MiraCosta College has announced that it will award a $1,000 scholarship each year to a student who identifies as transgender or is actively involved within the transgender community.
Called the Trans* Pride Scholarship, the endowment is part of a set of initiatives that the college has in place to support and affirm sexual minorities.
The Trans* Pride Scholarship was created by a coalition of students, faculty, and staff who say they were concerned with the traditional and historic barriers in place within higher education that excludes members of the transgender community.
"Anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is welcome to attend or work for MiraCosta College," Gender Sexuality Alliance Faculty Co-Adviser Steven Deineh said in a news release.
"Scholarships and visible support for members of this at-risk community are critical right now as states like Indiana and North Carolina and highly visible government officials are disavowing the civil rights of transgender people under the auspices of religious freedom," Deineh stated.
Faculty, staff, students, members of the MiraCosta College Board of Trustees, and community supporters started fundraising for the scholarship back in 2015.
Local
The Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) student club led a majority of the fundraising efforts, with such events as their 6th Annual Queer Cupcake Party and their 3rd Annual Royal Drag Show.
The Oceanside-based college is the first in the United States to provide a scholarship for those in the transgender community specifically.
