Media Contact: Rick Moore, rmoore.rockway@alliant.edu or 415-314-8952.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 7, 2008

Arcus Foundation Supports Rockway Institute’s
LGBT Public Policy Project in Michigan

Arcus Foundation, a major funder of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) programs in Michigan as well as nationally and internationally, has awarded a $75,000 grant to the Rockway Institute. The funds will support Rockway’s “Michigan Project for Informed Public Policy.”  The project will organize social scientists, mental health experts, and medical professionals in Michigan to convey accurate information about LGBT issues to the media, legislators, courts, and other policy makers.  

Collaborating with Rockway Institute in the delivery of this program will be the Michigan Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.

These educational activities will focus on workplace discrimination, hate crimes, experiences of LGBT youth in schools, same-sex couples, and lesbian/gay parents and their children.  In delivering this program, the Rockway Institute will work closely with existing LGBT social service and equality groups in Michigan.  The goal of this nonpartisan effort is to increase the likelihood that future LGBT public policies in Michigan will be based on accurate information about LGBT people rather than on competing political ideologies.

“Rockway’s mission is to utilize existing scientific research and professional expertise to inform public policies affecting LGBT people,” said Robert-Jay Green, PhD, Rockway Institute’s executive director.  “The Arcus Foundation grant is an exciting opportunity to fulfill that purpose in a state where there are major challenges as well as distinguished professionals and local organizations to tackle them.  We look forward to making a difference with this project.”

“We are excited to support a project that will further develop relationships between Michigan’s LGBT  rights community and scientific experts,” said Johnny Jenkins Jr., the Arcus Foundation’s Michigan Program Officer. “This will provide an important tool needed to ensure that our state’s public policies reflect factually based information instead of outdated, stereotypical opinion.  At Arcus, we are dedicated to supporting grantees like Rockway to create a safe and welcoming environment within our state.”

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ABOUT THE ROCKWAY INSTITUTE: A National Center for LGBT Psychology Research, Education & Public Policy
The nonpartisan Rockway Institute, headquartered in San Francisco, is a national center for LGBT psychology research, education and public policy.  It is a part of the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, the largest non-profit training institution for clinical psychologists in the U.S.  Rockway brings together scientific research and professional expertise to counter antigay prejudice and inform public policies affecting LGBT people.  The Institute's view is that public opinion, policies, and programs should be shaped by the facts about LGBT lives.  A primary goal is to organize the most knowledgeable social scientists, mental health professionals, and physicians in the United States to provide accurate information about LGBT issues to the media, legislatures, and courts.  The Institute also conducts targeted research projects to address the nation's most pressing LGBT public policy questions.  For more information about the Rockway Institute, please visit:   www.RockwayInstitute.org

ABOUT ARCUS FOUNDATION
Founded in 2000, the mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes.
The Arcus Foundation is led by its Founder and President Jon L. Stryker.  Urvashi Vaid is the Foundation's Executive Director.  The Foundation has offices in Kalamazoo, Michigan; New York City; and Cambridge, UK, and employs 21 staff members. From 2000 through June 2008, the Foundation awarded over $121 million in grants in its two fields of work.  For more information about the Arcus Foundation please visit:   www.arcusfoundation.org