Two Minnesotans honored for commitment to LGBT community

Leigh Combs is featured in Go Magazine's "100 Women We Love":

As a host and producer of Fresh Fruit, the nation’s longest-running queer radio program, Minnesota resident Leigh Combs gives a pretty fresh interview. “We have like fourteen languages spoken here, and I think of Queer as one of those languages,” says Combs of KFAI, the community radio station that broadcasts her show. Since 1978, Fresh Fruit has been an on-air forum for discussion of all things LGBT-related, from local stories to international news to more universal issues of identity and social justice. “I’ve been able to interview and talk to some amazing people,” says Combs. “I love the interview. It’s like this instant connection. You get right to the details.” When she’s not streaming live, Combs runs Family & Children’s Service, an LGBT youth abuse intervention program, and is on the board of Rainbow Families, an LGBT advocacy group in Minnesota. –CL

David Seitz, a Macalester College student and an occasional writer for Lavender recently won a Point Foundation Scholarship:

LOS ANGELES, JUNE 17, 2008 Point Foundation (Point), the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, today announced its 2008 Scholar Class. David Seitz, sophomore at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnessota, is awarded a Point Scholarship in recognition of his academic excellence, leadership skills, community involvement and demonstrated financial need.

Point Scholar David Seitz came of age in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, amid a reactionary political environment. Like many U.S. states, Wisconsin amended its constitution in 2006 to privilege heterosexual marriage at the expense of same-sex families. Volunteering with Fair Wisconsin, a campaign to defeat the 2006 amendment, David lobbied state legislators and shared with them his personal coming out story. His state senator at the time responded by personally mailing David a reading on “Re-orientation Therapy.”

But instead of being converted to an “ex-homosexual,” David lobbied public officials, hosted fundraisers, befriended campaign interns and levied his position with the media to help convert the senator to an “ex-public official.” This experience confirmed for David, that advocacy via personal stories and relationship-building has the power to transform society.

David currently attends Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he is majoring in Political Science with a minor in both Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and French and Francophone studies. A writer, editor, activist and student, David is invested in anti-racist, feminist and queer approaches to journalism, coalitional politics, spirituality and social geography. He plans to use his education and experience as an activist in the areas of media and academia.

Point Foundation provides financial support, leadership training, mentoring and hope to LGBT individuals who are marginalized because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression. In June 2008, a total of 90 Point Scholars will be enrolled in their respective college or university and 43 Point Alumni will have continued on to pursue their life goals. Executive Director & CEO Jorge Valencia remarked “We are inspired by and proud of all our scholars and aim to give them the support and encouragement to excel both academically and personally.”