Say goodbye to Summer. It’s school time! The goofy, sated bliss of being back with friends, crowding busy hallways with peers, and the bright refracted light of early morning classes has returned.
It’s no secret that here at GLSEN, we love school—because schools are spaces for youth agency and organizing.
LGBTQ+ student-led clubs and GSAs (Gender and Sexuality Alliances) are leading the work to create safe and LGBTQ-inclusive schools, focusing on safety, celebration, and affirmation of identities and expressions that make our world a more colorful place.
Empower student leaders with a donation to GLSEN and ensure they have the tools and resources all semester long to make their GSA an engine for change as well as a fun, safe space for LGBTQ youth and allies.
GLSEN research indicates that students at schools with a GSA are less likely to feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation or gender expression and missed less school than their peers who attended schools without a GSA. LGBTQ+ students with a GSA at their school also reported less anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
As adults, it’s up to us to ensure schools are liberating and affirming spaces for all youth—across gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, class, ability, and all of the other intersections of identity that shape who we are.
Together,
Melanie Willingham-Jaggers
Executive Director
She/Her/Hers/They/Them
