GSA's

What is a GSA (Gay, Straight Alliance)?

A Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a student-run club which provides a safe place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues related to sexual orientation, and work to end homophobia. Many GSAs function as a support group and provide safety and confidentiality to students who are struggling with their identity as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning.

Some GSAs work on educating themselves and the broader school community about sexual orientation and gender identity issues. They may bring in outside speakers to cover a particular topic such as GLBTQ history. They may organize a "Pride Week" or "GLBTQ Awareness Events" and offer a series of educational workshops, panels, and pride celebrations. Many participate in the Day of Silence, a day when participants remain silent all day as a way of acknowledging the silence induced by homophobia in our society. Some GSAs organize a "Teach the Teachers" staff development day which focuses on teaching school staff how to be better allies for GLBTQ students. For example, GSA members would present scenarios about discrimination or harassment and get teachers to brainstorm how to respond to those situations.

Other GSAs are activist clubs and have worked to get GLBTQ issues represented in the curriculum, GLBTQ related books in the library, and progressive non-discrimination policies implemented at a district level. All of these different types of GSAs also provide a social outlet for GLBTQ students and their straight allies. Lots of GSAs organize barbeques or movie nights, go to GLBT Pride Parade and attend conferences together. GSAs are a great way to build community at your school and lessen the isolation that GLBTQ students might otherwise experience.

Starting a GSA

Starting a gay-straight alliance at your school can seem like a daunting task, however it's not that difficult.  For more information on steps to starting a GSA, click here.

Does a school have to allow a GSA?

You might have questions about whether or not a school is required to allow a gay-straight alliance.  In this section, we've provided a document prepared by the National Center for Lesbian Rights on just this topic.