We Want Your Stories! Are you an LGBT
student who has been
harassed
or discriminated against because of your sexual orientation and/or
gender identity and expression? If so, we want your story! Please send us an email telling us what happened.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) will soon be introduced in the Senate. GLSEN is collecting student stories of harrassment and discrimination that will be used when when meeting with Senators Dodd and Lieberman to show them that this type of harassment and discrimination really is a problem in Connecticut schools. Please help us educate our Senators! |
GLSEN is the featured cause this week on TwitCause!
TwitCausehelps
nonprofits get discovered on Twitter and enables passionate
people to support the causes they care about.
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We'll give money to your GSA!
This money can be used in various ways to benefit your GSA. If you need support or suggestions please contact us!Also, see the article below, on the right, for a great idea!
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Keep Your Donations Local
We
love our loyal GLSEN Connecticut supporters! Did you know that if you donate in response to a solicitation from GLSEN National you can
make a note to "keep it local" and the donation will come directly to
us!
You could also just donate locally on line here, too!
 Also, don't forget to check with your employer about matching funds! |
GLSEN Connecticut is a member of Community Works of Connecticut, a progressive workplace giving program.
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Please Note: This electronic message from GLSEN Connecticut contains information and opinions deemed relevant to ending anti-LGBT bias in schools and other items which may be of interest to the LGBT community and its valued allies. Not all opinions expressed are those of GLSEN Connecticut. | |
Greetings!
We are so happy to finally be enjoying some beautiful spring weather, and hope you are as well. However, we are even happier to send an enthusiastic welcome to the 300+ new subscribers we met at the True Colors conference! It was fantastic to catch up with so many loyal supporters, and thrilling to meet so many new ones. Many of the students that chatted with us expressed profound appreciation for GLSEN's existence, and we would like to reassure each and every student that, no matter what, GLSEN Connecticut's commitment to this work is unwavering.  All students deserve a safe place to learn! Unfortunately, two anniversaries this month highlight the devastating reality that many school environments are the farthest thing from safe. Last April, eleven year-olds Carl Walker Hoover and Jaheem Herrera took their own lives as the result of ceaseless bullying. Neither school did anything to intervene. Carl's mother, Sirdeaner Walker, has become a tireless safe-schools advocate. She is calling on everyone to sign a petitiondemanding passage of the Safe Schools Improvement Act. We hope you will join her! We also urge you to take a moment to call your member of Congressand encourage them to sign onto this bill as a Co-sponsor. If you would like to become even more involved, please download GLSEN's Safe Schools Improvement Act Action Kit to get started. We share students' excitement that the Day of Silence is next week! Please see below for the many resources GLSEN offers. We would also like to draw your attention to the NEW Day of Silence Sponsor Sheet! This sheet will make it easy for participants in the Day of Silence to get sponsors for their involvement. Imagine raising money to help support your GSA at the same time you are raising awareness of the suffering experienced by LGBT students in Connecticut's schools! We wish that our work wasn't so greatly needed, but are proud that we have so many dedicated supporters sharing our efforts to make Connecticut's schools safe and affirming for all students.
Peace,
Leif Mitchell and Liane Roseman
Co-Chairs, GLSEN Connecticut
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It's almost here! Friday, April 16th, 2010 is the annual student-led day of action where
participants take vows of silence and other actions to bring attention
to how LGBT students and allies are silenced through name-calling,
bullying and harassment.
Use this quick and easy tool to help get sponsors for your involvement in the Day of Silence. We hope it adds excitement to your participation, and assists you in increasing awareness in your community about the need for change.
Visit these links for additional resources: |
S.A.F.E. Training for CT Teachers
While there are many programs dedicated to the prevention of bullying,
most do not specifically address the issues that LGBT youth face on a daily basis. In response, The
Governor's Prevention Partnership, GLSEN Connecticut, The Anti-Defamation League and True Colors, Inc. have come together to
promote S.A.F.E. in Connecticut (Schools Are For Everyone).
This two day training on April 28 and 29, is for 6-12th grade teachers, administrators, school counselors, school
psychologists, guidance counselors non-teaching staff who work with students.
Click here for more informationand to register!
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Co nstance McMillen has been fighting for her rights. Let's make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else!
First, visit Prom Resources for LGBT Students, compiled by our good friends at the ACLUto learn as much as you can about your rights.
Next, take action! Constance's school canceled the prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend. Events unfolded from bad to worse, and you can read more about it on the GLSEN blog.
Constance has said that there's nothing she wants more than for these kinds of hurtful actions to end for students all across the country. There's a way we can all
help Constance with that goal - by demanding that Congress pass the Student
Non-Discrimination Act.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) would be the first comprehensive federal
prohibition against discrimination in public schools based on a student's
sexual orientation or gender identity.
Please help make schools safer for all students like Constance by urging your Representative to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act.
Discrimination and
harassment are an unacceptable daily reality for too many LGBT students all
across the country. If outrageous experiences like the one Constance McMillen
has been through are going to end, we have to respond.
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Are
you stuck in a rut? Wondering just what you could do with a Small
Grant from GLSEN Connecticut? The Stamford High School GSA received a
small grant to start a book club!
Here's what Emily Segal, advisor to the GSA, had to say:
 A student of mine who
graduated a couple of years ago now
has a job at B&N. She is an avid reader and when I spoke to her
about my
thoughts about a book club for HUGS, she had many personal
recommendations for
me. Since then, I've also looked on GLSEN's library site and
ordered some copies of books recommended there. What I have done is buy a
single copy of books with my own money, read them, show them to the kids
to
vote on, and then order a copy for each of the students. So far we've
read Keeping You a Secret and The Geography Club, both of which were
very popular. The kids seem to read the books in a day or two - we really
could have a meeting a week! Since I'd like to collect a library of
multiple book copies, I wrote a grant asking GLSEN Connecticut to support our book
club and
they've generously given us money to buy more books.
The reason I think the book club has been such a hit is that
it gives the kids something concrete and objective to talk about. Our
book club
is made up of gay, straight and bisexual members, some of whom feel
comfortable speaking up, others who don't. But everyone seems to feel
okay talking about a book. It's safe territory. What then happens is
that
kids start relating to characters in the books and tell stories about
themselves. Since the books so far have focused on coming out or being
rejected
by family and friends, the kids have similar stories to tell. The
challenge will
be to find books that move beyond those issues and on to relationship
issues-without
being too adult. These kids are in some ways past teen books, in terms
of the
depths of relationships portrayed. I haven't decided on a good third
book
yet - I'm considering grl2grland
Totally Joe. I enjoyed the
Rainbow books, so we might read the first one in that series.
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