That’s okay!

While LGBTQ+ conversations can be seen as political by some folks in Texas, educators like yourself know that creating learning environments where all students can thrive is crucial to your job. We’ll be sending reports on what the research recommends to all Superintendents in Texas later this year. It’s okay if you’ve got hesitations about having a GSA club on your campus, and we’d really appreciate the chance to talk through those with you. 

Please consider joining us for our Statewide GSA monthly meet up. This virtual meeting will welcome GSA sponsors, student leaders, and allies from across Texas to address questions and concerns around GSA clubs, as well as offer other recommendations for creating safer schools.

Please make a meeting with our TX GSA Network Coordinator or email tez.figueroa@outyouth.org

Here’s a fact you might be interested in – a 2017 study found that Texas high schools that had GSA clubs scored on average over 200 points higher on the SATs than schools without GSA clubs! Research also shows that Gender & Sexuality Alliance clubs in schools not only increase feelings of safety and belonging, they increase retention and graduation rates, and reduce suicidality among all students – including those who aren’t club members or even LGBTQ. 

Unfortunately, we know that less than half of students in Texas reported having access to an LGBTQ+ affirming club in GLSEN’s 2019 School Climate Survey. That same survey sadly found that 40% of Texas students reported hearing school staff make negative remarks about someone’s gender expression. I don’t need to tell you that that’s totally unacceptable. While those numbers were shocking for me, an even more overwhelming number is 195,000. That’s how many LGBT youth ages 13-17 the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimates live in Texas – more than any other state besides California. 

In addition to GSA clubs, other recommendations for creating safer schools for all students include comprehensive and enumerated anti-bullying policies at the district level, access to LGBTQ-related resources and curricula, and professional development on LGBTQ+ competency for school staff, all things we’ll touch on in our upcoming Town Hall. In the meantime, if you have any questions or need any support around making your school one where all students feel safe and welcome, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help!