Do you know a Gay-Straight Alliance or similar student club that has accomplished amazing things this year? Tell us about the awesome things they are doing by nominating them for GLSEN’s 2016 GSA of the Year!
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#GLSEN #GSA of the Year #GSAOY #Respect Awards #nominate
Three cheers for GLSEN’s GSA of the Year - the Academy for Young Writers GSA!
The 2016 GLSEN Respect Awards took place on the evening of May 23rd. The awards featured plenty of famous faces, including Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, Empire executive producer Ilene Chaiken,Empire star Jussie Smollett, and LGBT activist Edie Windsor. But the real stars of the evening—as evidenced by the standing ovation following their acceptance—were the high school GSA students from the Academy for Young Writers.
H/T: Pride
We are #GLSENproud to honor Amber Schweitzer as the 2016 Educator of the Year and the Academy for Young Writers GSA as the 2016 GSA of the Year!
“Rounding out this year’s GLSEN Respect Awards honorees are an educator and GSA that exemplify what it means to create school climates in which all students succeed,” said Dr. Eliza Byard, GLSEN’s Executive Director. “Amber Schweitzer is an exemplary supportive educator whose inclusive curriculum, leadership and community involvement have had a significant impact on the lives of her students. She will join the stage with the GSA at the Academy for Young Writers, whose extraordinary work has encouraged a culture of respect for all in their community. Our research makes clear that it is educators like Amber and GSAs like the Academy for Young Writers that allow all students, including LGBT students, to succeed in school.“
Read more: http://glsen.us/1YjISSk
What a night! 2013 Respect Awards - New York
Pictured:
GLSEN Respect Awards logo
Jason Collins, NBA athlete & 2013 Courage Award recipient, answers questions before the show begins
Matt Bomer greets students Joey Kemmerling and Emet Tauber
Members of Farrington High School GSA–GLSEN’s 2013 GSA of the Year–pose with Janet Mock
Janet Mock snaps a picture with two members from Farrington High GSA
Barbara Frankel (DiversityInc), Respect Awards - New York co-chair with guests.
Kyra Sedgwick & Kevin Bacon at dinner
GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard talks with Jason Collins and openly gay high school football player Leo Washington
Former NFL football player Wade Davis plants a kiss on Eliza Byard while walking the red carpet before GLSEN’s 2013 Respect Awards - New York
Lilla Crawford (Broadway's Annie) and Jonathan Del Arco (The Closer) on the red carpet before GLSEN’s 2013 Respect Awards - New York
For more Respect Awards photo, video, and recap check out youtube.com/glsen, glsen.org/respectawards, flickr.com/glsen and of course here on Tumblr – we’ll be posting more updates soon!
GLSEN’s Student Advocate of the Year Award recognizes students who have advanced LGBTQ inclusion and respect in their schools and communities. The Student Advocate of the Year will travel, all expenses paid, to attend GLSEN’s 2015 Respect Awards in Los Angeles on October 23rd. They will be honored for their unique accomplishments as an exemplary student leader.
Nominate a student leader from your community here!
We’re excited to tell our stories as LGBT people of color—stories that are rarely told by the media but are so important to share. It sometimes feels like America doesn’t know that LGBT people of color are even living here. Where are our voices? Our stories? Our TV characters (with the exception of Laverne Cox, Jussie Smollett and a few others)? Our superheroes? Politicians (we can’t name any, can you?) At the GLSEN Respect Awards – New York, so many amazing people got to talk to us, learn our stories and hear the hard work we’ve been doing to make New York City public schools inclusive spaces for all LGBTQ young people.
Read more on the GLSEN Blog!
Optimedia USA’s Kurt is giving you a peek onto the red carpet from the GLSEN Respect Awards - New York!
This Monday was the 13th Annual GLSEN Respect Awards – New York! At the #RespectAwards, we honored an incredible set of individuals and corporations that have made a positive impact on the lives of LGBT youth and changed school climates for the better.
Among the honorees were ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos and actress Ali Wentworth, who were recognized for improving the lives of young people and for providing opportunities for marginalized communities. We also honored Ilene Chaiken, best known for her hit shows The L Word and Empire, for providing LGBT young people with role models and increasing visibility through positive media representations of LGBT people in her work. They shared the stage with Amber Schweitzer, GLSEN’s Educator of the Year, and the Academy for Young Writers GSA, GLSEN’s GSA of the Year, which have both worked tirelessly in their local communities to make schools safer and more affirming for every student.
Last but certainly not least, we honored Optimedia, a leader in business and media that has partnered with GLSEN for years. To elevate GLSEN’s work nationwide, Optimedia has secured close to $3 million in donated ad space, from highway billboards and mall kiosks in rural parts of the country to a sky-scraper-high billboard in the heart of Times Square. They’ve also provided opportunities for GLSEN students at career days, and their staff members have spent countless hours on GLSEN initiatives. Optimedia is a true corporate ally to LGBT youth!
At the event, Optimedia’s Kurt Wahlstrom took over GLSEN’s Instagram to give us his unique view from the red carpet. He snapped photos of some of our honorees and special guests, plus other folks from his company. Check out the pics below, and follow us on Instagram @glsenofficial for more photos from the event and the latest updates on GLSEN’s work!
Read more on the GLSEN Blog!
The 2015 GLSEN Respect Awards will be held in New York on Monday, June 1st, and we’ll be honoring Matthew Morrison of “Glee” with our “Inspiration Award.”
Before we get there though, we wanted to take a look back at some of our favorite moments from past Respect Awards.
In this clip from the 2013 GLSEN Respect Awards in Los Angeles, Laila Al-Shamma gives an amazing speech as she accepts the “Student Advocate of the Year” Award. The award honors one high school student in the U.S. each year, who has both served as a voice of change and made their campus a safer and more inclusive place.
You can check out more amazing speeches from the Respect Awards on our YouTube channel, but we’ll also be counting down some more of our favorite moments throughout the week.
Do you have a favorite Respect Awards moment?
We’re giving everyone a look behind the curtain as we head toward the 2015 GLSEN Respect Awards on June 1st.
Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden and a lifelong educator, provided brief remarks at the 2009 GLSEN Respect Awards, which was held at Gotham Hall in New York. Dr. Biden has a long history of working with and advocating for youth, and she continues to work to raise awareness on education, military families, and women’s health issues.
Dr. Biden has been an educator for the past 28 years and continues to teach English classes at a DC-area community college. Prior to moving to Washington, Dr. Biden taught English full-time at Delaware Technical and Community College for 15 years. Before that, she taught for 13 years in public schools as a reading specialist and English teacher, as well as working part-time with the Rockford Psychiatric Hospital Adolescent Program.
The GLSEN Respect Awards recognize individual and corporate leaders who have helped propel GLSEN’s efforts to ensure safe schools for all of America’s students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
The GLSEN Respect Awards bring together champions, leaders, and friends of all kinds - including our four-legged friend, Target’s Bullseye! Check out these five friends of GLSEN posing with Bullseye on last year’s Respect Awards red carpet, and share what respect means to you using #RespectAwards before tomorrow night’s show!
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Before we get on with the post, it’s important to note that these are two groups of diverse people who are very unique in many ways! However, in light of the month, (and mainly due to the fact that a lot of the resources available online are for both groups), here is a compilation of resources for Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ people! Other masterposts can be found here (and don’t hesitate to add anything if you have resources to contribute)!
GLSEN Pages:
Other organizations:
Historical information from the US National Park Service:
Some LGBTQ+ Asian/Pacific Islander Creators:
Other Helpful/Informational Links:
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boykeats
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Before we get on with the post, it’s important to note that these are two groups of diverse people who are very unique in many ways! However, in light of the month, (and mainly due to the fact that a lot of the resources available online are for both groups), here is a compilation of resources for Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ people! Other masterposts can be found here (and don’t hesitate to add anything if you have resources to contribute)!
GLSEN Pages:
Other organizations:
Historical information from the US National Park Service:
Some LGBTQ+ Asian/Pacific Islander Creators:
Other Helpful/Informational Links:
