Gay/Straight Alliance

Contents:

• LGBTQ YOUTH’S VIEWS ON GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC: BUILDG COMMUNY, PROVIDG GATEWAYS, AND REPRENTG SAFETY AND SUPPORT
• WHAT IS A GSA?GSA UALLY STANDS FOR GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE, BUT N ALSO STAND FOR GENR AND SEXUALY ALLIANCE (WHICH IS A MUCH MORE CLIVE NAME). GSAS ARE SCHOOL CLUBS WHICH STUNTS N TALK AND LEARN ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN, GENR INTY, AND SOME OF THE ISSU THAT SURROUND THEM. THEY’RE SET UP JT LIKE ANY OTHER STUNT GROUP, WH A FACULTY ADVISOR AND REGULAR MEETGS. EVERYONE IS WELE—LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND QUTNG (LGBTQQ) STUNTS, AS WELL AS STRAIGHT STUNTS, STUNTS WH LGBTQQ FAI, AND STUNTS WHO DON’T HAVE OR NEED A LABEL FOR THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATNS OR GENR INTI. GSAS PLAY A VAL ROLE MAKG SCHOOLS SAFER FOR LGBTQQ STUNTS BY PROVIDG SUPPORTIVE AND ACCEPTG SPAC AS WELL AS DOG BROAR ANIZG WORK AGAST HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA SCHOOL.WHAT DO GSAS DO?
• THE LATT PH: "GAY" CLUBS FOR KIDS MIDDLE SCHOOLS. HERE'S HOW THEY GET THEM -- AND WHAT WH THEM.
• THE RADIL HISTORY OF THE FIRST GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCETHE RADIL HISTORY OF THE FIRST GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE
• GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC, INCLIVE POLICY, AND SCHOOL CLIMATE: LGBTQ YOUTHS’ EXPERIENC OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND BULLYG

LGBTQ YOUTH’S VIEWS ON GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC: BUILDG COMMUNY, PROVIDG GATEWAYS, AND REPRENTG SAFETY AND SUPPORT

Eisenberg, ScD, MPHAbstractBACKGROUNDGay-Straight Allianc (GSAs) are school-based clubs that n ntribute to a healthy school climate for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and qutng (LGBTQ) youth.

Keywords: gay-straight alliance, adolcent, sexual mory, school-basedAdolcents thrive climat that foster healthy velopment; arguably the most important climat are those school and fay settgs.

Gay-straight allianc (GSAs), as a part of a school’s climate, are a key strategy signed to ensure safety, support, and rpect for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and qutng (LGBTQ) youth schools.

WHAT IS A GSA?GSA UALLY STANDS FOR GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE, BUT N ALSO STAND FOR GENR AND SEXUALY ALLIANCE (WHICH IS A MUCH MORE CLIVE NAME). GSAS ARE SCHOOL CLUBS WHICH STUNTS N TALK AND LEARN ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN, GENR INTY, AND SOME OF THE ISSU THAT SURROUND THEM. THEY’RE SET UP JT LIKE ANY OTHER STUNT GROUP, WH A FACULTY ADVISOR AND REGULAR MEETGS. EVERYONE IS WELE—LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR, QUEER, AND QUTNG (LGBTQQ) STUNTS, AS WELL AS STRAIGHT STUNTS, STUNTS WH LGBTQQ FAI, AND STUNTS WHO DON’T HAVE OR NEED A LABEL FOR THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATNS OR GENR INTI. GSAS PLAY A VAL ROLE MAKG SCHOOLS SAFER FOR LGBTQQ STUNTS BY PROVIDG SUPPORTIVE AND ACCEPTG SPAC AS WELL AS DOG BROAR ANIZG WORK AGAST HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA SCHOOL.WHAT DO GSAS DO?

Of those who did not ment about GSAs, two were om Mnota, two om Brish Columbia, and four om Massachetts; the 8 were olr (7 of the 8 were 17 or 18 years old) and more likely to be livg an urban settg (63% pared to 29% of the total sample) but other ways were not mographilly distct om the 58 who did talk about 1Participant Sexual Orientatn and Genr Inty (N=58)FemaleMaleTrans and other labels^TOTALGay or Lbian`811221Bisexual`59317Queer and addnal labels~511218Straight--11Other--11TOTAL18211958In two lotns, participants provid nsent for themselv. Membership the GSA muny ed youth not to feel isolated their inty: “It was nice to know that there were other people like that, bee I would never have spected that anyone else was” (17-year-old, male, gay).

It was also monstrated participatn, as one youth exprsed tratn at missg a planng meetg: “I fot to go, and I’m, like, no, I need to go to that” (14-year-old, male, gay). Fac pop to your head, like our GSA advisor” (18-year-old, male, gay) om across all three study s discsed the specific typ of support and guidance they received om the non-parental, important adults.

(16-year-old, “other” genr and orientatn)Another youth, when explag the Ally Week that their GSA hosted at school, stated, “…all people do is say, ‘Hey, I’m an ally, ‘ and teachers were [dog] that, and that was pretty ol” (17-year-old, male, gay). Through their volvement wh GSAs, youth spoke about disverg servic such as healthre clics, hotl, and support groups: “Bee I was so volved GLSEN [Gay, Lbian & Straight Edutn Network] and GSA work, that’s how I knew about all the rourc” (18-year-old, female, queer). This youth stated, “Durg the transgenr policy that was tryg to be implemented…both [Twter and Facebook] were ed hardre” (18-year-old, male, gay).

THE LATT PH: "GAY" CLUBS FOR KIDS MIDDLE SCHOOLS. HERE'S HOW THEY GET THEM -- AND WHAT WH THEM.

Everyone is wele—lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and qutng (LGBTQQ) stunts, as well as straight stunts, stunts wh LGBTQQ fai, and stunts who don’t have or need a label for their sexual orientatns or genr inti.

GSAs play a val role makg schools safer for LGBTQQ stunts by providg supportive and acceptg spac as well as dog broar anizg work agast homophobia and transphobia school. The urt found 303’s ADF’s rightwg advocy extends further, however, as the anizatn has donated to more than a dozen anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortn found that the ADF donated $85, 000 to the Child and Parental Rights Campaign, a group which, acrdg to a Poli report, helped Florida Republins shape the state’s so-lled “don’t say gay” law, which prohibs discsn of sexual orientatn and genr inty group has also sued two school districts Florida over issu relatg to the rights of trans youth. There IS exceptns for this le; if you are not open about your sexualy, you may brg a iend along and ll yourselv straight wh acceptance to the gay muny.

THE RADIL HISTORY OF THE FIRST GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCETHE RADIL HISTORY OF THE FIRST GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE

By far, the most effective way is to get them to school-based "gay" clubs that are n by activist, often radil, adults, but though otherwise unsupervised. A proment part vered strategi for settg up "gay-straight alliance" (GSA) clubs as many middle schools as possible, given that most high schools now have them.

The homosexual movement has found that a very effective approach for overg ristant school officials is g a petn as a prsure tactic, along wh other manvers. Apparently, her next goal is to set up AGLY ("Arlgton Gay and Lbian Youth") which would probably be a youth/adult "gay" club not nnected wh the school.

They take troubled kids and tell them that if they feel "different" or that they "don't f " then they're probably really "gay" or "transgenr.

GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC, INCLIVE POLICY, AND SCHOOL CLIMATE: LGBTQ YOUTHS’ EXPERIENC OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND BULLYG

Then the GSA lears have the kids spread those ias to the rt of the school through events like the "Day of Silence", "Gay History Month", and "Transgenr Awarens Day. A Gay-Straight Alliance, or GSA, is a youth-led school or muny group anized for the purpose of supportg LGBTQ youth and straight alli through discsn, actn, iendship, and advocy.