LoveisLoveisLove Launches New 'Queering STEM' Scholarship

The Toronto-based LGBTQ+ advocacy campaign is launching a new scholarship for queer students in Ontario…
 
LoveisLoveisLove, a Toronto-based LGBTQ+ advocacy campaign, is launching a new scholarship. The scholarship, called “Queering STEM”, is reserved for queer students in Ontario who are interested in studying science, technology, engineering, or math. Two awards of $2,000 are available. The scholarship is meant to address inequities between different professional sectors, says Adam Zivo, LoveisLoveisLove’s founder. He adds, “Youth who want to work in STEM might not have as many support systems or role models available to them as their counterparts who want to work in arts and culture. While there have been significant improvements in workplace culture with respect to LGBTQ+ inclusion, it’s important to remember that those improvements have been uneven, and that’s something we need to address.” The scholarship falls within a larger community trend of engaging STEM, exemplified by projects such as Toronto’s VentureOut conference and LGBTSTEM Day.
 
The Queering STEM Scholarship has been in the making for a while now. In the summer of 2018, LoveisLoveisLove partnered with Peace Collective, a Toronto-based clothing brand, to raise seed funding for the program. Then, earlier this year, the campaign partnered with Mongrel Media and Meridian Credit Union to organize a charitable premier of Giant Little Ones, a Canadian LGBTQ+ film, to beef up the size of the scholarships. Despite having enough funding to run a respectable scholarship, the program stalled. “We had the money, but the logistics were an issue. How do you fairly evaluate all of the applications that could come in? Standardization and accountability are both important, but building a system that allows for that was, in many ways, outside my capacity,” noted Zivo, who, in addition to directing LoveisLoveisLove, is completing a masters degree in public policy and freelancing as a photographer.
 
Eventually the problem was solved through a partnership with ScholarTree, a Canadian company founded by a fellow millennial. “Handing off all the admin and evaluation work to ScholarTree really made this program possible. They’re new to the field, and the founder, Brit, is a millennial like me, which is great because, in a space like this, it’s important to work with people who understand the values and challenges of younger generations.” Now that Queering STEM is open, the program will be accepting applications until January 1st 2020. You can apply by going on LoveisLoveisLove’s website, or by visiting its ScholarTree page.
 
When asked what LoveisLoveisLove will do next, Zivo referred back to Toronto’s Big Gay Bus, which he launched back in June through the support of Canadian philanthropist Kathryn Langley Hope. The bus, which educates the public about basic LGBTQ+ issues, was originally slated to run for 4-5 weeks. The enthusiastic community response to the bus prompted an extension of the project. Through working with Ms. Hope and Canadian communications firm, Hall+Co, LoveisLoveisLove is looking to extend the bus into a year-round project.