Happy Halloween from GLSEN

Pumpkin art by Community Initatives Associate Kiwi Grady:

Note from a Tall, White Guy

Regarding Elizabeth's post, I just want to point out that Corruna School Board Treasurer James Lockwood does not speak for all tall, white men.

MI School Board Member Proves There Is Much Work To Be Done

In the latest article by the Argus-Press, Corunna School Board Treasurer James Lockwood reacts to the decision to review a previous school board vote to remove a GLBT History Month display by the Diversity Club at Corunna High School.

Lockwood said GLBT History Month doesn't fit with the other themes because being LGBT is an “orientation” while "no one is oriented to be black or a woman."

“I'm not oriented to be a white guy, but that's what I am,” he said. “I'm not putting words in their mouths, but that's how they advertise it.”

“If I am oriented to be a shoplifter, and I might even argue that God made me that way, I'm not expecting you to celebrate my choice. If I decide I want to chase after my neighbor's wife, I might be oriented that way or even argue that God made me that way, but I'm not expecting you to celebrate that I'm a woman chaser.”

Consequently, Mr. Lockwood is all for celebrating diversity, however, he “doubts there is going to be a month celebrating tall, white guys" in the near future.

Does Mr. Lockwood believe tall, white guys are accurate depictions of diversity? Must he read up on the social injustices that inundate our American history, or might he just watch an episode of "Mad Men" to get a better understanding of what's what?

While we celebrate the impending repeal of a rash and contemptuous decision, let Mr. Lockwood's position on the matter be sound evidence that there is still much work to be done to create safe and welcoming learning environments for all students. May the voices of reason drown out the vocal minority of a tall, white man.

MI School Board Censors GLBT History Month Display, Then Reverses Itself

Good news from MI tonight via Todd Heywood of the Michigan Messenger.

A local Shiawassee County school board plans to hold a meeting as soon as Monday to rescind a decision it made Oct. 23 to order the removal of an extracurricular club display honoring gay history month.

“We have violated the First Amendment rights of the students and the Diversity Club,” Maureen Stanley, president of the Corunna Board of Education, said. “We limited their expression.”

Kudos to the ACLU for informing the school board it was violating the law (several, actually).

Todd spoke to GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard on the phone on Tuesday regarding the situation and again today through email.

Eliza Byard, executive director of the national group Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network, said Tuesday she was very worried about the message the board move sent to students, even after the announcement the decision would be rescinded.

In an e-mail Wednesday, Byard wrote: “We thank the school board for recognizing the damage its decision has done to creating an educational environment where difference is valued and respected.”

At the same time, Byard said, she hoped the board would consider the importance of encouraging diversity in educational settings, saying, “While the clear violations of the law stopped them short, the board members should also be taken aback by the educational impoverishment of a curriculum that erases facets of our common history and the reality of life in a diverse society.”

Anti-LGBT bullying is a pervasive problem in Michigan schools, according to a GLSEN research brief based on data from Michigan students who took the 2007 National School Climate Survey. The brief found that 87% of Michigan LGBT students experienced harassment in school in the past year because of their sexual orientation and nearly two-thirds (66%) of those students never reported the harassment to school staff.

GLSEN Statement on Signing of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act

GLSEN applauds President Obama and Congress on this historic day for recognizing the critical need to ensure that investigations of biased-motivated violence based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and disability, among the most frequent forms of hate crimes, receive the same federal support as other forms of biased-motivated violence. According to GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey, 22.1% of LGBT students were physically assaulted in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 14.2% because of their gender expression. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act sends a strong message that anti-LGBT violence will not be tolerated in our society and our schools.

Offensive Seventeen Magazine Article: 'My Boyfriend Turned Out to be a Girl'

Autumn Sandeen has a great blog post at Pam's House Blend about an article in the November issue of Seventeen Magazine, "My Boyfriend Turned Out to be a Girl."

While transphobia obviously is nothing new in the media, it is rather shocking to see such a blantant example in the decision to publish this article without any perspective of what it is like to be a transgender youth. As Autumn points out, via GLSEN's research report on the experiences of trangender students in school, Harsh Realities:

• Two-thirds of transgender students felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation (69%) and how they expressed their gender (65%).
• Almost all transgender students had been verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened) in the past year at school because of their sexual orientation (89%) and gender expression (87%).
• More than half of all transgender students had been physically harassed (e.g., pushed or shoved) in school in the past year because of their sexual orientation (55%) and gender
  expression (53%).
• More than a quarter of transgender students had been physically assaulted (e.g., punched, kicked or injured with a weapon) in school in the past year because of their sexual orientation (28%) and gender expression (26%).
• Most transgender students (54%) who were victimized in school did not report the events to school authorities. Among those who did report incidents to school personnel, few students (33%) believed that staff addressed the situation effectively.

Seventeen has previously written positively about the Day of Silence and written an article about a former GLSEN national student leader, but after this article it's hard to defend the publication's record on LGBT youth unless they try to make things right and publish a story about the issues and harassment facing transgender youth (with a positive portrayal of a trans youth, of course).

Short of that, even an apology isn't good enough.

A Facebook group has started to encourage a letter writing campaing. Go join and tell your friends.

Queerty also has a good blog post.

Ally Week Tweeting Contest

UPDATE: Thanks to all who tweeted. The contest has concluded. Hope you had a fantastic Ally Week!

This year, ALLY Week has been awesome. We have read many stories from school wide events to students tabling at lunch, from GSAs wearing all yellow to organizations honoring local allies.

Now we want to continue the outreach online over the next day and a half with our ALLY WEEK Tweeting Contest. Lets see who can tweet the most about Ally Week! Get a point for each tweet you post about Ally Week, it must include #allyweek. The contest will run until midnight PST (3am EST) Friday. Only 5 Winners will get an Ally week T-shirt, wristband, and a copy of Brother Outsider.

Here are the rules!

1. Tweets of only #allyweek will only be accepted once an hour
Ex: dayofsilence: #allyweek #allyweek #allyweek = 1PT

2. Points are for tweets containing #allyweek, not the number of times you mention Ally Week within your tweets.
Ex. dayofsilence: OMG I just got 47 more pledges for Ally Week! Ally Week is so great, I love Ally Week! #allyweek = 1PT

3. Tweets must be ABOUT ally week:
Doesn’t count: dayofsilence: It’s gloomy outside and looks like it might rain, and I’m worried soccer practice will be cancelled #allyweek. = 0PT
Counts: dayofsilence: It’s gloomy outside and looks like it might rain, and I’m worried that our #allyweek activity will be cancelled. = 1PT

4. You can retweet another’s Ally Week post only once.

CONTEST STARTS NOW!!!

Ally Week Story From Diana At Baruch College Campus High School

Today is the 3^rd day of the fifth annual Ally Week and organizers are still going strong to identify, support and celebrate safe schools allies! Diana who is doing Ally Week at Baruch College Campus High School in New York, is organizing a cookie campaign to spread the word about their new GSA. They are giving out cookies to people they talk to about the GSA and about Ally Week. They’re also going to advisories to ask students to sign the Ally Pledge. When Ally Week is over they are going to take the pledges they receive and make an Ally Week quilt. Congrats on the great organizing!

We want to hear what you’re doing for Ally Week. You can email us at info@allyweek.org to tell us about your Ally Week organizing and experiences. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter.

"Grey's Anatomy" Star Chandra Wilson at GLSEN's Respect Awards in Los Angeles

Chandra Wilson accepted the Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Award on behalf of Shonda Rhimes at this year's Respect Awards - Los Angeles.

In the clip below Chandra accepts the award as Dr. Bailey, her character on "Grey's Anatomy."

Tell Us Your Ally Week Stories

We at GLSEN love to hear about the organizing you’re doing to make schools safer and to end anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. Organizers use Ally Week to identify Allies against anti-LGBT language, bullying and harassment. Jenna, a high school senior and GSA President from Hastings, Minn., sent us an email telling us why Ally Week is so important to her. Even though she says there’s a lot of intolerance at her school, during Ally Week she’s able to find new Allies:

“I get so much support from others students, people I don’t even know. It’s amazing what you can do with just some t-shirts and posters. I’m sad that it’s my last year in high school, but maybe I can come back during Ally Week next year and help out.”

What are you doing for Ally Week? Send us an email at info@allyweek.org with your Ally Week stories and your story could be featured on this blog.

TV Guide Channel Coverage of GLSEN Respect Awards - Los Angeles

UPDATE: Video doesn't seem to be working. Try this link:

Students Nationwide Address Anti-LGBT Bullying as GLSEN's Ally Week Kicks Off

http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2479.html

From the GLSEN press release:

Thousands of students across the country this week are pledging to address anti-gay bullying as part of GLSEN’s fifth annual Ally Week, a week of activities designed to encourage people to be allies against anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) name-calling, bullying and harassment at school.

Ally Week, which was created by students as a way to encourage and support allies, is often organized by the more than 4,000 Gay-Straight Alliance student clubs registered with GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education network.

Also, here's a clip of GLSEN Student Ambassador Lazaro Cardenas at the GLSEN Respect Awards - Los Angeles on Oct. 9 talking about why he's an ally.



You can sign the official Ally Week pledge here to be an Ally against anti-LGBT bullying.

GLSEN's Hilary Duff Think Before You Speak PSA to Air Tonight During Ugly Betty

A message for GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard:

GLSEN’s already historic PSA campaign will make history once again tonight. One of our groundbreaking commercials, featuring Hilary Duff, will air during the season premiere of Ugly Betty on ABC-TV.

This is an exciting and important showcase for GLSEN’s message. Millions will be watching tonight. I hope that you will make it a few more, by watching our ad tonight during Ugly Betty between 8:00-10:00 pm (Eastern/Pacific) or 7:00-9:00 (Central).

What is the ThinkB4YouSpeak Campaign? Last year, GLSEN partnered with the Ad Council to develop a powerful PSA campaign to raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools.

The Ad Council is known for timely and effective public service messages like their famous Smokey the Bear campaign and the well-known “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk” commercials. The goal of ThinkB4YouSpeak is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens. The campaign also aims to reach adults – including school personnel and parents – whose support of this message is crucial its success.

Be Sure to Watch the ThinkB4YouSpeak PSA on Ugly Betty Tonight!

So, if you’re a fan of Ugly Betty, you probably know that the character “Justin,” Betty’s nephew, is exploring the challenges of being a teen. Now that he’s in high school, we’ll see how Justin copes with his emotions, fears and relationships, both at school and at home. Countless “Justins” from schools across the country will tune in to Ugly Betty tonight and know that you and I – and the entire GLSEN community – are on their side.

Chillicothe High School Students Use ThinkB4YouSpeak Campaign

As we celebrate the year anniversary of the launch of the GLSEN/Ad Council PSA campaign, Think Before You Speak, let's take a look at how some students used the materials to create their own in-school campaign. GLSEN's organizational video about our work to raise awareness of anti-LGBT behavior highlights the campaign and the efforts of the members of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Chillicothe (Ohio) High School:

Guest post from Bryan Pacheco, GLSEN's Public Ally in our Community Initiatives Department:

Today is the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month. The purpose of this month is to reflect and honor the contributions of the larger Hispanic community in the United States. GLBT History Month is also during October. This should get us thinking: how do Hispanic and Latino/a identities intersect with LGBT identities?

Hispanic and Latino/a LGBT people have made immense contributions to the LGBT movement. One individual who comes to mind is Sylvia Rivera, who was a Venezuelan and Puerto Rican trans woman who grew up homeless. Sylvia participated in what is often seen as the birthplace of the modern LGBT rights movement - the Stonewall Riots of 1969 - and among other things, dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of homeless youth in Hispanic and LGBT communities. Her identities and experiences became the framework for what she would devote her life to.

All of our identities are constantly intersecting, and can inspire our work and life focus, as it did for Sylvia. For instance, maybe you are a student and LGBT, and those identities, and the experiences that you have because of them, inspire you to lead a GSA in your school. You can't separate the two identities and nor should you.

We should celebrate the intersection of Hispanic Heritage Month and GLBT History month by seeing how our identities complement one another. Let’s not honor the events separately. Let’s honor them together and see how each can make the other more powerful.

GLSEN's Partners Rise to Support Kevin Jennings

Dear GLSEN friends and colleagues:

I imagine that you are aware of recent coverage of renewed attacks on GLSEN’s founder, Kevin Jennings, now serving as the Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education for the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.

For the most part, coverage of these attacks has focused on the ongoing battle between conservative activists and the Obama administration. I want you all to be aware of another critical aspect of this story, one that has not received sufficient public attention, but that has been very important to me as we monitor the situation.

As old news has been recycled into current controversy, those who actually know Kevin and GLSEN and understand the nature and purpose of our work have risen to Kevin’s defense, speaking out about the importance and positive impact of our efforts on behalf of American students.

Public statements from some of our long-time partners in the education world can be found via these links:

National Association of School Psychologists

Learning First Alliance

National Education Association

National Association of Secondary School Principals

Council for Exceptional Children

Social Workers Association of America

American Federation of Teachers

In the midst of all of this, I take heart in the fact that we are making a positive difference in the lives of young people everywhere – and that anyone who actually knows our work and cares about this nation’s schools is well aware of that fact. At GLSEN we are focused on making a difference for young people, contributing to better educational outcomes and to realizing our vision of a better future for all students.

I thank you so much for your support, both now and throughout GLSEN’s history.

Best,

Eliza

Eliza Byard, PhD
Executive Director


P.S.
Should you have any questions about the specific attacks against Kevin, Media Matters for America has been factually reporting the story, checking the facts and posting them as the right-wing attacks shift from one inaccurate charge to another. For crucial information regarding the truth, visit: Media Matters

GLSEN Marches For Safe Schools

See GLSEN march for safe schools at the Equality March in D.C. this past Sunday.

Media Covers GLSEN's Respect Awards - Los Angeles

What an amazing turnout for GLSEN's 5th Annual Respect Awards - Los Angeles!

Check out some highlights of the coverage:

LIFE
5th Annual GLSEN Respect Awards - Arrivals

People Magazine
Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer's Romance Not True Secret at Work

Mark Ballas Jokes Partner Melissa Joan Hart Couldn’t Handle Maksim

Entertainment Tonight
A Star-Studded Event Celebrates 'Respect'

E! Online
Anatomy Reveal: Callie's Love Life Is Getting Steamy!

Examiner.com
'Dancing With the Stars:' Kelly Osbourne attends event with dance partner

Celebuzz.com
PHOTO GALLERY: 5th Annual GLSEN Respect Awards

HollywoodOutbreak.com
BEVERLY HILLS WAS ALL A-”GLSEN” FRIDAY NIGHT

TrueBlood-Online.com
Alan Ball, Michelle Forbes and Sam Trammell attend GLSEN Respect Awards

We even got coverage in the UK!

DailyMail.com
Radiant Kelly Osbourne steps out with TV dance partner for Hollywood awards ceremony

Access Hollywood Talks Safe Schools with Sara Ramirez, Sam Trammell, Jason Schwartzman at Respect Awards

Photos from the GLSEN Respect Awards - Los Angeles Red Carpet

Check out a few photos from the red carpet at Friday's fifth annual GLSEN Respect Awards - Los Angeles:

Melissa Joan Hart and Kelly Osbourne swap dance partners, Kelly with Make Ballas and Mellisa with Louis van Amstel.

HBO executive Michael Lombardo (right), who accepted the Corporate Role Model Respect Award on HBO's behalf, with "True Blood" creater Alan Ball and stars Sam Trammell (left) and Michelle Forbes.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with the real stars of the GLSEN Respect Awards - Los Angeles, Student Advocate of the Year Austin Laufersweiler, Lazaro Cardenas, Nik Castillo, Maru Gonzalez, Dianna Lopez, Dominique Walker and Sirdeaner Walker.

More photos to come ...

Entertainment Tonight Covers the Red Carpet at GLSEN's Respect Awards - Los Angeles

Entertainment Tonight was one of 30 media outlets to cover the red carpet at the fifth annual GLSEN Respect Awards - Los Angeles. Check out ET's report below with interviews from Melissa Joan Hart, Sara Ramirez, Chandra Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Debbie Mazar and more:

GLSEN Makes History Marching for Safe Schools

On Sunday, October 11, 2009, citizens from as far north as Alaska, down to the southernmost tip of Florida and everywhere in between gathered in D.C. for the National Equality March. Beginning at noon, the parade made it's way through the streets of downtown D.C., past the White House where many groups, including GLSEN, stopped to take pictures before proceeding to it's destination, the lawn of the Capitol. As we made our way to the Capitol crowd energy intensified and onlookers, many of whom were teachers, cheered in loud approval as the GLSEN banner passed by. One woman in her late 40's who was traveling with another alliance group stopped the students early on in the parade to praise their participation and affiliation with GLSEN, an organization offering the support she said she could have really used when she came out at age 16.

As advocates consumed the streets and later the Capitol lawn, flashy homemade signs with quips and banners of support, crafty t-shirts and the expected unique attire united the front. Perhaps most surprising however, was the very apparent shift in parade participants. This parade in comparison with parades past changed exponentially, not only through a technological lens but also by generation. Spoken and heard were the voices of predominantly young adults age 16 up through their 30's who refuse to wait in silence for resolve on issues ranging from ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, to the enactment of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to accomplishing marriage equality and ending bigotry. In attendance and representing the perfect American portrait were parents with their gay children, brothers and sisters with their gay siblings, and straight allies who saw a cause they felt strongly about and traveled to Washington to be heard.

For many, this was their first rally on such a grand scale and one they knew they couldn't miss. Matthew, president of his GSA at Keene State College in New Hampshire, coordinated a carpool with his peers who drove through the night to get to D.C. "It was important for me to be a part of this historical event and when I got word that they were expecting record numbers, I decided I wasn't going to let them down," Matthew said.

While we may never know the exact numbers in attendance at the National Equality March, there were thousands of stories just like Matthews woven into the historical turnout of young people demanding social change. As is customary, there are always fear-driven questions surrounding the future of our society as it lay in the hands of today's youth, but let this representation be a message to the naysayers: this generation won't rest until we have an America that is truly a land of the free, which to me, makes them the most brave.

GLSEN Auctions Walk-On Roles for HBO Hit Shows

This Friday is the fifth annual Respect Awards - Los Angeles. In conjunction with the Repect Awards gala, GLSEN has launched an online auction that anyone can take part in, but don't wait to put in your bid, the time to bid is now!

Among the items up for bid:

Can you imagine walking onto the set of your debut where actors like Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and Sam Trammell work, with your featured "extra" walk-on role on HBO's hit series, TRUE BLOOD.

How satisfying would it be to brag to your friends about flexing your acting muscle in the same show as Bill Paxton, Chloë Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin, with a featured walk-on role on HBO's hit series, BIG LOVE.

Or maybe you'd like to see where McSteamy and McDreamy go to work to perform life-saving surgeries with an exclusive set tour of Grey's Anatomy.

Anyone can do it but time is running out!

*All final bids must be made before October 15th.

Check our Charitybuzz for a complete list of these once in a lifetime opportunities!!!

Helping Those Who Are Bullied

Dr. Jeffrey Fishberger of The Trevor Project recently addressed questions about bullying and harassment in a blog for The New York Times. In it he answers questions about what steps concerned parents, teachers and school administrators can take to end the constant torment by those who are gay or perceived to be gay.

He also recommends programs and materials developed by GLSEN to combat harassment of youth by youth, as well as addressing common ways of thinking:

"For those that get bullied, tell them to “grow a pair,” harden up and stand up for themselves." -Suggested by a New York Times reader.

Unfortunately, this is a common response to issues of bullying in schools; that the bullied should just stand up for themselves and that it is just normal adolescent behavior, but persistent harassment has been shown to have adverse effects on development. "Young people who are bullied have greater levels of depression and anxiety, are more likely to miss school and have lower self-esteem" said Dr. Fishberger. Furthermore, addressing the bully directly subjects the bullied to possible serious and dangerous consequences. As Dr. Fishberger points out, the best way to address this is by getting parents, teachers, school administrators and/or guidance counselors involved as they set the standards of appropriate displays of behavior.

Bullying should not be tolerated in any form, under any circumstance and this is the underlying message. Through the active participation of allies in local communities and schools, and with the appropriate training and diligent effort, bullying can cease to be a part of the accepted school landscape.

Two questions:

Has there been an instance recently where you've wanted to intervene with someone being bullied or harassed but didn't know what to do?

Have you been bullied or harassed recently but didn't feel like you had anyone to talk to or know of the resources available?