Founding Concord Academy The first gay–straight alliance was formed in November 1988 at
Concord Academy in
Concord, Massachusetts, when
Kevin Jennings, a history teacher at the school who had just come out as gay, was approached by Meredith Sterling, a student at the school who was straight, but was upset by the treatment of gay students and others. Jennings recruited some other teachers at the school, thus forming the first gay–straight alliance. One of the first to join was Sterling's classmate
S. Bear Bergman. Jennings credits students for both the establishment of the club, as well as for setting the agenda of struggling against homophobia, and for changes to CA's nondiscrimination policy. Jennings would go on to co-found the
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in Boston in 1990.
United States Described as "perhaps the most important precursor of the GSA movement," Los Angeles' Project 10 is seen as the start of the GSA movement. Founded in 1984, Project 10 was widely recognized as the first organized effort to provide support for LGBTQ youth in schools across the United States. The majority of its facilitators were heterosexual, and was named after the commonly held statistic that 10 per cent of the adult male population is "exclusively homosexual". Project 10 focused on issues such as
substance use, and discussing issues of high-risk sexual behaviour. The first GSA was started in 1988, in
Concord, Massachusetts at
Concord Academy by
Kevin Jennings. The first public school gay–straight alliance was started at
Newton South High School (
Newton, Massachusetts) by teacher Robert Parlin. GSAs made headlines in 1999 with the Federal Court ruling in
Utah–East High Gay/Straight Alliance v. Board of Education of Salt Lake City School District. This ruling found that denying access to a school-based gay–straight alliance was a violation of the Federal
Equal Access Act giving students the right to use facilities for extra curricular activities at any school that receives public funding—regardless of private standing or religious affiliation. On January 24, 2012, the
United States Secretary of Education,
Arne Duncan, released a video on YouTube commemorating GSA Day and endorsing GSA clubs in schools.
Inclusivity Approximately 28 per cent of participants at
GSA Network identify as heterosexual. Students at
West Carteret High School in
Morehead City, North Carolina, tried to start a GSA but the Carteret County Board of Education turned it down. In 1999, the
Orange Unified School District in
Orange County, California, moved to prohibit the formation of a GSA at
El Modena High School. The students then sued the school board, claiming that their rights under the
First Amendment and the 1984
Equal Access Act had been violated. In the first-ever ruling of its kind, Judge
David O. Carter of the
United States District Court for the Central District of California issued a preliminary injunction ordering the school to allow the GSA to meet. The right of students to establish a GSA at school is guaranteed by both the
First Amendment to the United States Constitution (with regard to every level of schooling) and the federal
Equal Access Act (with regard to secondary schools as long as other student clubs are allowed, with the definition of secondary school for purposes of the federal law including middle schools and high schools).
Case law In the United States, the right of students to establish a GSA at school is guaranteed by both the
First Amendment to the United States Constitution (with regard to every level of schooling) and the federal
Equal Access Act (with regard to secondary schools where other student clubs are allowed, with the definition of secondary school for purposes of the federal law including middle schools and high schools). Since 1998, there have been at least 17 federal court cases in which high school and middle school students have conclusively prevailed in defending the free exercise of their civil rights on this issue, with federal courts consistently ruling that students have both a right to establish a GSA at school and to use the name
Gay–Straight Alliance instead of an alternative name. In 2009, the
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida ruled in favor of high school students whose attempt to form a GSA had been blocked by the school board, in the case of
Gay–Straight Alliance of Yulee High School v. School Board of Nassau County, with the federal court also ruling that the school must allow the students to use the name
Gay–Straight Alliance instead of an alternative name that excludes the term
Gay. In 2016, the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit unanimously ruled in favor of middle school students whose attempt to form a GSA had been blocked by the school board, in the case of
Carver Middle School Gay–Straight Alliance v. School Board of Lake County, Florida.
Outside the United States Worldwide, gay–straight alliances are not as common as the organizations are in the United States, but are beginning to spread, particularly in Canada.
Australia As of July 2020, as reported by the media
Star Observer, Australia has one gay–straight alliance set up within the
Melbourne Grammar School. However, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and some parts of the United States have had gay–straight alliances within schools for decades. Started by
The Foundation for Young Australians and Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, along with La Trobe University, the program was expanded to run Australia wide. The program was supported by
Beyondblue,
Headspace, the
University of Canberra,
Macquarie University,
University of Western Sydney,
Curtin University, various family planning and HIV prevention groups, government bodies and Uniting Church organizations.
Bulgaria In 2016, Bulgaria became the first country in the
Balkans to open a gay–straight alliance in
Sofia American College.
Canada As Canada has
two official languages, LGBTQ student clubs may be referred to as gay–straight alliances (GSA), queer-straight alliances (QSA), alliance allosexuelle-hétérosexuelle (AAH), or alliance gaie-hétéro (AGH). In May 2010
Egale Canada launched MyGSA.ca, a website focused on GSAs and their role in making Canadian schools safer and more LGBTQ inclusive. Their website includes educational resources for GSAs and information about available bursaries and funding. this feature is no longer available on their website. Prior to closing the public directory, more than 283 GSAs had registered with the website. Currently there are no federal laws in Canada regarding GSAs. Any laws are specific to each province or territory. The first GSA in Canada was started in 1998 at
Pinetree Secondary School in
Coquitlam, British Columbia. The start of the Pinetree GSA garnered national media attention, and its members continued to play a role in public affairs by meeting with successive provincial Ministers of Education, testifying before the B.C. Safe Schools Task Force on anti-bullying, and delivering workshops to students and educators about LGBT-sensitive inclusive language and how to start GSAs. In early 2002, the Pinetree GSA held the first Pride Day at a high school in Canada. The Pride Day included an information fair with booths from various local LGBTQ organizations, PrideTalk workshops delivered in numerous classes, and an assembly with a talk on transgender rights and a performance by G.L.A.S.S., a local LGBTQ youth choir. While members initially feared backlash, there was little-to-no negative reaction to the club. Schools that do not comply with the bill's requirement are subject to lose government funding. Following the release of the bill, there was disapproval from some politicians and parents. In April 2018, the
Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) filed a
Court of Queen's Bench challenge application claiming that prohibiting school officials from notifying parents when their child joins a GSA violates their constitutional rights. The
New Democratic Party of Alberta filibustered for changes to the Bill 8 (The Education Amendment Act) since the
United Conservative Party (UCP) defeated all amendments that would protect LGBTQ teachers and staff over their sexual orientation and gender identity. The UCP have removed protections that were in the 2017 Bill 24, Bill 8 allows for students to be outed by school teachers, administration or staff if a student asks for there to be a GSA or QSA. Albertan schools are no longer compelled to act in an urgent manner in the student's request for a GSA or QSA, allowing the school to take as much time as desired without facing penalties that were in Bill 24. Since then, GSAs have been established at Nutana,
Walter Murray,
Evan Hardy,
Marion Graham,
Bedford Road and
Aden Bowman Collegiates. The city of North Battleford Saskatchewan, had their first GSA in 2004 at Sakewew High School, a
First Nations school. Saskatchewan's first GSA summit took place on April 15, 2016, in Saskatoon. In 2013, the Manitoba government introduced Bill 18,
The Public Schools Amendment Act (Safe and Inclusive Schools). This act required school board to accommodate all student requests to form GSAs. The next year a GSA was founded by students in 2010 at Renfrew Collegiate Institute in the town of
Renfrew. In December 2011, the government of the most populous Canadian province, Ontario, announced it would bring a legislation making it mandatory for all publicly funded schools to support the formation of "tolerance clubs" and student associations. Gay–straight clubs were to be specifically mentioned in that act. The main focus of that Bill 14 would be to counterattack bullying of students, particularly those of a racial or sexual minority. In 2010, they held the first annual Pride in Education GSA Conference for students and teachers interested in creating GSAs. The first GSA in
New Brunswick was founded in 2013 at
Woodstock High School following the suggestion of
Svend Robinson. The
University of Prince Edward Island's
Social Justice Studies program founded shOUT!, an annual conference aimed as GSAs but open to the public, in 2013. In 1998, The Youth Project, a non-profit focused on LGBTQ youth in
Nova Scotia, received funding from
Health Canada to increase education about LGBTQ in schools. Through this initiative, the organization was able to found the first GSA in Nova Scotia at
Millwood High School. The Youth Project currently hosts a list of all GSAs in the province on their website. The first GSA conference in
Newfoundland and Labrador was held at
Corner Brook Regional High in 2013. While the
Yukon Department of Education does not have specific legislation regarding GSA, it does have a policy which mandates safety and inclusion for LGBTQ students which has been used in the justification for GSAs. Additionally, the territory mandates that all schools must appoint a staff member as a "safe contact" to provide support for LGBTQ students. In 2013, a group of student requested to start a GSA at Vanier Catholic Secondary in
Whitehorse. The school initially denied this request as it conflicted with the school's Catholic, anti-gay policies. Students of the school protested the denial by wearing
pink shirts and holding a
sit-in at the Yukon legislative building and wearing
rainbow socks to their graduation ceremony. Following the protests, the Yukon Department of Education overturned the school's policy regarding GSAs as it did not meet the mandates outlines in the department's Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Policy The only GSA in
Nunavut is at
Inuksuk High School in
Iqaluit.
Hong Kong In 2008, students at
The University of Hong Kong founded Queer Straight Alliance (QSA), a registered society under Hong Kong laws. For several years it was the only GSA in the city, and it serves students in all campuses through social activities, career support and advocacy. In more recent years, university students in the city have formed other student LGBTQ groups. However, GSA efforts in secondary schools remain limited, if any.
India The first GSA in India was started in
Tagore International School in New Delhi in 2014 by a group of students and their mentor Shivanee Sen who had formed a pro-LGBTQ group initiative known as 'Breaking Barriers' which was the first student-led campaign in India to address LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex) issues. This group was first inspired to care and focus on the lives of oppressed students and hijras, a community of transgender women, intersex individuals, and
eunuchs in India who are marginalized both socially and economically. At
Presidency University, Kolkata, around 100 students have formed a GSA group called Ardhek Akash, which also produces a magazine of the same name. In recent months the group has formed new chapters at
Jadavpur University and
St. Xavier's College—also in Calcutta—and is looking to expand further.
Mexico The first GSA in Mexico was begun by a group of students in 2004 at the
American School Foundation, a private American school in Mexico City. The GSA was initially opposed by several school board members and a small group of religious conservative parents. But the students eventually won and formed the student club. The GSA's co-advisor, Ian K. Macgillivray, wrote several articles detailing his students' experiences, as well as the book,
Gay–Straight Alliances: A Handbook for Students, Educators, and Parents (2007, Harrington Park Press).
Netherlands The first GSAs in the Netherlands were started in 2009. At the beginning of 2011, a nationwide campaign was started on television to promote GSAs in Dutch schools, featuring several well-known young actors and singers. A number of GSAs already exist in a wide variety of Dutch schools throughout the country, most of them at the university level, but increasingly popular on secondary school level.
New Zealand Nelson College, the
Nelson College for Girls,
Nayland College and other schools have had GSAs set up, often with the support of youth mental health bodies. Kira Byrne, a GSA leader at Nelson College for Girls, says that the legalization of
same-sex marriage in New Zealand in 2013 created shifts in attitudes towards LGBTQ people in New Zealand, but that boys at Nelson College were afraid to go to the GSA there because "other boys would wait outside to beat up anyone that came out." The initiative, similar to GSA, aimed to establish secondary level student groups, including teachers, to enhance the safety and inclusivity of Portuguese schools. The focus was on fostering an environment that embraced diversity, particularly regarding
sexual orientation,
gender identity and
expression, and
sex characteristics (SOGIESC). and the
transgender flag at Escola Secundária Júlio Dinis in
Ovar, Portugal The primary objectives included integrating LGBTI students, eradicating the various forms of discrimination experienced related to SOGIESC within the school context. Telmo Fernandes, the ADD project coordinator, highlighted that the collected responses underscored the persistent issues of isolation and discrimination, emphasizing the need for the intended change. Alianças da Diversidade groups were established in various schools across the country, including locations such as
Ovar municipality,
Ramada parish and in the city of
Ermesinde. The project officially ran from mid-2017 to February 2019, but the groups created during this period could continue independently, promoting the same objectives. In addition to the ADD project, GSA-like groups have also been formed in universities, including those in
Lisbon and
Braga.
United Kingdom In the UK, there has always been more of an emphasis on stand alone lesbian and gay youth groups that take place outside of the school setting, often funded by the local health authority or education service. The first GSA in the UK was founded in 2000 by
CN Lester at
Putney High School GDST, and led in part to the formation of Queer Youth Network. The second GSA in the UK was started in 2010 at
Shimna Integrated College in Northern Ireland. Another GSA started in 2012 by Copland Community school in Wembley. The setting up of the club has subsequently resulted in the school being known for "tackling homophobic prejudice". == Goal ==