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!
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#lesbian #gay #bisexual #transgender #queer #youth #students #activism #LGBT #advocacy #safer schools #media #storytelling #bullying #GSA
Ally Week is about identifying and supporting allies to LGBT youth. Why? Because our research shows that when LGBTQ students can identify supportive educators and peers, their school experience is better.
This year, we want to make sure it’s absolutely clear: Ally Week is about learning to be better allies and recruiting more folks to step up to the plate. Whether you’re a lesbian adult working to make schools safer for today’s youth, or a gay student organizing to create safe spaces for your trans* friends, everyone has an opportunity this week to recognize their allyship and take action to become better at it.
Are you organizing? Get resources and register at glsen.org/allyweek
Hey LGBT youth - we want to know what school is really like for you. Take our survey and let us know: www.glsen.org/2013survey
We could win up to $1 million from Chase’s American Giving Awards and we need your help. Go to glsen.org/vote to choose GLSEN.
We know that when communities act, LGBT students do better. And with this money, we can reach even more communities and impact that many more students.
Will you vote and reblog to help us get there?
High school just got better #gsa #gay #myclubisbetterthanyours (Taken with Instagram)
That’s awesome!
Did you know our Research Department found that Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) have tangible benefits for LGBT students in school? Specifically:
So a big KUDOS to making your school safer, one GSA meeting at a time!
We are proud to release our 2011 National School Climate Survey today!
This new report provides a comprehensive snapshot of LGBT students’ experiences, and for the first time clearly shows both decreases in negative indicators of school climate and continued increases in most LGBT-related school resources and supports.
Learn more and take a look at the findings here: http://glsen.us/TiaGrQ
In the rural town of Portland, TN, 1,200 teens go to the high school each day. While their parents are driving to work, and younger brothers/sisters learning the alphabet, our school club, Born This Way (BTW) is fighting for their self-image, equality, and a safer school climate. Nearly the entire school feels a need to change. There is a particular need to make Portland High School (PHS) a better school, but some never take the initiative to do so.
Once I felt this need, I jumped at the thought of changing the school and making it a better place. My best friend and I started Born This Way. We wanted to make it a very well-rounded club, therefore we included into our meetings components of individualism, anti-bullying, and equality. Once I heard about GLSEN Middle Tennessee’s Student Action & Empowerment Forum (SAEF 2012) my ears perked up because I knew there would be a vast amount of knowledge for me to gain from this event! Just in the first few hours of being there I learned so much! My knowledge grew about the LGTBQ community, social justice, conflict resolution, and so much more!
When I left this event and returned to my BTW club sponsor, I was overwhelmed with the things to inform her about! Not only did I learn things from the GLSEN chapter leaders, I also learned things from the other exceptional students that attended. We discussed things like Ally Weekand the Day Of Silence; since these are GLSEN-sponsored events, we have planned a shared calendar for all GSAs* in Middle Tennessee, so that we all will be focusing on these same events and get support from our GLSEN chapter! This, alone, is priceless to me because now I have a vast amount of people standing behind me to organize around these events!
Taking everything that I have learned at SAEF 2012 and trying to summarize it would be exceptionally hard. The open environment, friendly people, and terrific GLSEN swag made this more than worthwhile to me. It was like a whole new world has been opened up that has been lying hidden for so long. I feel sort of like an adventurer that has just found the long lost treasure! Just two days with these people makes me want to do so much more; the priceless knowledge and some breathtaking new friends also made this a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I cannot wait to commence this work in my school!
I believe PHS is just a few steps from acceptance, and with SAEF 2012 it’s now on the right track!
If you would like to learn more about GLSEN Middle Tennessee and to apply to be a part of their Jump-Start student organizing team, please visit their website here.
Resources to help get you back to school:
Ally Week – Celebrate amazing allies in creating safer schools for all students!
Day of Silence - a day where we recognize the silence many LGBT youth across the country face on a daily basis
Jump-Start Guide - Find out ways in which you can create and support a GSA in your school
GLSEN Chapters – Find a chapter in your area that can provide on-the-ground support to your GSA, or find out how you can start one!
Ally Week is almost a month away and allies are already beginning to speak up! Watch Yerenny share why she’s an ally.
WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN ALLY VIDEO?
- Put the GLSEN Ally Week logo before the video begins. Use this logohttp://glsen.us/U8zey9
- For allies to LGBT youth: Start or end your video by saying “I’m [Your Name] and I’m an ally”.
- Tell us why you are an ally or why you love allies!
- The video must be less than one minute long (not including logo at the beginning)
- Upload the video to your YouTube account
- Include #AllyWeek in the title and make the video public so that we-and others-can find it.
We’ll be featuring ally stories here on our Tumblr and also on the Ally Week website!
TODAY AT 4PM ET – Please join GLSEN’s Research Department for the second webinar in the Fall 2012 GLSEN Research Learning Series that will discuss how the educational landscape for LGBT middle and high school students has changed over the years, as detailed in the 2011 National School Climate Survey report.
To register for the free webinar, please click here: glsen.us/Slhy2c
Jacob, a high school senior, used his acceptance speech for his “Class Actor” senior award to come out to his class. He received a standing ovation.
In his short speech, Jacob referenced the bullying and harassment that so many LGBT students face.
Dig into our 2011 National School Climate Survey for more stats and info on the experiences of LGBT youth in school.
Way to go Jacob! And like Jacob, we know that many LGBT students can’t be out because it’s not safe for them to do so.
Here’s to creating safer, more respectful schools each and every day!
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:
