Pick-A-Day

July 2011
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Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgendered University of Wyoming Alumnus?

I want to start a UW GLBT Alumni Group of some kind, modeled after ones at other universities—most notably (at least from my perspective), the one at Indiana University Bloomington.

Typing the words “university of wyoming glbt” into Google (as of 31 July 2011) results in the first hit being the Matthew Shepard Wikipedia page and the second hit being “How Do You Know”, a UW Rainbow Resource Center page that helps people understand whether or not they are GLB or T.

While we must never, ever, forget Matthew Shepard (indeed, I cannot) I want a more positive, progressive, link to appear that shows that the University of Wyoming is not stuck in the past, but is steadily improving.

The Cowboy GLBT Alumni needs a community – initially by email list – that connects (and networks) the GLBT UWyo Alumni.

I’m part of such a list for the IU GLBT Alumni Association and it keeps me connected to IU – with news about GLBT events on campus and in the community. It also works as a fundraising mechanism, raising money for scholarships that support GLBT students at Indiana University, including an “emergency scholarship”:

Many GLBT students lose vital financial support needed for their educations for simply being open and honest about their sexual orientation. These students find themselves in dire need of funds and support in order to reach their educational goals and aspirations.

The IU GLBTAA Emergency Scholarship is intended for current IU GLBT students who have lost or are facing the loss of financial support from their families after disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity while attending IU.

I think that the University of Wyoming, with the support of its GLBT Alumni, should start such a scholarship for UW students.

If you’re interested in supporting this idea, please contact the University of Wyoming Rainbow Resource Center. Their email is “rrc-staff AT uwyo.edu” – and if you don’t mind sharing such emails with me, please carbon copy me at “elmadaeu AT gmail.com”

You can also join the Facebook Page.

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