The Kids Are All Right: Vote For An LGBT Trailblazing Youth Group
Logo is honoring those at the forefront of the fight for equality with the first-ever Trailblazers special on June 26. But who are the LGBT trailblazers of tomorrow? We've teamed up with the Gay-Straight Alliance Network to profile some of the amazing groups of young people making a difference in their community.
Vote for one student group to be honored as Logo's first Trailblazing Youth Group!
Roosevelt High School GSA
Fresno, California
"When I started at Roosevelt High School, I felt uneasy being open about my sexual orientation and noticed I wasn't the only one," says Roosevelt High GSA founder Angel Garcia. "Other students admitted to being afraid to come out and not having support. This motivated me, with the support of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network of California, to start a GSA to create change in my school."
The Roosevelt GSA has launched campaigns including an event for the Transgender Day of Remembrance, an anti-slur campaign and a summit for faculty and students on combating homophobia and transphobia.
Decatur High School GSA
Decatur, Georgia
Demonstrating strong leadership in raising awareness and creating safe spaces, the Decatur GSA has collaborated on numerous Georgia Safe Schools Coalition events, developed an LGBT Homeless Youth fact sheet and created the first queer prom it Atlanta that was open to high school students.
Santa Monica High School GSA
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica High School's Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) was founded 15 years ago with the help of Spanish teacher Kelly Bates. "GSA has always been a beacon for equality, justice, and liberation, and as a club we've held movie nights, protests, festivals, panel of speakers, and changed school policies," explains current club president Ruhi Bhalla. "One of our most noticeable accomplishments are creating a social justice retreat called Project Safe Zone that focuses on the interwoven issues of sexism, homophobia, and transphobia."
The Santa Monica GSA also led a counterprotest against the Westboro Baptist Church when they came to protest the group. With a goal of raising one dollar for the Gay-Straight Alliance Network for every minute WBC was protesting, the students raised $6,000.
Parkway Central High School GSA
Chesterfield, MO
Parkway Central High School's GSA has worked to advance racial and economic justice at their school, organizing They have organized spaces to teach students about policies that are harmful to student development and that, eventually, push young people out of school, and have worked diligently to recruit new members affected by school pushout.
Liberty Memorial Central Middle School GSA
Lawrence, Kansas
The first middle school in Kansas to have a gay-straight alliance, Liberty Meadows' GSA has worked toward creating safe spaces for students and raising awareness about diversity and inclusion. In addition to panels, brochures and t-shirts, the Liberty Memorial GSA sponsors Rainbow Days (where students and staff are encouraged to wear rainbow attire) and Inspirational Days (encouraging participants to share inspirational figures and quotes.)