So I live in Wichita, Kansas, but I go to school in a suburb called Haysville. My school is very sheltered from the rest of the world. There are very few people of any race other than white, and it is obviously of conservative persuasion. Last spring semester, three of my friends tried to create a GSA. At my school, all a club needs a teacher sponsor/supervisor, a mission statement, and the group needs to present what the club would do and why our school should have it. My three friends had a teacher sponsor and had printed off information from several sites on what the purpose of a GSA is and activities that a GSA would/could do, and as the school year ended, it was still pending. After I participated in Kansas' OurTown (I think in other states its called AnyTown), went to the Wichita Pride Festival (Ozsome!!!) (upon which I now am involved in the weekly committee meetings), meeting other LGBT community members, and delving myself in the gay friendly/topic literature, I am more than determined to institute a GSA and the Use Another Word campaign. But I'm nervous about how to push it forward and how to hold it together through the hate of the community as well as the school. I know first hand what can come of being out in Kansas, and to the people close enough to me to know, they know that I've gone through verbal harassment/abuse, physical harassment (in conjunction with death threats), plain out fear of walking through the halls, as well as undering hate at home (via mother). So give me ALL - and I mean ALL - of the advice out there. I know i need it.
Well... All I can say is keep going. It sounds like you're on the right track. And unless we step out and demonstrate that it IS OK to be gay, and it IS NOT OK to harrass or abuse gays, then things aren't going to change. There is talk about there being a GSA at my work (although they are called 'ERG's - Employee Resource Groups) and I'm going to get involved. Perhaps you and the sponsoring staff member need to question the administration about what is holding up the application to start this club. Just keep sending the question up the line. If the school aministration won't respond with a satisfactory answer, take it up with the school board. Good luck!
Well, there's another problem now. our teacher sponsor didn't get kept on the school staff. So know we have to search high and low again to find someone!!! ugh... :help:
I might advise contacting GLSEN. They are the advocacy group that is responsible for starting GSAs in a large amount of schools and fighting off legal cases where the schools attempted to find loopholes in order to disallow GSAs but still allow other clubs, especially religious/prayer ones. So far, GLSEN has won every case that has come before a court in this matter, and it's surprising that schools still even choose to take it that far considering precedent.
When advertising for the club, maybe target straight people. One sign could read, "Straight but not narrow? Join GSA!" If people are too busy after school, meetings could be held during lunch. It sounds like there is a lot of homophobia in your area, and so a GSA should work to combat that sort of behavior or mindset. Along with doing more serious events like the Day of Silence, you could also add in programs that are more casual or fun, like a movie night. Even "Dead Poet's Society" could work, because it's about being yourself. And are there any one person bathrooms on your school's campus that have just the toilet and the sink? If they have Boy and Girl separate, you could fight to make them gender neutral, so if a person is transgender they don't have to worry about choosing a bathroom, or it could be seen as an accepting gesture for a trans person if they aren't open about themselves. These are random tidbits, I don't know if they'll help you at all. Just keep in mind that it's homophobia that's the main issue.
