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Our Impact: Current Students Tell Their Stories

How has being involved with GSA for Safe Schools had an impact on you?
"Last summer at LTI, I learned how to shake some social change, and by golly we are. Read more..
Leah - Appleton North High School

What does being part of the GSA movement mean to you?
"The GSA movement is a chance for me to take my leadership skills and funnel it into a productive and worthwhile fight." Read more..
Justin - Whitefish Bay High School

Why did you start a Gay-Straight Alliance at your school?
"After a couple of years of personal ridicule and scrutiny from my peers, I realized that LGBT youth and their allies needed a voice." Read more..
Robin - Brookfield Central High School

Why is it important for schools to have a Gay-Straight Alliance?
"For me, the GSA is where I made a lot of my friends. Without the GSA I wouldn't have a regular place to go.." Read more..
Trevis - Madison East High School

Save the Date for the Lieutenant Governor's Conference on LGBT Youth
Sponsored by Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools and Diverse & Resilient
Date: March 5, 2010
Time: 9:30 - 4:15 (registration begins at 8:45)
Location: UW-Oshkosh
Participants: School and Community professionals who work with LGBT youth, university students who may work with youth in the future, and middle school and high school youth
Speakers: Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton
Motivational Speaker and Consultant Paul Wesslemann
Local experts from GSAFE and Diverse & Resilient
Skilled Workshop Leaders

The movie "Straightlaced" from Groundspark will be shown the night before.

>>> Register Online

>>>Download Registration flyer

Please contact Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools if you have any questions:
608-661-4141 or email Cindy Crane at cindyc@gsaforsafeschools.org.

Welcome, Monica Adams, to the GSAFE staff as our Middle School Program Assistant
Monica AdamsThanks to a three-year grant from the Queer Youth Fund, we were able to hire Monica Adams as our half-time Middle School Program Assistant. We were looking for someone who was bi-cultural, fluent in Spanish, and had experience working with youth. We found all of these gifts in Monica, who will be focusing on expanding our Bystanders to Allies (b2a) program in middle schools in Dane County as well as help us with middle school GSA initiatives. We will be asking her to use her talents for leading workshops at our statewide high school gatherings as well.

So what does Monica have to say about herself? I was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI where there is a large and prevalent Latino community. I was very attracted to the people, the culture, and the language as I realized there were many similarities between us. Quickly I found myself grasping the language and gaining acceptance, as I went from being viewed as Monica, to Mona la morena (dark Mona, doll). From an early age, I began to organize within the Latino community working on outwardly political issues such as immigration, to challenging subtle forms of machismo (misogyny). One of the most influential and inspirational experiences I ever had is in the Latino community where I discovered the marimacha (lesbian or tomboy) women, whom I love and respect, who discovered me long before I discovered myself.

Monica has attending college at UW-Madison and went through training to be a community organizer via the Apprentice Organizers Project, the same agency from which our program assistant, Tim Michael, hails. Along with working at GSAFE, she is employed part-time as the Queer Youth of Color/African-American Organize at Freedom Inc.

GSAFE Youth Scholarship Application Now Available – Deadline February 22, 2010!
Scholarships to be presented at May 8 Celebration of Leadership
The Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools (GSAFE) Youth Scholarship awards four high school seniors $1000 each. The recipients of these awards will have demonstrated a commitment to promoting respect for all, especially in a school setting, with an emphasis on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues (LGBT). This scholarship is open to all Wisconsin high school seniors, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
Learn More


3rd Annual Walk/Run/Eat Our Biggest Ever!
On Sunday, October 11th, more than 250 people "joined the movement" and walked, ran, and ate on Madison's beautiful east side. Thank you to all our volunteers, Pacesetters, and sponsors for making it such a fantastic event. And a huge thanks to Queen Anne's Catering for once again providing the "eat" that everyone loves so much.

To see photos from the event and to download the runners' results, click here.

 GSAFE proudly thanks our donors!

 Alliant Energy Foundation
 Brico Fund
 Brighter Futures
 By Youth for Youth
 New Harvest Foundation
 Diverse & Resilient
 Madison Metropolitan School  District
 Queer Youth Fund
 Wisconsin Department of Public  Instruction

 We are proud members of Community Shares of Wisconsin!

 Thank you Celebration of Leadership Sponsors!

 Wartmann Chandler Appraisal  Associates
 Alliant Energy
 Associated Bank
 CUNA Mutual Foundation
 Cullen Weston Pines & Bach
 WORT

H1N1 Flu News - Public Health Madison & Dane County - http://www.publichealthmdc.com/h1n1news

 

2009 Celebration of Leadership - Opening Doors

Over four hundred attendees filled the room and celebrated the journeys of courageous LGBTQ youth and their allies! This years award recipients were, from left to right, Scott Lone, Bryce Woyak, Trevis Kahel, Dena Wessell, and Derek Nelson.

> Mark your calendars for next year's celebration: May 8, 2010

> Click here to get a glimpse of this year's event.

> Click here to learn more about this year's award and scholarship recipients.

Know Your Rights!
Did you know Wisconsin has a law that protects students from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation? Check out the 118.13 PSA for ideas on how to get the word out in your school or community. Watch the Video!

So, what do you know about LGBT history?

 

Magnus Hirschfield was a gay rights activist in the country that was the birthplace of gay rights. Name that country.


Wisconsin was the first in the nation to pass a gay rights law! Who was the governor who signed the bill?


 
Name a famous African American lesbian poet. _________________________

"Boys Don't Cry" is a movie that features which part of the LGBT acronym?

How'd you do? Go to our LGBT History section and find out!

Get the latest news in the GSA Update or the Newsarama, now available on the What's News page.

Student Safety
Each student has a right to feel safe and be celebrated. We try to make this happen by

  • supporting over 90 Gay Straight Alliances and 250-300 student leaders in South Central Wisconsin through direct contact and youth conferences
  • working in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction to lead workshops on LGBT issues and anti-bullying throughout the state for school professionals through Cooperative Education Service Agencies (CESAs)
  • partnering with the Madison Metropolitan School District to lead sessions on Bystanders to Allies (B2A), a middle school anti-bullying program developed by Wisconsin Public Television

Each gift makes a difference. Thank you for supporting our mission to make schools safe for LGBT students and all youth!

Vision Statement
Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools (GSA for Safe Schools) envisions educational systems where all students thrive regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

Mission Statement
GSA for Safe Schools is a public benefit organization committed to safe middle schools and high schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender youths and all students.

Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools
301 S. Bedford Street #1 • Madison, Wisconsin • 53703
Telephone: 608-661-4141 • Fax: (608) 661-1360 •