The Victory Institute has chosen Kristopher Sharp as the 2015-2016 Victory Congressional Fellow, a program supported by the David Bohnett Foundation since 2013. This competitive fellowship brings one outstanding LGBTQ young professional to Washington to serve for a year on the staff of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus, supporting its co-chairs and executive director.
Sharp will also take part in an educational and leadership development programs to learn about the legislative process and careers in policy-making. Sharp graduated in May from the University of Houston with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work.
Prior to being selected as a Victory Congressional Fellow, Sharp won a Victory Congressional Internship, a competitive leadership program that brings outstanding LGBTQ students to Washington, D.C., for a semester working for members of Congress. As an intern in the Office of Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sharp’s personal experience with harassment on his campus, in which his medical records were printed on flyers and distributed throughout campus and online, inspired Senator Murray to introduce the 2014 Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act. “To see this incident come full circle, knowing how tragic a time this was for me, and to now see it used for something good—it’s hard for me to articulate just how special this was to me,” said Sharp.
Sharp has continued to draw attention to the issue of homelessness and foster youth, testifying before the state legislature in Texas about his experiences and sharing his story in The New York Times and The Huffington Post.
As a result of his tireless advocacy for youth in the foster system, Sharp was recently honored as one of the inaugural 40 of the Forty, a list of 40 LGBTQ youth who have experienced homelessness and/or housing instability. In this role, he is working to organize constituencies and mobilize communities to end LGBTQ youth homelessness, most recently as a recipient of the 2015 True Fellowship at the True Colors Fund.
“The Victory Congressional Fellowship is crucial to building and supporting a network of LGBTQ leaders in Congress,” said Aisha Moodie-Mills, president and CEO of the Victory Fund and Institute, “Supporting young leaders like Kristopher ensures that all LGBTQ people have a seat at the table, and I look forward to what he will accomplish during his fellowship.”
“Our goal in partnering with the Victory Institute is to groom the next generation of LGBTQ leaders. We are proud to support Kristopher Sharp in his development as an influential leader who can change his community and our world,” said Michael Fleming, executive director of the David Bohnett Foundation.
Click here for more information about the Victory Congressional Fellowship.