Applications and Nominations for our 2013 Gay-Straight Alliance of the Year Award close this Sunday at midnight.
2012 winners from Blake High School in Maryland share what it was like to win and why you should apply.
So what are you waiting for? Apply today – we want to hear about how you’re rocking out with your GSA/QSA to make things better at your school.
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#lesbian #gay #bisexual #transgender #queer #questioning #activism #gay-straight alliance #GSA #GSA of the Year #Queer Straight Alliance #QSA #LGBT #LGBTQPIA #safe space
Rogers High School is in Spokane, WA. Their GSA was a finalist for the GSA of the Year 2013 award!
When I started high school, I already knew about the GSA here but I didn’t start going until the end of my Junior year. I was just so scared I wouldn’t be accepted for who I truly am (I am physically a girl but identify as a male). Since going, I have participated in my first Drag Show and have had people call me by the gender I prefer. I have met some amazing people, not only in our GSA but in the entire LGBT community. We have had some guest speakers (Members of the Spokane Imperial Court and Kris Wood, a Rogers grad who actually began the GSA here in the 1990′s) and I have learned that things do get better after high school, or even in high school.
One of my favorite activities we have done in our GSA is organizing the Day of Silence. When we set up our table in the commons and hand out ribbons and instructions, we got almost 300 participants!
I really see our fight against bullying succeeding. This also has helped in my own battle against bullying and harassment at our school. I don’t think I could have done it without the GSA at John R. Rogers High School.
In addition, I don’t think we could have been as successful as we have been at making our school and safe and accepting place for all without the help and leadership of GLSEN. They really helped shape who we are.
- Teddie, club secretary
I didn’t know what GSA was or even if we had one when I started here. So, my friend told me about the GSA at our school. I attended a meeting and after that day, I was a member, a part of a family, kind of scared of what would happen. But I always had the support of our advisor, Ms. Silvey. My first two years were rocky and we were really trying to just figure out what type of role we should have in our school. Up until we found GLSEN, we saw all the things we could do to reach out to our school and community.
We started with holiday parties (Valentine’s and Christmas) where we invited other high schools and even though we had a small turnout at first, we were starting to reach out and connect. During my junior year, I became Vice President. That was a huge step for me. I started being more involved with my club and our school. We started writing to teachers and other staff members and thanking them for supporting us. We also sent thank you notes to Starbucks for their support of Gay Marriage. We marched in the PRIDE Parade with a giant banner.
We were really becoming visible and the more visible we became, the more powerful we became.
Let’s just say the last four years in our GSA made me stronger and prouder, safer and truly loved. I couldn’t have even imagined that when I first got to Rogers I would be a part of this community. I can’t thank our Advisor, Ms.Silvey, enough for letting me join and Rogers High School for supporting our GSA
-Jessica, co-president
aradovahkiin-deactivated2013061 asked:
That’s a great idea! Talking to your administration will be much easier with supportive friends and teachers by your side. Chat with your peers about why you think having a GSA will be helpful in your school, and then get a faculty member to agree to be a sponsor. After, ask your new sponsor to help set up a meeting with the administration to discuss starting a GSA! Hopefully, things will go over smoothly and you can start making changes at your school! Check out our Jump Start Guide for GSAs for more tips: http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2226.html?state=tools&type=student
Sultana High School is censoring and discriminating against its Gay-Straight Alliance. The Hesperia, CA school is limiting the GSA from using LGBT-inclusive language and participating in activities like GLSEN’s Day of Silence and Ally Week.
Today is the first school day since news broke last week during Spring Break that the ACLU of Southern California sent a letter demanding the school district stop discriminating against the school’s GSA.
Tell them that they are not alone
As they return to school today, the GSA members could face retaliation for their decision to stand up to their school district.
Along with our partners at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, It Gets Project, and the California-based GSA Network, we want to send a clear message to Sultana High GSA members as they head back to school:
We are proud of you and we’ve got your back.
Will you join us? Click here to send your own message to the brave LGBT students and allies.
They believe that every student deserves to be safe and treated with respect, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Help us show them that people all across the country stand with them against discrimination.
Day of Silence is in just two days!!! We want to make sure that you know your rights–and that they’re protected–so we asked Jeremy from North Dakota to record a short video explaining them.
If you think your rights are being violated, let us know and our friends at Lambda Legal will investigate! http://www.dayofsilence.org/legalhelp
Signal boost this so everyone knows!
As President of my school’s GSA to do for the Day of Silence I feel like sharing what we did. We broke the silence that most people in the LGBT community and its allies become a part of toady, we spoke out against bullying. Our school has about an hour of straight lunch and in our school’s Forum we had people talking about their experiences from bullying and what it did to them, as well as musical performances by two of our school’s most talented singers, there were some VERY intense moments making me and the people who were in the audience choke up. Everyone enjoyed the event and I am very glad it went on without much of a hitch, I was so glad to do this for the Day of Silence because I’ve wanted to ever since I started my proposal for a GSA last year. The ending of the event was beautiful, one of our performers played Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours on her ukulele and everyone joined in singing and my heart just melted. I hope that this becomes an annual tradition at my school every year now, maybe even twice a year.
jackerouacs-deactivated20131130 asked:
You don’t need to start any network in your state to start a GSA. All you need to do is start a GSA! If you go to a public school and your school has any student-led clubs, you must be allowed to start a GSA.
We’ve got a Jump Start Guide for GSAs to help you get started. And if you have any questions, reach out to us! You can message us here or send an email to jdinicola@glsen.org and Juliann will hook you up!
Each year, we select a group of outstanding students from around the country to serve as GLSEN Student Ambassadors. These hard-working and enthusiastic young people help advance our work by sharing their stories and advocating for LGBT issues in K-12 education in all forms of media. Watch this video and meet our nine newest Ambassadors for the 2013-2014 school year!
Bayli Silberstein, an 8th grade student in Florida, has been trying for a year to create a Gay-Straight Alliance, a student-led club to combat the name-calling and bullying she and her friends face at school. But in an underhanded attempt to stop Bayli from forming the Gay-Straight Alliance, the school board is considering banning ALL extracurricular clubs.
The school board will be discussing the proposal on February 18, so we’ve got to act now to mobilize a public response. Join us in calling on the Lake County School Board to stop the assault on students’ freedom of expression.
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:
worriesconstantly
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:
