The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military promotes the interdisciplinary analysis of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and other marginalized sexual identities in the armed forces. Analysis of sexual minorities in the armed forces is a critical window into the study of how actors and institutions shape and reinforce understandings of deviance. As a result, this topic is essential for examining broader processes that determine the allocation of protections and privileges. The Center has launched a pre-doctoral fellowship to support scholarly research in the area of gender, sexuality, and international relations. Part of the Center's purpose is to create, expand, and institutionalize resources for graduate students and junior and independent scholars who do not have access to resources that their more senior colleagues often enjoy. To address the lack of research support, the Center announces the following three competitions: The Jody Cole Graduate Student Travel Grants; Syllabus Development Grants; and Research Support Grants.