Dear John, 

As 2020 comes to a close, I send you all my warmest, best wishes and my deepest thanks. 

In a year like no other, you made it possible for GLSEN to meet the moment. 

Amidst all of the pain and chaos, 2020 has shaken our education system to its core. LGBTQ+ students were ripped away from their support systems at school. Educators have been pushed to the limit by the demands on remote teaching. And the inequity embedded in our school systems amplified the impact of the pandemic on our most vulnerable students. 

Because of you, we were able to pivot our programs and services on-line to provide support and connection to students and educators in the midst of crisis. We forged ahead with forceful advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ+ youth at the local, state, and national level. And we identified crucial opportunities for much-needed change in our schools, doing the internal work needed to be ready to play our part. But we can't do all of this work without you. Will you consider making a donation today? 

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What did this look like on the ground? Over the past year, with your help, GLSEN was able to: 

Connect: More than 100,000 students and educators took part in GLSEN's virtual events, webinars, trainings, and on-line GSA meetings since our country went into quarantine. The mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth took a huge hit this year, and we provided connection, community, and the life-saving strength of caring adults to help sustain them through the turmoil.

Advocate: GLSEN seized every opportunity to advocate our cause in statehouses and school houses across the country. In the wake of the Bostock Supreme Court Decision this spring, for example, we reached all of the nation's 13,500 school districts with model trans-protective policy language and a clear message regarding their responsibilities to their LGBTQ+ students and educators. 

Build: The pandemic has laid bare the impact of systemic inequities on marginalized students, and the ways that the LGBTQ+ youth facing multiple forms of discrimination are bearing the brunt of bias and violence in our schools. GLSEN will enter 2021 building on a period of intense evolution and planning to put racial, gender, and disability justice at the core of our work, ready to pilot next-generation strategies and initiatives to help make our schools places of liberation for all LGBTQ+ students. 

As 2020 comes to a close, we take a breath. And we give thanks for your support. With your help, GLSEN will continue to rise to the challenges and leverage every opportunity as the days get longer and brighter, and we enter a new year. 
 

With gratitude, 

Eliza
she/her/hers
Executive Director

P.S. If ever there was a time for GLSEN to make a lasting impact in our schools it is NOW. Please continue to support our work with an end of year gift. GLSEN Board Member Todd Spiewak and his husband Jim Parsons have agreed to match up to $125,000 worth of donations through midnight on December 31st!

 

GLSEN Inc.
110 William Street
30th Floor
New York, NY 10038
United States

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