Frequently Asked Questions about GSA Network
What is Gay-Straight Alliance Network?
Gay-Straight Alliance Network is a youth-led non-profit organization that works to empower youth activists to end harassment and discrimination in schools based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Founded in 1998, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Network is the only student-led organization that networks Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in California.
What is a Gay-Straight Alliance?
A Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a student-initiated and student-run club in a public or private school. The goal of a GSA is to provide a safe, supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) and straight ally youth to meet and discuss sexual orientation and gender identity issues, and to work to create a school environment free of discrimination, harassment, and intolerance.
How many Gay-Straight Alliances are there in California?
As of January 2001, there are 150 Gay-Straight Alliance clubs registered with GSA Network from Northern California, including the Central Valley. It is estimated that there are approximately 50 GSAs in Southern California that will join GSA Network when it expands to Southern California.
Who are the members of GSA Network?
Members of GSA Network are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and straight ally youth, school personnel, and supportive community members who care about stopping homophobia in schools. GSA clubs are also registered as group members of GSA Network.
Why do straight youth become members of GSAs?
Straight youth are often members of GSAs because they have lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) family or friends. Straight youth who have been perceived as LGBT join to help stop harassment and intolerance in school. Some straight youth are involved because they see ending homophobia as an important civil rights and human rights issue.
How many straight youth are involved with GSAs?
The number of straight youth involved with GSAs varies from club to club. In some cases, straight ally youth comprise the majority of a club. Most clubs do not require student members to label or identify themselves, so it is difficult to estimate. At GSA Network’s annual conference in 2000, 20% of the participants identified as straight.
Does GSA Network start or sponsor GSAs in schools?
No. Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in schools are student-initiated and student-run. GSA Network offers support, technical assistance, training, and networking opportunities to students and advisors involved with GSAs and efforts to end homophobia in schools. GSA Network also sponsors non-school-based Gay-Straight Alliance clubs for youth in areas (e.g. rural areas) where there are few GSAs established in schools.
Can GSA student clubs be banned from schools?
No. GSAs cannot be banned if other non-curricular student clubs are allowed to exist at the school. The Federal Equal Access Act and the First Amendment of the US Constitution establish the requirement of equal treatment for all non-curriculum related clubs regardless of the content of speech at the club meetings.
Is homophobia a widespread problem in schools?
53% of high school students in California report hearing homophobic comments every day at school; 67% of students report frequently or occasionally making anti-gay comments themselves; 84% of students report rarely or never hearing staff members intervene when anti-gay comments are made. Source: Gay-Straight Alliance School Climate Survey of 2,227 students in East Bay high schools in California during the1999-2000 school year.
22.2% of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth skip school each month, because they fear for their safety on the school grounds. Source: 1997 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Study, which is conducted every two years by the Massachusetts Department of Education with funding from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 1998 a national survey found that there had been a 34 percent increase in anti-gay violence at public schools and colleges. Attacks against heterosexual youth perceived to be gay also increased by 36 percent. Source: National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, "Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Violence in 1997."
In a national survey, 69 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth experienced some form of harassment or violence at school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Source: "GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Students And Their Experiences In School" 1999.
What impact do GSAs have on school climate?
Anecdotal evidence indicates that GSAs can greatly improve the school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning students and their allies. GSAs that conduct student and teacher sensitivity trainings typically see a decrease in slurs, name-calling, and harassment following their advocacy efforts. GSAs also create safe spaces for students to meet and socialize in a harassment-free environment.
Are there GSAs in middle schools?
As of January 2001, there are 3 GSAs established in middle schools or junior highs in Northern California. Harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is also pervasive in middle schools and junior highs and anecdotal evidence would suggest that it is even more pervasive.
Are students protected from discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity in California schools?
Yes, beginning on January 1, 2000 when AB 537 went into effect.
What is AB 537?
AB 537 is the California School Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000. The law prohibits harassment and discrimination in schools on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender. The definition of gender includes "a person’s actual or perceived sex and a person’s perceived identity, appearance or behavior whether or not that identity, appearance, or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with a person’s sex at birth."
Why is it important to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender?
Much of the harassment that occurs in schools, such as name-calling, is the result of gender non-conformity. For example, a female may get called a "dyke" or "lesbo" not because of her actual sexual orientation but because she wears boyish clothing or likes to play sports. Similarly, a male may get called a "fag" or "homo" because his mannerisms are perceived as "effeminate" or he is in a dance class. Students who are transgender-identified also get harassed in schools.
Where is GSA Network based?
GSA Network is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and has a regional office in Fresno, CA, which serves the Central Valley and one for Southern CA in Los Angeles.
