June 20, 2011 (Santa Rosa, CA) The Board of Directors of Out To Protect Incorporated is pleased to announce the award of a scholarship to Kurt Eriksen. Kurt is currently attending the Police Academy at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. He will graduate on September 17, 2011. Kurt is a helpful, loyal, and caring individual who has a good work ethic and enjoys teamwork. His teachers and supervisors at the academy praised Kurt for his professionalism and overall performance in the police academy.

Kurt told us, "I have always been interested in law enforcement, but it was not until my first year of college when I really started looking into law enforcement as a career choice. I decided to get my EMT certification because I was old enough to be a police officer and knew it would allow me to be in contact with law enforcement professionals. My goal was to decide whether or not I truly wanted to be in a public safety career and to meet people who would give me more insight into law enforcement. After working as an EMT for a short time, I realized I definitely wanted a career in Law Enforcement. The draw of meeting new people everyday and being in different situations drew me further into wanting a career in law enforcement. I am not looking for a career where I sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day. I need a 'fast paced' career that will challenge me and help me grow as a person. Having so many special assignments within a department will give me room to move and grow. If employed by a large agency I would love to be assigned to an air patrol unit, since getting my pilots license has always been a dream of mine.

"American Heroes coming Out From Behind The Badge - Stories from police, fire, and EMS Professionals 'Out' on the job."

The stories contained in this book were written by real police officers, firefighters, and EMS Professionals about their own coming out journeys. Each story is unique, but shares the common experience of coming out while working as a public safety professional. These courageous people are truly role models who have demonstrated that you can be "out" on the job and still be successful. All of them are doing their part to combat the unofficial "don't ask, don't tell" policy that exits in many police departments, fire departments, and EMS agencies.

"It's truly an honor to share with the world the stories of some special and amazing police officers, firefighters, and EMS Professionals from around the United States who are currently serving communities just like the one you live in. What makes these dedicated public servants extra special is that they happen to be gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender. They also happen to be "out" despite the homophobia that still exists in within all three of these public safety professions," said Miraglia.

In his first book, Mr. Miraglia told his own coming out story after working for three different law enforcement agencies and rising to the rank of deputy chief. In addition to the new stories in this new book, Mr. Miraglia offers more advice based on what he has learned since coming out in 2004.

The Out To Protect Scholarship Program is the only national scholarship program directly supporting "out" LGBT law enforcement students who are currently enrolled in a basic police academy, law enforcement training program, or corrections program.

We offer a Law Enforcement Scholarship for individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, or a straight ally and who are pursuing a career in law enforcement by putting themselves through a basic training program. Our goal is to support individuals who are positive role models in law enforcement and who are "out" to their peers. We believe that by exposing law enforcement personnel to positive role models that the age-old attitudes and stereotypes about GLBT personnel working in law enforcement can change. We also recognize the courage required to "come out" and that required to be "out" on the job as a law enforcement professional.

The scholarship amount and number of awards is based on the number of donations we receive. Out To Protect is a non-profit organization operated by a group of dedicated law enforcement professionals who believe in the importance and value of diversity in the ranks of law enforcement. We receive donations mostly from working law enforcement officers and law enforcement professional associations. Our goal is to offer awards in June and December of each year. For more information about the scholarships available, please review the Scholarhip Application page.

The following is a list of our scholarship requirements. Applicants must demonstrate that they have met each requirement in order to be considered. This is done through the application and verification process. You have nothing to lose by submitting an application, so we encourage you to give it your best effort.

Announcing The Official Release Of
American Heroes Coming Out From Behind The Badge
Stories From Police, Fire and EMS Professionals "Out" On the Job

January 11, 2011 - Santa Rosa, California. Author Greg Miraglia announced today the official release of his second book, "American Heroes coming Out From Behind The Badge - Stories from police, fire, and EMS Professionals "Out" on the job."

The stories contained in this book were written by real police officers, firefighters, and EMS Professionals about their own coming out journeys. Each story is unique, but shares the common experience of coming out while working as a public safety professional. These courageous people are truly role models who have demonstrated that you can be "out" on the job and still be successful. All of them are doing their part to combat the unofficial "don't ask, don't tell" policy that exits in many police departments, fire departments, and EMS agencies.

"It's truly an honor to share with the world the stories of some special and amazing police officers, firefighters, and EMS Professionals from around the United States who are currently serving communities just like the one you live in. What makes these dedicated public servants extra special is that they happen to be gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender. They also happen to be "out" despite the homophobia that still exists in within all three of these public safety professions," said Miraglia.

In his first book, Mr. Miraglia told his own coming out story after working for three different law enforcement agencies and rising to the rank of deputy chief. In addition to the new stories in this new book, Mr. Miraglia offers more advice based on what he has learned since coming out in 2004.

Join us for two radio programs this month all about LGBT law enforcement personnel and learn about how training for police about the LGBT community is changing for the better.

Outbeat Now! - Sunday, May 23, 2010, 8PM to 9PM PST

Featuring stories about Chief Susan Jones of the Healdsburg Police Department who is retiring after 30 years on the job and about the LAPD's move of their youth program away from the Boy Scouts of America in order to be inclusive of LGBT youth. We will also feature a live interview with cadets from the Napa Police Academy who will talk about their research project on the Transgender Community.

Outbeat Radio Comes Out From Behind The Badge, May 30, 2010 8PM to 9PM PST

This is a special one-hour show all about how LGBT law enforcement officers who are "out" on the job. We will hear from officers of all ages from around the country about their experience on the job. The show will also feature a close look at the homophobia that still exists in law enforcement and how training is changing to prevent it.

Outbeat Radio is a weekly show airing exclusively on KRCB Radio in Santa Rosa, California. Anyone can listen online from anywhere in the world at www.krcb.org. Learn more about these shows at www.comingoutfrombehindthebadge.com and at www.outbeatyouth.com

For Immediate Release

The Out To Protect Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for a $500 scholarship to be awarded in June 2010. Qualified applicants can submit an application online on the Out to Protect website at www.outtoprotect.org. To qualify for one of our scholarships, you must be attending a basic law enforcement academy within the United States and demonstrate being able to meet the following criteria:

• Identify as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, or a straight ally and be "out" to your family, friends, and peers at the academy or law enforcement agency.
• Be a recognized role model by your peers and supervisors.
• Demonstrate use of the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics as a guide for decision making.
• Demonstrate being able to graduate from your law enforcement training program.
• A basic law enforcement academy includes training programs for local, state, or federal law enforcement provided by a law enforcement agency, college, or university. The deadline to submit an application for this scholarship is midnight on May 31, 2010.

The Out To Protect Scholarship Program was created in March 2009 to create a greater awareness of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender professionals working in law enforcement and to support those pursuing a law enforcement career.This scholarship is being funded entirely by private donations from law enforcement officers and private citizens who believe in supporting the future of law enforcement.

Please forward this information to anyone you know who might be qualified to receive a scholarship. If you are affiliated with a law enforcement agency, please forward this message to your local training academy.