Victory Fund Training Scholarship,” which provides funding for a local candidate to attend the Victory Fund’s Leadership Institute & Candidate Campaign Training in San Francisco.
The first program will provide $1,900 to transgender students pursuing higher education or vocational training and who demonstrate financial need. The deadline for this application is June 22.
Perry Monastero, executive director of DVLF, said the scholarship program provides much-needed assistance to a very underserved population.
“This is a great opportunity for transgender students because this is a new source of support for them,” Monastero said. “We really don’t see enough support going to transgender students, so this is exciting.”
The second award is valued at about $1,200 and will be given to an LGBT candidate who is either planning to run for elected office or working on the campaign of an LGBT candidate. Women, transgender individuals and people of color are strongly urged to apply. Applications for this award must be completed by Aug. 28.
Hinson said the educational scholarship will be offered for two years, and that the support of the local community will be integral to ensuring that both programs can be continued for a number of years.
“Our hope is that folks will continue to recognize the importance of both of these causes,” he said. “The programs are established under DVLF, which does some really amazing work, so we’re hopeful that people will understand the importance of these scholarships and give them their support.”
For more information about the scholarships or to apply, visit www.dvlf.org.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].