Creating Inclusive GSAs

GSA clubs play a critical role in helping make schools safer and more accepting for LGBTQ youth. Individuals in the LGBTQ community come from all segments of society, representing the spectrum of human diversity.

As a GSA club, your membership may already be diverse, or there may be more you need to do to make sure your club represents the full diversity of your school. The tools in this section will help you make your GSA welcoming to all.

Tools to Help You Create an Inclusive GSA

Your GSA may include Straight Allies [1] and Students with LGBT Parents [2], and it is important that these members of your club feel welcome and supported. LGBTQ youth in a GSA also depend on adult allies and will be Working with Adults in Youth-Adult Partnerships [3] to get things done.

LGBTQ history is full of transgender and queer people of color who were the unsung leaders and heroines of many of our early struggles. It is important to teach your GSA that our history as a queer movement has always had trans and queer people of color in it. Consciously Building Anti-Racist GSAs [4] from the beginning is one way to make sure your GSA honors this legacy. Making your GSA familiar with Transgender Issues [5], and taking on a Gender Identity Campaign at your school is a great way to start educating your club and your school on issues affecting our community.

As your GSA club gains strength and momentum it is important to think about Building Coalitions [6] with other student groups, to hold joint events and support other groups on issues affecting a diverse student population. In turn, when your club has Actions and Events [7], make sure to outreach to your coalition partners.

To gain a strong grasp on social justice organizing and to really learn about GSA Network’s model for inclusive and social justice GSA clubs, make sure you attend one of our GSA Leadership Summits or GSA Activist Camp in the summer.

Inclusive GSAs are part of a larger movement for social justice, and GSA activism can be the first step of many to making your school and the world a better, safer, and more accepting place.