Supporting GSA's - Teachers As Allies

Supporting your school's GSA can be a fantastic experience for both your students and yourself.  There is a risk involved, but it is a courageous venture worth taking. Check out this Top 10 List for suggestions on how to help. Here's another great one that includes the staff perspective.

Everyone needs an ALLY!!

Homophobia in the Classroom

Addressing Homophobia in the classroom - Huffington Post article 07/17/13

What's Trending, What to Follow...

I highly recommend following upworthy.com or @Upworthy for some of the latest trending stories in LGBT rights.

Current story links:

10 year old girl speaks out about LGBTQ employment rights:
http://www.upworthy.com/a-10-year-old-girl-has-more-sense-than-34-of-our-states-now-thats-messed-up?c=utw1

Andrew Garfield (Spiderman) speaks out about LGBT movie and comic characters:
http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/07/19/enders-game-spider-man-big-gay-panic-mark-harris/

Tim Horton's apologizes for LGBTI website ban:
http://globalnews.ca/news/728910/tim-hortons-apologizes-for-blocking-gay-website/

LGBT friendly message in the new Backstreet Boys song:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/19/new-backstreet-boys-video-in-a-world-like-this_n_3625237.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Athlete Awareness

You Can Play Project

Gay Athletes. Straight Allies. Teaming up for Respect.

Starting a GSA

Tips From: Do Something. org

Tips from: Winnipeg School Division

Tips from GSA Network

Tips From My GSA

High School Links

Evan Hardy - Saskatoon

Winston Knoll - Regina

GSA Directory - USA

University of Regina

Sochi Olympics vs LGBTI Athletes - Building Awareness and Activism

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/russia-gay-law-tourists-_n_3581217.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Comic Books Join in supporting LGBT awareness

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/kevin-keller-it-gets-better_n_3568394.html

Gender Neutral Bathrooms - Congratulations U of R

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/university-of-regina-joins-growing-ranks-of-schools-installing-gender-neutr/

Stories of Support

http://www.youthresource.com/

Click on "Queer Living" and check out the stories from youth as well as Questions to think about when coming out, support for Ally's and responses to the "No Homo".

LGBT Youth and Cyberbullying - from GLSEN and Think Progress

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/07/11/2283881/study-lgbt-cyberbulling/?mobile=nc

LGBT Legalization Map

Looks like tolerance is growing... now to work on acceptance!

Pride Month

Take Action on "That's So Gay"

Great video from Alberta:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0FExGezvv4

Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network

http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/about/history/index.html

Homepage of GLSEN

http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2226.html

 Support resource and opportunity to register your GSA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKCwSNIIOqc

Video of GSA of the Year Award Winners

GSA Letter of Support from Premier Wall

North Battleford GSA

http://www.leaderpost.com/news/First+Nations+youth+find+refuge+with+Straight+Alliance/8433006/story.html

Congratulations to North Battleford for starting a GSA for elementary and high school students!

Attention Grabbers on Gay Marriage

Posters

Gender Variance in Elementary Schools

http://www.hrc.org/welcoming-schools/documents/Is_This_The_Right_School_-_Journal_of_LGBT_Youth.pdf

LGBT Youth Resources.  Is this the right school for my non-gender conforming child?

Gay-Straight Alliances subject of debate in Saskatchewan

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2013/04/16/sk-gay-straight-alliances-1304.html

CBC News Story

Little Boxes

http://vimeo.com/33131430

Little Boxes: video story about being transgendered in a society that forces people to choose.  A good story for gender identity and gender expression.

Imperial Community School

 Thank you to Sydnee and Eva for having the courage to start our school's GSA.  It is the first of its kind in elementary schools in Regina Public.

Below is our panel of speakers for our Awareness Day. Thank you to Mike White and Carla Blakely for sharing their personal stories and words of hope to our grade 6-8s.  We also really appreciated hearing about Camp Fyrefly.

18 Brave Students Stand Up for LGBT Rights

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/06/lgbt-youth-achievements_n_3390226.html

Scary Stats on Twitter Hate

http://www.nohomophobes.com/#!/today/

When did you decide to be straight?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QJtjqLUHYoY

Try hosting a "don't say gay day" or having students sign a petition to stop using the word gay in a negative connotation. A visual representation in the school would be a great way to show the decrease in usage.

Welcome!

I am thrilled to be starting a blog to support Elementary Schools interested in establishing a Gay Straight Alliance at their school.  You will find stories, support materials, links and activity ideas on this page.