GLBTQ (13 page)
Here are some common questions and answers about gay-straight alliances. More information about GSAs is also available from GLSEN (
www.glsen.org
) and the GSA Network (
www.gsanetwork.org
).
Q: Who gets involved in gay-straight alliances?
A:
GSAs welcome any student who feels that harassment and discrimination against GLBTQ people, their families, and their friends is wrong.
Q: How many GSAs are there?
A:
Gay-straight alliances can be found in public, private, and parochial high schools and middle schools of various sizes all over the country. More than 4,000 GSAs are registered with GLSEN.
Q: Do people in gay-straight alliances talk about sex?
A:
That's not the purpose of GSAs. These groups meet just like any other school club, but the activities range from discussions of gender roles or what it means to be queer to working on projects aimed at making the school a safer space for GLBTQ students. GLSEN supports several events that many gay-straight alliances participate in. Among these are Ally Week in October, TransACTION! in November, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Weekend in January, and the National Day of Silence in April.
Been There:
“I cofounded the GSA at my school. My friend and I wrote the appropriate letters and had meetings with the principal. We also found a faculty advisor, figured out a place to meet, chose our meeting time, and named our group. It was an uphill battle, during which we came head-to-head with the principal several times. But we managed to do some good things, like hold events for National Coming Out Day and the National Day of Silence. The group was definitely controversial, but we helped to raise a lot of awareness.”
âArian, 19
If you're interested in starting a gay-straight alliance at your school, here are some basic steps to get things moving:
1. Find out and follow your school's guidelines.
You establish a GSA the same way you would any other school club. Look in your student handbook for your school's rules for starting a group. You may find guidelines or a set process you need to follow (for example, writing a club mission statement).
2. Find a faculty advisor.
Consider teachers or staff members who you think would be supportive or who have shown support for GLBTQ issues. Your school might have guidelines about who is eligible to be a club advisor.
3. Find other interested students.
GSAs are for both GLBTQ and straight students. Straight students who feel that anti-GLBTQ discrimination is wrong are often strong and vocal GSA members. Look for members all over your school. The more diverse the GSA membership is, the stronger and more effective it can be.
4. Talk to the administration.
Tell school officials what you're doing and try to get their support. If they're supportive, they can help the GSA gain acceptance among students, teachers, and the community. If administrators oppose the formation of the group, inform them (calmly and kindly) of your legal rights to start a club.
5. Pick a meeting place.
Select a place in the school that affords some privacy, but is also easily accessible. It could be a classroom, counselor's office, or conference room.
6. Advertise.
Let others know about the meeting through posters, flyers, a page on a social networking website, word-of-mouth, the school's website, and any other (appropriate) method you can think of. Some people may tear down or put graffiti on your flyers and posters. Don't be discouraged. Have a reserve stash so you can post more.
7. Plan an agenda.
Think about what you want to do at your first meeting and plan ahead. You can do anything from holding discussions and playing get-to-know-you games to having a guest speaker and planning a workshop. Visit the websites of organizations that support GSAs for more meeting ideas.
The Official Ruling:
U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter made a landmark decision on GSAs. He stated in his ruling, “To the extent that the [school] board opens up its school facilities to any noncurriculum related group, it must open its facilities to all student groups.”
Also, on August 5, 2010, Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, joined by 10 cosponsors, introduced the Safe Schools Improvement Act in the U.S. Senate. In 2009, California Representative Linda Sánchez introduced the bill in the House of Representatives, where it has 119 bipartisan cosponsors. The bill requires schools that receive funding under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to implement a comprehensive anti-bullying policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. It also requires states to include bullying and harassment data in statewide needs assessments reporting.
For more information about legal rights and GSAs, visit the websites of GLSEN (
glsen.org
) and the ACLU (
aclu.org/safeschools
).
8. Hold the meeting.
A good idea for the first meeting is to have members introduce themselves, discuss why the group is needed, plan your overall goals, and brainstorm projects for the year. You also might want to plan to elect group members for president, vice president, treasurer, and other club offices so that you have a leadership structure.
9. Set ground rules.
At the first meeting, work together to create rules to ensure that discussions are safe, confidential, and respectful. Make sure group members know that everyone's views are welcome.
10. Plan for the future.
Set goals for what you want the GSA to accomplish, not only in the next few months but also in the long term. Be realistic about what you can do over the course of the year, but don't limit yourself. You might be amazed at what you can achieve.
This information is adapted from GLSEN's “Jump-Start Guide to Building and Activating Your GSA.”
The Birth of the GSA
Did you know that the first gay-straight alliance was founded by a straight student? In 1988, a straight student at Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts, wanted to do something to help educate her fellow students about anti-queer bullying and harassment. She approached her history teacherâGLSEN founder Kevin Jenningsâand proposed the idea for the club. A short time later, Jennings became the faculty advisor for the nation's first GSA. Now GSAs are in more than 1,000 schools across the United States. Each year, nearly 20,000 students are directly involved in GSA activities.
Unfortunately, some queer teens end up having to change schools because officials are unwilling to address bullying and harassment. Some may ignore or even participate in the mistreatment.
If you've explored all of your options for bringing an end to harassmentâtalking with teachers, administrators, school superintendents, the school board, and people from national GLBTQ organizationsâand it hasn't worked, or if you believe you're in serious danger, it might be time to change schools. Approach your parent or guardian and talk with him or her about why you feel it's necessary for you to make the change.
Moving to a new school won't necessarily mean an end to bullying and harassment. You might still encounter problems similar to the ones you had at your previous school. It's a good idea to have your parent or guardian contact administrators at your new prospective school to find out their stance on GLBTQ harassment issues. If attitudes at your new school aren't any better (or are even worse) than your current school, it might be wise to look at other options. You could consider getting legal assistance from a national GLBTQ or civil rights organization. Homeschooling or studying for the GED at a local community college are other possibilities. A few large cities (including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Milwaukee) even have schoolsâpublic and privateâspecifically for queer students.
An Online School for Queer Teens:
In 2010, GLBTQ Online High School opened its virtual doors to its first students. The school is the world's first online high school created specifically for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender teens, or teens questioning their sexuality or gender. The school provides an interactive online education, complete with highly qualified teachers in all of the subject areas you'd find at brick-and-mortar high schools, and a few more, such as queer studies. GLBTQ Online High School also provides extensive adult and peer support, as well as one-on-one support from counselors specially trained in GLBTQ issues among young people. Students can enroll on a full- or part-time basis, and some scholarships are available. For more information about the school, visit
glbtqonlinehighschool.com
.
Whatever you do, continue your education. GLBTQ teens often have much higher absenteeism and dropout rates than their straight peers. According to “The 2009 National School Climate Survey,” 29 percent of GLBTQ students missed a class and 30 percent missed an entire day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe, compared to only 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively, of a national sample of secondary school students. Also, queer students who experience harassment often get lower grades than their straight peers and may disengage from school altogether. Queer teens were more likely to report that they didn't plan to pursue any post-secondary education (or getting a high school diploma or finishing high school at all) than their straight peers.
Been There:
“I dropped out of high school after six months of constant torture. Being gay, or being perceived to be gay, affected me very negatively, to the point of being suicidal, because of all the daily harassment. [Now I'm being homeschooled.] But I've found that being gay has opened up so many doors for me. My life would be so incredibly different if I weren't gay. Every once in a while I will think about what my life would have been like if I'd been straight, and well, I don't think that I would be as happy as I am right now. I mean, why would I want to be anyone other than who I am?”
âRobert, 15