Christie Ayotte (left), John-Paul Griffin and Rev. Renee Dubose were honored last weekend with scholarships from the Atlanta Chapter of PFLAG. (Photo courtesy PFLAG)
Known for their willingness to embrace and support their loved ones who have come out of the closet, the members of the Atlanta chapter of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays are also supporting local gay people who need a little financial help paying for higher education.
The Atlanta chapter of PFLAG donated $6,000 in scholarships on June 29 at its annual scholarship awards ceremony at First Metropolitan Community Church. This is the fourteenth year of the PFLAG scholarships, with more than $120,000 being donated since 1995. This year’s recipients include Rev. C. Renee DuBose, who is attending the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., and Christie Ayotte and John-Paul Griffin, both of whom are attending Emory University.
“Renee, John-Paul and Christie embody our scholarship program’s mission to recognize extraordinary LGBT people, encourage their continuing education, and foster a positive image of our community in society,” said Margaret Cowan, scholarship program coordinator for Atlanta PFLAG. “We hope our recipients’ stories, achievements and courage will speak to and strengthen others who are struggling in their own lives, be it within their own families or in the larger world.”
A longtime gay rights activist, DuBose is the lesbian pastor at Our Hope Metropolitan Community Church in Athens, Ga., and is involved with the Athens gay rights group Just Equal.
Griffin, who was also honored with a PFLAG scholarship last year when he was attending Georgia State University, is the director of programs at YouthPride, a gay youth group.
A former employee of the statewide gay rights group Georgia Equality, Ayotte has continued to stay involved in gay rights causes and political races as an employee at the Kitchens-New law firm in Atlanta.
“I am particularly proud to be associated with PFLAG because PFLAG heals the core of our community,” said Ayotte, a student at the Emory Law School.
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