A new GLSEN research brief, The Experiences of LGBT Students in School Athletics, found that Physical Education classes are unsafe environments for many LGBT students and that many LGBT students experience discrimination and harassment in school sports. The brief, however, also found that LGBT students who participated on sports teams had better academic and mental health outcomes than non-athletes.
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The Second Annual Safe Schools Summit
April 6th, 2013
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GLSEN Launches New Online Store in Time for Day of Silence
GLSEN has a new store! Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with our new layout and check out the new merchandise. You can now sort through the store based on items rather than events. We are really excited about the changes to the store, and we hope you find it user-friendly! being held once again at Common Ground High School in New Haven on Saturday, April 6th, 2013 from 9:00am - 5:00pm.
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 "I'm thrilled to be facilitating a workshop at True Colors this year. Not only will it be a way to spread awareness about issues related to the LGBTQ community but I will also have a chance to test my leadership skills and gain new friends and insights."
- Nyasia Mercer Long, SOCO Student Leader, Common Ground High School
 "At True Colors, I'm excited to talk about using empathy as a way to create a safer environment for all students. The Safe School Summit will help our team show others exactly what GLSEN Connecticut is doing to help schools become closer to and more supportive of LGBTQ students."
- Erica Del Rio, SOCO Student Leader, Capitol Preparatory Magnet School
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 GLSEN is an official beneficiary of the It Gets Better Project
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| Greetings!,
March is the most exciting time of year for GLSEN Connecticut. We are busy preparing workshops and tabling for the True Colors conference (March 21 - 23), organizing our 2nd Annual Safe School's Summit (April 6), supporting students' plans for the National Day of Silence (April 19), and engaging in a local strategic planning process. All this and then we have to respond to opponents who don't support GLSEN's mission.
As you have probably heard on national and local news a Wolcott High School student who was threatened with suspension or expulsion for wearing an anti-LGBT T-shirt last year will be allowed, in the future, to wear shirts expressing his views on homosexuality. See the article in the Hartford Courant that includes GLSEN's response:
The student's T-shirt expression on a day when students throughout the country participated in the event to raise awareness about anti-LGBT bullying was "ironic" said Andy Marra, GLSEN's public relations manager. "We recognize the student has the First Amendment to express his views, but we hope he can agree with the basic premise that all of his peers deserve to feel safe and treated with respect regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity."
Despite these challenges in Connecticut schools, we know that you are among the leaders throughout the state working to make our schools safe and affirming environments for all students, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.
We hope to see you at True Colors. Please stop by our table and say hi!
Leif Mitchell Kristi Leimgruber
Co-Chair, GLSEN Connecticut Co-Chair, GLSEN Connecticut
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Hello from the New Co-Chair!
Filling out a volunteer application for GLSEN Connecticut was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The people whom I have met through GLSEN are some of the most passionate, dedicated, and genuinely kind people I've ever known. Rarely does a day go by in which I am not inspired by them and the work that they do. For this reason, I am truly honored to be the new Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of GLSEN Connecticut.
As a graduate student pursuing my PhD in Psychology at Yale, I study the ways simple things like social status, fleeting emotions, and concerns about our reputations can have profound effects on the way we treat other people. It is my hope that, in better understanding the factors that influence the way we treat others, we will be better suited to implement changes that make the world a happier and more inclusive place for everyone. The work GLSEN Connecticut does to make schools safe for everyone is a crucial step in this process, and I'm excited to be a part of it!
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March is Women's History Month
 March is Women's History Month, an important time to pay special attention to the contributions of women to our societies, cultures, and history. As a part of GLSEN's Days of Support, we encourage GSAs and other student organizers to take the time during March to recognize the contributions of LGBT women to our society by visiting this page on GLSEN's website.
Our Women's History History Month Heroes downloadable flier has information about nine notable Women's History Month heroes. You can also download our Important Days in Women's History Timeline! It's perfect for sharing. Print off copies and pass them out to members of your GSA, teachers and fellow classmates.Click here for more information.
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Quotes from our Student Organizers
 "This will be my first time presenting workshops at True Colors, and I'm so excited since I've always wanted to run my own workshops there. I look forward to sharing my story, educating others around me, and making an impact on so many people."
- Roberto Diaz, SOCO Student Coordinator, Vinal Technical High School
"I'm really committed to developing connections and providing information about GLSEN to people attending True Colors and the summit. I'm also very determined to spread more awareness about LGBTQA issues in middle schools and eventually creating GSAs in CT middle schools."
- Julian Arias, Jump-Start Student Coordinator, Stamford High School
 "I'm most excited to just get up in front of people and interact with them. I hope that my workshops will be informative and engaging enough so whoever shows up will remember them. I'm also excited to meet new people and tell them about GLSEN so more people will join our team."
- Andy Russo, Jump-Start Student Leader, RHAM High School
"I really hope my workshop co-facilitator and I spark some conversations about the reality of being a transgender person of color (POC) through sharing our personal stories. There is a common humanity that binds us all. This common humanity will help combat the marginalization and oppression of trans POC in contemporary society. By the way, if you haven't signed up to join our team, please do!"
- Calliope Wong, SOCO Student Leader, Amity Regional High School
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 GLSEN Connecticut is Proud to be a
Gold Sponsor of True Colors' 20th Anniversary Conference
Celebrating our Heroes of the Past, Present & Future.
March 21 - 23, 2013
University of Connecticut, Storrs
Click here for more information and to register. Hope to see you there!
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