Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network

Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
Founded 1990
Founder Kevin Jennings
Type Educational
Location
Area served
United States
Website www.glsen.org
Formerly called
Gay and Lesbian Independent School Teachers Network

GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network, is an organization founded in 1990 in the United States that seeks to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in K-12 schools. GLSEN is headquartered in New York City, but has one office in Washington, D.C. to house the policy department. GLSEN focuses its efforts on the support and opportunities provided by the four pillars of safety, respect, health, and leadership. Through programs, research, policy, training, and resource development work, GLSEN has built a network of over 13,000 educators across the country.

In addition to national efforts, GLSEN works locally through chapters. As of 2015, there are thirty-eight chapters across the twenty-six states that train 5,000 students, educators, and school personnel each year.[1] The chapters also support more than 4,000 registered school-based clubs, commonly known as gay–straight alliances (GSAs), which work to address anti-LGBT name calling, bullying, and harassment in their schools. GLSEN also sponsors and participates in a host of annual "Days of Action", including GLSEN's Day of Silence every April, GLSEN's Ally Week every September, and GLSEN's No Name-Calling Week every January.

Guided by research such as GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey, GLSEN has developed resources, lesson plans, classroom materials, and professional development programs for teachers on how to support LGBT students, such as "Safe Schools" training.[2] Ready, Set, Respect!, Safe Space kits, and program guides for all the days of action. Safe Schools training and various other professional development opportunities have been facilitated by more than 200 GLSEN trainers to over 5,000 educators and school personnel each year. Ready, Set, Respect! is an elementary school toolkit developed to help educators ensure that all students feel safe and respected. GLSEN’s Safe Space Kit, which has been distributed to over 63,000 schools in the country, provides educators with a guide for supporting LGBT students, as well as Safe Space stickers and posters.

GLSEN has advocated that one of the most effective ways for schools, districts and states to improve their school climates and to make their schools safer and more affirming is to enact LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying laws and policies. GLSEN has worked with the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services to create model policies that support LGBT students and educators, including the first-ever Trans Model Policy, as well as implementation guides to ensure that these policies are considered, passed, and implemented. GLSEN has considered their signature legislation to be the Safe Schools Improvement Act and has been honored by the White House as a “Champion of Change.”

History

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Today

GLSEN's Day of Silence

Main article: Day of Silence

GLSEN’s Day of Silence is a national day of action that began at the University of Virginia in 1996 in which students vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. GLSEN’s Day of Silence takes place in 8,000 U.S. schools every year and has spread to more than 60 countries.

GLSEN's No Name-Calling Week

Every January thousands of elementary and middle schools participate in GLSEN’s No Name-Calling Week to end bullying and celebrate kindness. No Name-Calling Week was inspired by the popular young adult novel entitled The Misfits by popular author James Howe, and is supported by over 60 national partner organizations.

GLSEN's Ally Week

Main article: Ally Week

Every fall, GLSEN’s Ally Week serves to educate allies about the role they play in creating safer and more inclusive spaces for LGBT youth. Ally Week was started in 2005 by GLSEN’s Jump-Start National Student Leadership team. Ally Week is supported by over 20 endorsers and provides allies and educators with resources to become stronger allies to LGBTQ youth.

Think Before You Speak campaign

On October 8, 2008, GLSEN and Ad Council released the Think Before You Speak Campaign, designed to end homophobic vocabulary and raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools among youth, through the use of television, radio, print, and outdoor ads.[15][16] The campaign also aimed to raise awareness among adults, school personnel, and parents. It includes three television public service announcements (PSAs), six print PSAs and three radio PSAs. Television commercials for the campaign include singer Hilary Duff as well as comedian Wanda Sykes. In 2008 the campaign won the Ad Council's Gold Bell award for "Best Public Service Advertising Campaign" from the Ad Council.

GLSEN Respect Awards

GLSEN organizes the annual GLSEN Respect Awards to honor leaders, personalities, and organizations who have made significant contributions to LGBT youth. Awards are given to organizations, celebrities, students, educators and gay–straight alliances. Since 2004, there have been over four dozen honorees and over $15 million raised in all.[17][18] The first Respect Awards were in New York in 2004 and honored Andrew Tobias, author and Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee; MTV Music Television; and student Marina Gatto. Since then, the Respect Awards are held once annually in New York and once annually in Los Angeles. Since 2004, there have been over four dozen honorees and over $17 million raised in all.

Respect - NY Respect - LA
2015 Johnson & Johnson YouTube
Matthew Morrison Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel
Jon Stryker Zachary Quinto
Desiree Raught, Educator of the Year Mars Hallman, Student Advocate of the Year
Nixa High School GSA, GSA of the Year
2014 AT&T Danny Moder & Julia Roberts
Janet Mock Bob Greenblatt
Laura Taylor, Educator of the Year Derek Hough
The Park City High School GSA, GSA of the Year Cliff Tang, Student Advocate of the Year
2013 Jason Collins Lionsgate
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Todd Spiewak & Jim Parsons
LZ Granderson Linda Bloodwort -Thomason
Farrington High School, GSA of the Year Laila Al-Shamma, Student Advocate of the Year
Matthew Beck, Educator of the Year
USA Network’s Characters Unite campaign
2012 NBA Marilyn & Jeffrey Katzenberg
Marguerite Kondracke Simon Halls & Matt Bomer
Janet Sammons, Educator of the Year Bob & Harvey Weinstein
Allies 4 Equality, GSA of the Year Luis Veloz, Student Advocate of the Year
2011 Barclays Capital Wells Fargo
Susie Scher & Allison Grover Chaz Bono
Chely Wright Michele & Rob Reiner
Rich Espey, Educator of the Year Rick Welts
Emmett Patterson, Student Advocate of the Year
2010 American Express Modern Family
Pfizer Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
David Dechman & Michael Mercure Dan Renberg and Eugene Kapaloski
Cyndi Lauper Ferial Pearson, Educator of the Year
Danielle Smith, Student Advocate of the Year
2009 KPMG HBO
PepsiCo David C. Bohnett
Mary Jane Karger, Educator of the Year Shonda Rhimes
Austin Laufersweiler, Student Advocate of the Year
2008 DiversityInc Lance Bass
Goldman Sachs Darren Star
Lloyd C. Blankfein Disney / ABC Television Group
Ronald M. Ansin
2007 National Education Association Hon. James C. Hormel
Elizabeth Duthinh Greg Berlanti
John Mack Dr. Neal Baer
Hon. Sheila Kuehl
2006 Citigroup, Inc. James Howe
Kerry Pacer, Student Activist Cisco Systems, Inc.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Dr. Virginia Uribe, PH.D
2005 Lehman Brothers Jeff Quin
Talia Stein Moses Kaufman
Hon. Richard Gephardt & Chrissy Gephardt IBM
Frankie Martinez
2004 Andrew Tobias
Marina Gatto
MTV

GLSEN Research

GLSEN has been conducting research and evaluation on LGBT issues in K-12 education since 1999. GLSEN became the only organization to regularly document the school experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) middle and high school students in the U.S. using GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey. Other research reports GLSEN has put out include From Statehouse to Schoolhouse: Anti-Bullying Policies in U.S. States and School Districts, Shared Differences: The Experiences of LGBT Students of Color in Our Nation's Schools, Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools, as well as many other reports, articles, and book chapters.[19]

GLSEN National Student Council

The GLSEN National Student Council, formerly known as the Student Ambassadors program, is one of GLSEN’s student leadership teams.[20] Each year, GLSEN selects a small group of middle and high school students to serve as GLSEN youth representatives for the upcoming school year. Students of the National Student Council advise GLSEN on campaigns, bring GLSEN resources to their schools, represent GLSEN in the media, and have their own work published in local and national outlets. The students of the National Student Council receive interview coaching, media training, and attend workshops with GLSEN staff on public speaking, blogging, social media, policy, and understanding power and privilege.

GLSEN Chapters

GLSEN Chapters, with the support and guidance of the national office, work to bring GLSEN programs to their specific communities on a local level. Chapter board members and volunteers are students, educators, parents and community members who volunteer their time to support students and Gay-Straight Alliances, train educators, and provide opportunities for everyone to make change in their local schools. GLSEN has 38 volunteer-led GLSEN Chapters in 26 states that work with student leaders, provide professional development for educators, and encourage policymakers to enact LGBTQ inclusive policies.[1]

Fistgate controversy

Main article: Fistgate

In 2000, the leader of the conservative Parents' Rights Coalition of Massachusetts secretly taped one of the fifty workshops in "Teachout 2000", titled "What They Didn't Tell You About Queer Sex and Sexuality in Health Class: Workshop for Youth Only, Ages 14-21" . Students discussed sex in a workshop "billed as a safe place for youths to get their questions about their sexuality answered" in the session's Q&A section. The tapes generated controversy when they were broadcast over radio, and critics pointed out legal prohibition of taping of people without their permission.[21]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "GLSEN chapters". Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  2. Safe Schools Training Series via Wayback Machine
  3. "Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators and School Personnel" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  4. "Obama calls for an end to conversion therapy". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  5. http://www.glhalloffame.org/index.pl?page=inductees&todo=year
  6. 1 2 "SSIA". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  7. [file:///C:/Users/commintern2/Downloads/From%20Teasing%20to%20Torment%20Full%20Report.pdf "From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, A Survey of Students and Teachers"] Check |url= value (help) (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  8. [file:///C:/Users/commintern2/Downloads/The%20Principals%20Perspective.pdf "The Principal’s Perspective: School Safety, Bullying and Harassment"] Check |url= value (help) (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  9. "Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation’s Schools" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  10. [file:///C:/Users/commintern2/Downloads/Shared%20Differences.pdf "Shared Differences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students of Color in our Nation’s Schools."] Check |url= value (help) (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  11. "Safe Space Kit". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  12. "White House honors GLSEN". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  13. [file:///C:/Users/commintern2/Downloads/Strengths%20&%20Silences.pdf "Strengths and Silences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in Rural and Small Town Schools"] Check |url= value (help) (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  14. "Out Online: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  15. "The Campaign". 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  16. "Think Before You Speak". 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  17. http://www.glsen.org/respect
  18. http://www.glsen.org/press
  19. "GLSEN Research". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  20. "GLSEN National Student Council". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  21. "Graphic gay-sex workshop under fire", by Ed Hayward, The Boston Herald, May 17, 2000

External links

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