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Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in public schools

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"Regardless of a child's ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, sexual orientation, or physical status, all children have a right to safety. When victimization through bullying, verbal abuse, and physical violence is prevalent in a school, the entire school community experiences the consequences. When abuse against a particular group is perceived as acceptable, intergroup hatreds can become established... Students who are different from the majority of their classmates because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or other personal characteristics are at increased risk for being bullied. Gay, lesbian, or bisexual students, and students perceived to be gay by their peers are often victims of repeated verbal abuse and physical assault," Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 1

Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) are student-organized and student-led clubs in U.S. public high schools which support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual students in their battles to attain equal rights and treatment. Thousands have been organized the U.S. ₂

The federal Equal Access Act, requires that schools which have as few as one non-curriculum club must allow the creation of a GSA, even if the school board or principal disagrees with the group's purpose. Otherwise, the school would lose all federal funding.

Topics covered in this section:

	Background material The Equal Access Act Attempts to circumvent the Act
	Why GSAs are supported by some and opposed by others
	Attempts to overcome resistance against GSAs
	Additional information:  The Canadian scene. Why are GSAs so controversial? A new book on GSAs. A memoir by Kevin Jennings, the founder of the first GSA
	2011/2012: Ontario (Canada) Catholic "separate school" conflict over gay-straight alliances

Some web sites of Gay-Straight Alliances:

	Ann Arbor Huron (MI) High School GSA at: http://www.aa-design.com/hhs-gsa/hhs-gsa.htm
	Menlo school of Atherton CA at: http://www.concentric.net/~Mpwolf/menlo/
	Dartmouth College, Hanover NH at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~gsa/ Their site contains a copy of their constitution.
	North Andover (MA) Gay Straight Alliance, at: http://members.tripod.com/nagsa/
	Washington High's GSA, Tacoma WA at: http://www.angelfire.com/wa/whsgsa/

 Some useful resources:

	"Gay/straight alliances: A student guide," Massachusetts Department of Education, at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/doedocs/GSA/
	"How to start a gay-straight alliance," Bay Area Gay-Straight Alliance Network, at: http://www.gsanetwork.org/start/
	The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network has a web page at: http://www.glsen.org/ They include lists of community and school "tools" to help organize clubs, raise money, etc.
	W.J. Blumenfeld & Laurie Lindop, "How to start a Gay-Straight Alliance," at: http://www.glsen.org/pages/sections/library/schooltools/014.article

 Reference:

1. "School Health Guidelines to Prevent Unintentional Injuries and Violence," Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001-DEC-7, at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/
2. Lucas Wall, "ACLU sues Klein school on behalf of lesbian student," Houston Chronicle, 2003-JAN-22, at: http://www.chron.com/cs/ 

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2000 to 2011 & 2012, by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2000-FEB-10
Latest update: 2012-FEB-05
Author: B.A. Robinson

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