Gay and straight alliance

GSAs (Gay-Straight Alliances or Gender & Sexuality Alliances) are a great tool to improve school culture and create spaces for LGBTQ youth to feel a part of the educational facility. Equality Florida is consecrated to promoting safe schools by helping GSAs build and grow through peer support, leadership development, and student empowerment.

By supporting GSAs, schools will be helping to:

create safe schools where students support each other in a fear-free environment,
educate their school community about homophobia, gender identity and sexual orientation issues, and
fight discrimination, harassment, and hostility in schools.

What is a GSA?

GSAs are student-led clubs, usually at the sky-high school or middle academy level, that promote respect for all students.

GSAs can be any of the following:

Support Groups
a harmless and confidential place for students who are struggling with their identity as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual or questioning.

Activist Groups
a group of students functional to end homophobia by getting LGBTQ issues represented in the curriculum, LGBTQ related books in the library, and progressive non-discrimination policies implemented at a district level.

Educ

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Gay-Straight Alliances, or GSAs, are student-led and student-organized school clubs that aim to create a safe, welcoming, and accepting school environment for all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender persona. GSAs provide a supportive environment for lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students, as well as those who are perceived by others to be LGBT, are questioning their identity, have LGBT friends or family members, or just care about LGBT issues.

GSAs help make schools safer for all students by providing support, educating others in their academy about LGBT issues, and engaging in awareness activities like the national Time of Silence. GSAs also allow LGBT and vertical students to work together to take on issues that affect all students, including harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Research has shown that LGBT students catch fewer homophobic slurs, trial less harassment, have finer attendance, and feel safer at schools that possess GSAs. Like any club, what a GSA does is up to its members, but it often includes things like pitching in on commun

GSA List

What is a GSA?

A Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA), Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA), Sexuality and Gender Acceptance (SAGA), Queer Intersectional Alliance (QIA), Rainbow, or Pride Club is a student-run club, typically in a steep school or middle educational facility, which provides a sound place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues comparable to sexual orientation, and work to end homophobia and transphobia. Many GSAs function as a assist group and provide guard and confidentiality to students who are struggling with their identity as same-sex attracted, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning.

In addition to encourage, some GSAs work on educating themselves and the broader school community about sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Other GSAs are activist clubs and have worked to receive LGBTQ issues represented in the curriculum, LGBTQ akin books in the library, and progressive non-discrimination policies implemented at a district level. All of these different types of GSAs also provide a social outlet for LGBTQ students and their straight allies.

For more information and resources about GSAs, please check in the GSA

Starting a Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) in Your School

This content is intended to serve as general information; it is not legal advice nor intended as legal advice.

What is a Gender and Sexuality Alliance?

Genders and Sexualities Alliances (formerly known as Gay-Straight Alliances), or GSAs, are student-led and student-organized institution clubs that aim to create a safe, welcoming, and accepting school environment for all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. GSAs provide a supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, gender nonconforming, and gender non-conforming (LGBTQ) students, as well as those who are perceived by others to be LGBTQ, are questioning their identity, have LGBTQ friends or family members, or just care about LGBTQ issues.

Why should I initiate a GSA at my school?

GSAs help make schools safer for all students by providing support, educating others in your college about LGBTQ issues, and engaging in awareness activities like the national Date of Silence. GSAs also allow LGBTQ and unbent students to work together to take on issues that affect all students, including harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gende