An international public-private partnership in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, that is working to help schools - at home and all over the world - become safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Contents:

1.) GLSEN's National Day of Silence: April 11, 2014

2.) International Day of Pink: April 9, 2014

3.) LGBTQ-Inclusive Lesson Planning Guide for the Month of April

4.) NYQueer's Beyond Tolerance Youth Conference

5.) Beyond Tolerance: A Resource Guide for Addressing LGBTQI Issues in Schools

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General Questions

1.) GLSEN's National Day of Silence: April 11, 2014

The Day of Silence is a student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take a vow of silence in an effort to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior by illustrating the silencing effect of bullying and harassment on LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT.

Please consider registering your school for this event. Many critics wish to downplay the number of people who support addressing the problem of anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment but by registering, you are helping us prove this that is an important issue that needs to be addressed. Click here to register.

Additional Resources for Day of Silence

One challenge faced sometimes by Day of Silence supporters is the, sometimes angry, sometimes confused question, "Why do homosexuals have to come out? Heterosexuals don't talk about their sexual orientations!" Day of Silence participants may need help articulating answers to this common question. Below is one activity:

Copy the first set of bulleted items from http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/RG- coming_out.html.

Put each item on a separate, numbered slip of paper then have people draw one from a hat and do a read-around, where volunteers read the slips aloud.

Follow with discussion and provide this handout: http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/Coming_Out.pdf

Another common challenge to participants in the Day of Silence is the mistaken assertion/accusation that you are promoting homosexuality. For the simplest most straight- forward explanation of the distinction between promoting and affirming, go to this handout written by Dr. Evonne Hedgepeth of SSC member organization, Lifespan Education:

http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/affirmation-vs-promotion.pdf

2.) International Day of Pink: April 9, 2014

April 9th, 2014 marks the International Day of Pink. It is a day where communities across the country, and across the world, can unite in celebrating diversity and raising awareness to stop homophobic, transphobic & all forms of bullying.

The International Day of Pink was started in Nova Scotia when 2 straight high school students saw a gay student wearing a pink shirt being bullied. The 2 students intervened, but wanted to do more to prevent homophobic & transphobic bullying. They decided to purchase pink shirts, and a few days later got everyone at school to arrive wearing pink, standing in solidarity. The result was that an entire school stopped homophobic & transphobic bullying.

Each year on the second Wednesday of April, millions of people wear pink to remember that positive actions make a difference.

For more information and resources, please click on the following link.

3.) Safe Schools Coalition's LGBTQ-Inclusive Lesson Planning Guide for the Month of April Follow this link to a planning guide published by Safe Schools Coalition to support the inclusion of LGBTQ material into the classroom curriculum.

4.) NYQueer's Beyond Tolerance Youth Conference

This year's Beyond Tolerance Conference for Youth is coming up on Friday, May 31st at Vanguard High School (317 E 67th St btwn 1st and 2nd Ave) from 4:30-8:30pm. It is an afternoon conference focused on issues of gender and sexuality. Participants will have an opportunity to attend workshops and meet with people from local organizations to find out more about the resources in our area. If you are interested in learning more about the conference, please follow this link.

5.) Beyond Tolerance: A Resource Guide for Addressing LGBTQI Issues in Schools

NYQueer and NYCoRE (New York Collective of Radical Educators) are pleased to announce the release of a curricular resource guide to support educators in addressing Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQI) issues and themes in their classrooms. Often, teaching about LGBTQI issues in the classroom is complex and unique - fraught with a variety of fears and uncertainty including fear of retribution and backlash from students, families or administration. But as educators, we must teach these issues because we know it is what is right- as individuals committed to social justice; as LGBTQI-identified educators; for the LGBTQI students we meet; and because we know too clearly what the outcomes are when we don't.

We really do live in a world where some people grow up feeling like it would be better to be dead than gay. Perhaps it was the alarming number of recent teen suicides that will motivate you to download this guide. Maybe you feel like you want to do something, and are hoping this is a good place to start. We hope so too. But more importantly, we hope that once the media coverage dies down, you will continue to seek out ways to raise awareness and help young people build the skills they need to identify and take action against any injustice they encounter.

Leadership Team:

Co-Chairs:

Lead Chair -- Matthew Wilson (Oasis Youth Center): send a message or call 253-671-2838
Back-up Lead Chair -- Seth Kirby (Oasis Youth Center): send a message or call 253-671-2838

Co-Secretaries:

Airen Lydick (Camp Ten Trees): send a message
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