Seattle Public Schools receives $10,000 grant to support a conference specifically for “BIPOC LGBTQ+ students”

The “It Gets Better Project” continued its program in 2023 to provide $10,000 grants to schools throughout the United States and now Canada to implement LGBTQ initiatives for the second straight year. The project is called “50 States. 50 Grants. 5000 Voices.” The organization stated: “The effort, which is now in its second year and has expanded to include Canada, will provide grants of up to $10,000 to 71 U.S. and Canada public or charter schools, for a total of $625,000 in grants.” These grants were provided “with generous support from American Eagle, Aerie and their customers.” The schools had to apply to be considered for the grants. The organization’s executive director explicitly stated that the goal was to bring LGBTQ issues into classrooms:

Amid ongoing efforts to silence or stigmatize discussion about LGBTQ+ identity in the classroom, it’s more important than ever to ensure that LGBTQ+ students feel that they are welcomed, accepted and able to be their full selves at school.

One district that received a $10,000 grant for 2023 was Seattle Public Schools. The following is provided as the purpose of the grant: “This project will support a community and culture conference, specifically focusing on BIPOC LGBTQ+ students.” This appears to be a segregated conference for students restricted by specific identity traits.