++++++++++++++++ OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ++++++++++++++++
GSA Network News is a publication of Gay-Straight Alliance Network. Events,
resources, and news items listed under "Other Announcements" are not
sponsored or written by GSA Network, and do not necessarily reflect the views
and opinions of GSA Network.
Statewide
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4. Looking for Support to Recognize the Stories of LGBTQ Students in GSAs
Dear LGBTQ Advocate:
I am a pre-doctorate graduate student at the California Professional School of Psychology in San Francisco. I am researching current high school and middle school students' experiences within GSAs. I am conducting my research through an anonymous online survey that takes less than 30 minutes to complete. Specifically, I am interested in students who do not consider themselves to be heterosexual and, instead, consider themselves to have an alternative sexuality (for example: bisexual, transgender, lesbian, gay, unsure, questioning, etc.) who are or were previously involved in a gay-straight alliance (GSA). Even attending one meeting is considered having been involved in a GSA. A GSA is defined as an extracurricular school sponsored club where students meet to discuss, support, educate, and seek to change the community's view and policies around issues of alternative sexualities.
I will be using the survey information to complete my dissertation on the benefits that GSAs may provide to students with alternative sexualities, which is a significantly understudied subject within psychology. I would appreciate you passing along the following link to the survey to any students you feel would qualify for the study:
http://www.makesurvey.net/cgi-bin/survey.dll/979407244A4E4353B17B0AC22F7CA29B
No one will contact students who participate in the survey and no information will be collected that could personally identify the students. Because the survey is anonymous a student can complete it without the permission of a parent or guardian. A pdf. file of a the study. If you have any questions about my study or would like to receive a hardcopy posting regarding the study, please feel free to email me at: mailto:G-SAlliances@bigfoot.com
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Nicole Hermann, M.A.
Southern California
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5. Models of Excelence Scholarship Ceremony (Riverside/San Bernardino)
MODELS OF EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP CEREMONY
DATE CHANGE
SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2008
TO ALL OF OUR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS
A BIG THANK YOU
Notifications of award recipients will be going out in the
next few weeks.
TO ALL OF OUR SCHOLARHSIP SPONSORS
We thank you for your generous support of our youth.
EVERYONE, PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE OF THE SCHOLARSHIP CEREMONY
SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2008.
PERSONAL INVITATIONS WILL BE GOING OUT BY MAIL TO RECIPIENTS AND TO OUR SPONSORS.
Friends of Project 10 Inc. invites you to support our programs through gifts, sponsorships of scholorships and the MOP 16 conference, and through volunteering.
Visit http://www.project10.org for more information or contact us directly at mailto:project10@hotmail.com or 626.577.4553 to find out how you can help support our LGBTQ youth.
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6. LGBTQ Youth Prom Tickets On Sale Now (Los Angeles)
The annual LGBTQ Youth Prom is scheduled for Friday, May 16, 2008, at the Friendship
Auditorium in Los Angeles, from 8 PM to 12 midnight. Youth, ages 14 to 23 are invited
to attend.
Prepay student tickets are $30, and tickets at the door are $40. Adult chaperones must pay the full cost of the ticket, $50. Visit http://www.modelsofpride.org
for more information about this year's prom and to download a ticket application.
Tickets will be held at the door.
Prepay and save money!
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7. LifeWorks teams up with Equity Project to ensure fairness in the juvenile justice system (Southern California)
The Equity Projectis aimed at ensuring that LGBT youth in juvenile delinquency courts are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. One of the main goals of the Equity Project is to learn about the interactions LGBT youth have with probation officers, defenders, prosecutors, and judges, and to find out what LGBT youth think is needed to improve the juvenile justice for LGBT youth.
If you would like to participate in a focus group where you talk about your experiences, please contact us at mailto:rsvp@lifeworksmentoring.org.
We will provide food and incentive gift cards. The date and location of the group will be arranged based on the participants' availability. *********************************************
8. MY Event - Mobilizing LGBTQ youth for the 2008 election (Los Angeles)
In honor of what promises to be the most important Presidential Election of this generation, we are presenting "MY Event", an event aimed @ mobilizing LGTBQ youth for the 2008 election. We are hoping to inform, raise awareness on issues, and motivate youth in a fun way!
This will be a free social event for youth (14-24) on Saturday, May 31st, 2008 from 6:00pm-9:00pm at Plummer Park's Rooms 5 & 6. Plummer is located in West Hollywood at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. (between La Brea & Fairfax). The social will be an alcohol-tobacco-free event.
ATTRACTIONS
Live DJ & Dance, Voter Registration, Free Food, Giveaways, Community Resources, the Filming of A Special Documentary on LGBTQ Youth in '08 Politics, and more!
BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!!!
Stay tuned to our web sites as some very, very special announcements will be made throughout the month about this event. We will be providing more details on the Special Documentary that will be filmed @ the event, youth activism and so much more! http://www.cityx1.com/myevent
VOLUNTEERS
If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our event web site.
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9. Models of Pride Conference (Save the Date)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2008
OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE
The annual Models of Pride (MOP 16) is scheduled for Saturday, November 1, 2008,
at Occidental College in Eagle Rock. This is a free one-day conference for youth,
ages 14 to 23. The focus of the conference is on LGBTQ
youth interests and issues.
Applications for workshop proposals, volunteers, and the resource faire will be
posted in the next few weeks (a reminder will be sent out).
SAVE THE DATE!
Central Valley
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10. Help organize Salinas Valley Pride Parade (Fresno)
The Salinas Valley Pride committee is looking for LGBTQI youth and youth allies to help organize the second annual Salinas Valley Pride Parade, scheduled for early August. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lisa Cisneros at 831-595-0904.
Here's a video of our first ever Salinas Valley Pride parade:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4eFbYl2RaU
Northern California
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11. Lambda Youth Project & Project Eden host Poetry Slam (Hayward)
COME ONE COME ALL AND CELEBRATE DIVERSITY!!!
The Lambda Youth Project and Project Eden will like to invite you to an evening of artistic talents and fun! Come for entertainment and relaxation as our Lambda youth strengthen your mind and soul with a voice of expression.
COME ENJOY A GOOD TIME AT OUR FIRST ANNUAL POETRY SLAM!!!!!!!!
When: Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Time: 5:30-7:30p.m. (Please RSVP by Friday, May 9, 2008)
Where: 22646 Second Street, Hayward, CA. 94541 (Attached is a map)
Why: To have fun, fundraiser for Gay Prom, and expand our LGBT community
How much: Any donations will be helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please RSVP by: Friday, May 9, 2008 by phone or email, (you can RSVP by leaving a message). REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED!!!
Note: This is a Lambda Youth Project fundraiser the money collected will go to our Gay Prom budget. Gay Prom is a donations only event and we are in need for money as our budget expense cost is $15,000. Every dollar will help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can visit our Gay Prom website at: http://www.gayprom.org
Any questions regarding the poetry slam or to RSVP please contact Lambda Youth Coordinator Dana Johnson, MSW at 510-247-8221(direct number) or 510-260-7952 (work cell phone number) mailto:dana.johnson@hsimail.org.
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12. Straightlaced Rough Cut Screenings
Rough
cut screenings of Straightlaced with youth will be used to gather
feedback about the content of the film, which features teenagers
talking about the limitations of strict gender roles and the underlying
homophobia at the heart of it all. Rough cut screenings can take place
in high school classes, afterschool programs, community gatherings,
religious youth groups etc. If you work with youth or know of other
adults who do and can help us arrange for a screening, please contact
Sue Chen, producer, at 415-641-4616 ext 304 or mailto:schen@groundspark.org.
Screenings will take about 2 hours, which includes viewing the film as
well as time for feedback and discussion with the filmmakers. This is a
great opportunity for youth to be involved in the filmmaking process
and have a dialogue about gender roles and homophobia.
GroundSpark
2180 Bryant St. Ste. 203
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel: 415-641-4616 Fax: 415-641-4632
http://www.groundspark.org
mailto:info@groundspark.org
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13. Queer Prom - Midnight Masquerade (San Francisco)
June 21st Saturday
QUEER PROM-Midnight Masquerade
(2nd annual SF Queer Prom) 8pm-Midnight
The SF LGBT Center
1800 Market St @ Octavia
Free for youth 24 & under (ID & dress code required)
RSVP for VIP List 415.865.5633
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14. Transgender Family Picnic in Dolores Park (San Francisco)
Transgender Family Picnic in Dolores Park - Sunday May 18th
Transgender Family Picnic
Dolores Park, San Francisco
Sunday May 18th
11am-1pm
Co-sponsored by COLAGE and Our Family Coalition
Join us in Dolores Park on Sunday, May 18th, from 11am-1pm as we gather for a Transgender Family Picnic! This will be a great opportunity to meet other transgender families - including transgender and gender non-conforming parents, children, youth, and adults with transgender parents, other family members, prospective trans parents, and allies.
We will also celebrate the release of our Kids of Trans Resource Guide, created by our Kids of Trans Fellow, Monica Canfield-Lenfest. The guide is the first of its kind - a valuable publication by and for people with transgender parents!
Please bring something for the grill and drinks for your family. We will have plenty of condiments, buns, and side dishes to share.
RSVP by May 15 with number attending: mailto:monica@colage.org.
Feel free to email with questions.
If you can't attend but would like a copy of the KOT Resource Guide, please email mailto:kidsoftrans@colage.org.
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15. San Francisco Youth Commission seeks Youth Commissioners (San Francisco)
Youth Commissioners: The San Francisco Youth Commission seeks Youth Commissioners for its 2008-2009 term. Applicants must be between the ages of 12 and 23, passionate about youth issues, highly involved and accountable, a resident of San Francisco, know the issues that impact his or her communities, and available at least 2 hours a week. They will have direct access to the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, and other key leaders in SF to make systematic change. Youth are eligible for health benefits. This is a great opportunity to gain experience for future school and career endeavors. Applications are due May 19, 2008. For more information please contact 415-554-6446. *********************************************
16. Volunteer for the GLAAD Media Awards (San Francisco)
Are you dedicated to create equality for all? Feeling strongly about social change is just the first step. You have to actually do something in order to get results.
Put your passion into action through volunteering! Your actions will initiate this positive change in our society. GLAAD too fights for an end to anti-gay attitudes and discrimination by recognizing those individuals who have created an inclusive and positive environment for our community.
GLAAD needs YOU to help change hearts & minds in San Francisco at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday May 10th!!
Click Here to Put Your Passion Into Action!
https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=1650282281
or call Andy at 646.871.8016
Be an Advocate! Be an Inspiration! Be a Volunteer!
In Service,
Andy Sears
Volunteer Management Intern
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(o)646.871.8016
http://www.glaad.org
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17. GET PAID TO TALK ABOUT SEX!! (Oakland)
(and educate your peers on other important stuff, too)
· Are you an Oakland youth between the ages of 15 and 18?
· Do you enjoy learning about issues in your community?
· Would you like to be a resource to your peers?
· Are you comfortable talking about sex and sexuality?
· Are you willing to learn and be a part of an AWESOME team?
· Are you a dedicated and committed youth looking for job experience?
If you answered yes to these questions, you might be an ideal candidate for our PAID Peer Health Educator positions!
For more information, contact Carnelius Quinn, Program Manager:
(415) 274-1970 ext. 24 or mailto:quinn@hify.org
http://www.hify.org
But hurry! Applications are due May 27th!
Scholarships/Jobs
********************************************* 18. And Castro For All summer fellowships
And Castro For All is looking for summer fellows and organizers
http://www.andcastroforall.org
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19. COLAGE Scholarship
Scholarships for students with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer (LGBTQ) parent(s), sponsored by COLAGE with generous support from the Horizons Foundation Joseph Towner Fund.
COLAGE is pleased to announce a continued partnership with Horizons Foundation to award four $1,000 scholarships to support the undergraduate studies of students who have one or more LGBTQ parent(s)/guardian(s) and have demonstrated ability and commitment to effecting change in the LGBTQ community and the community at large.
The application deadline is Monday, June 2, 2008.
Lee Dubin Memorial Fund
Some of the most powerful members of the LGBTQ community are the children of LGBTQ parents who have grown up being nurtured and supported by this community and are now part of a whole generation of people who have the power to create dramatic change in the world. The fund was named for the father of COLAGE founder Ali Nickel-Dubin and through college scholarships, aims to honor our collective power and celebrate the unique experiences and achievements of our families. Students who are actively working to combat homophobia and or transphobia/ gender-based discrimination and increase positive awareness of LGBTQ families are strongly encouraged to apply.
Requirements
Applicants must:
Have one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/ or queer parent(s)/guardian(s).
Be enrolled in an accredited postsecondary institution. No graduate level or higher applicants please.
Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0.
Guidelines for consideration
Four grants of $1,000 each will be awarded.
Awards will be granted by the COLAGE Scholarship Committee, which is made up of volunteers who are LGBTQ parents and adult children of LGBTQ parents.
Applicants of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. COLAGE does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, physical dis/ability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, immigration/refugee status, age, gender, or type of LGBTQ family.
Board or staff members of COLAGE, and their immediate family members, are not eligible to apply.
Applicants must be willing to be named publicly in association with COLAGE, Horizons Foundation, and the Scholarship Program.
Applicants with demonstrated economic need are encouraged to apply.
To learn more and download the application, please visit http://www.colage.org/programs/academic/leedubin.htm
If you are unable to download the application online, contact us for a paper copy.
Questions?
Contact COLAGE at 415-861-KIDS (5437) or mailto:scholarship@colage.org
COLAGE is a national movement of children, youth and adults with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer parent(s). We build community and work toward social justice through youth empowerment, leadership development, education and advocacy.
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20. GALAA Scholarships
This year the Gay and Lesbian Allied Administrators (GALAA) will award scholarships ranging from $500 to $1000 to any Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) graduating seniors who have demonstrated the following criteria for eligibility:
* Academic Excellence or Progress
* Excellent School Attendance
* Participation in Extra-Curricular Clubs or Activities
* Participation in Community Service
* A Commitment to Advance the Civil Rights of the LGBT Population
For consideration of a scholarship award, please fill out the application. The deadline for submission is Friday, May 30, 2008.
Please mail your application to:
GALAA
3510 Garden Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Download the application at: http://galaaonline.org/docs/GALAAScholarshipApplication2008.pdf
News
********************************************* 21. NEWS: 8,500 Schools Participate in National Day of Silence
April 30, 2008
The Advocate
by Michelle Garcia
Resistance by the nation's most vehemently antigay groups could not keep the National Day of Silence from garnering a record number of participants this year. More than 8,500 middle schools, high schools, and colleges in the United States participated in the 12th annual day of action on April 25, which is coordinated by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network to promote safe school environments for LGBT and ally students.
"A lot of students were mobilized by what happened to Lawrence King," GLSEN spokesman Daryl Presgraves told The Advocate. "I think a lot of the messages the students were sharing -- the T-shirts they were wearing, the posters they made -- mentioned him in some way or honored him to bring about safer schools."
King, 15, was shot twice in the head on February 12 by 14-year-old classmate Brandon McInerney in a classroom at E.O. Greene Middle School in Oxnard, Calif. McInerney's supposed motive? Embarrassment over the openly gay King telling other students he had a crush on McInerney. This year's DOS was dedicated to King.
The American Family Association, an organization that opposes gay visibility and equality, sent an action alert to its members in March, urging them to pull their children out of school on April 25. Despite their efforts, a record number of schools participated in DOS.
"Many of the kids pulled out of school probably were the ones who should have heard the message the most," Presgraves said, adding that the AFA and like-minded organizations are a prime illustration of why the day of action must continue annually.
Carolyn Laub, the executive director of the San Francisco-based Gay-Straight Alliance Network, said that involvement this year probably spiked because of the AFA's outcry.
"As school administrators saw the bulletin, they actually went out and learned more about the Day of Silence, making them even more supportive," she said. "The right to safe schools is an important message that educators should be behind."
In Los Angeles, more than 900 students, or 60%, at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex participated in what may be the largest single DOS recognition ever.
To read the full story, visit:
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53693.asp
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22. NEWS: LGBT Students Rally for Safer Schools
May 07, 2008
The Advocate
About three dozen students rallied at the California state capitol in Sacramento Monday to call for new protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, in hopes of preventing further tragedies like the shooting death of gay Oxnard teen Lawrence King.
In addition to rallying, they met with legislators to urge the passage of a measure informally known as "Larry's Law," which would require teachers to make a report to their principal any time they observe a student being harassed. The students also met with representatives of the California School Boards Association and the state Department of Education to ask that school districts develop guidelines to assure the enforcement of existing laws prohibiting discrimination against LGBT students. "LGBT students at California schools are not safe," said Rick Griswold, a Fresno-area high school senior who appeared at the rally, according to the Ventura County Star.
"The law is on the books," Carolyn Laub, executive director of California's Gay-Straight Alliance Network, told the Star. "But there's a really big gap between the law and the reality."
It is particularly crucial, Laub said, to protect students whose gender expression does not match their biological gender. King, 15, a student at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, was not only openly gay but sometimes wore makeup and high heels to school, and he was a frequent target of bullying. He had also professed to have a crush on fellow student Brandon McInerney, 14.
McInerney is now accused of fatally shooting King February 12 in a computer lab at their school. McInerney is charged with premeditated murder and with a hate crime, and is set to be tried as an adult.
Protections for LGBT students need to be strengthened, Laub told the Star, to make sure "that what happened to Larry King in Oxnard doesn't ever happen again in California schools."
To read the full story, visit:
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid53922.asp
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23. NEWS: Gay, lesbian students rally over safety on campuses
Gay, lesbian students rally over safety on campuses
Anti-harassment measures sought
By Timm Herdt
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Ventura County Star
SACRAMENTO - Rick Griswold, a high school senior in a small town west of Fresno, used to wear makeup to school, an act that he says helped him to express his identity. He suffered harassment as a consequence, went to teachers for help and got none.
"There is a problem at California schools," he said. "LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) students at California schools are not safe."
Griswold spoke Monday at a rally of about three dozen gay and lesbian students at the Capitol who, in the name of slain E.O. Green School student Larry King, came to Sacramento to push lawmakers and education administrators to more forcefully protect gay students from on-campus harassment.
King, who told friends he was gay and sometimes wore makeup and high-heeled boots to school in Oxnard, was shot to death Feb. 12 in a classroom. Another student has been charged with his murder and also with the commission of a hate crime.
The killing has attracted international attention and become a touchstone for the gay community in advocating for greater protections of students who are harassed and discriminated against because of their appearance or sexual identity.
In Sacramento, lawmakers are considering a bill that has come to be known as "Larry's Law," a measure that would require teachers to report to the principal any observed act of harassment against a student. In addition, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, whose district includes much of Oxnard and Port Hueneme, has introduced legislation requiring staff members at group homes for foster children be trained on state anti-discrimination laws.
King lived at Casa Pacifica - a residential facility near Camarillo for abused, neglected and emotionally troubled children - for the last four months of his life.
"Larry had the same dreams and the same plans for making a bright future for himself that we would all want for every young person," Brownley said.
Gap between law and reality
In addition to meeting with lawmakers, the youth delegation also met with administrators at the state Department of Education and with representatives of the California School Boards Association. They are asking that school districts lay out specific guidelines to ensure anti-discrimination laws be consistently enforced for gay students.
"The law is on the books," said Carolyn Laub, executive director of the GSA Network, an umbrella group for 650 Gay-Straight Alliance clubs at California high schools. "But there's a really big gap between the law and reality."
Laub said it is especially important that school districts set clear policies relating to students who, like King, are "gender nonconforming." She said, for instance, that dress codes should accommodate the gender expression of all students.
"Youth leaders from across California are simply asking our state's leaders to stand alongside them in the fight to create safer schools, so that what happened to Larry King in Oxnard doesn't ever happen again in California schools," Laub said.
To read the full story, visit:
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/may/06/gay-lesbian-students-rally-over-safety-on/
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