In a Queer Voice: Journeys of Resilience from Adolescence to Adulthood

Online Resources for Supporting Queer Youth Voice

Online Resources for Supporting Queer Youth Voice In Chapter 8, I outline foundations for the development of queer youth voice in schools, communities, families, and society. Following is a brief list of online resources that I hope will give readers a starting point toward building these foundations and help support their ongoing efforts. While clearly not an exhaustive list of all the local, state, and national organizations doing important work on behalf of LGBTQ youth in the United States, I have chosen these websites specifically as national resources that can help bring queer youth voices out of the silence. SUPPORTING QUEER VOICE IN SCHOOLS Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network http://www.glsen.org The GLSEN website includes resources for combating harassment and creating safer schools, building and maintaining gay-straight alliances, educating teachers and school staff about the needs of LGBTQ youth, and organizing in-school education activities such as the Day of Silence to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues. The site also includes extensive reports on GLSEN’s research, which advocates can use to help effect local change. GSA Network http://www.gsanetwork.org The GSA Network provides assistance for starting and maintaining gay-straight alliances and making GSAs sites for youth empowerment, support for antibullying initiatives , and leadership and activist training for youth. 186 Online Resources for Supporting Queer Youth Voice NYQueer’s Beyond Tolerance: A Resource Guide for Addressing LGBTQI Issues in Schools http://www.nycore.org/2010/11/beyond-tolerance-resource-guide NYQueer, a working group of the New York Collective of Radical Educators, created a free online booklet, Beyond Tolerance: A Resource Guide for Addressing LGBTQI Issues in Schools, with links to a range of resources that can be used by both students and educators. Sections of the guide include links to information about LGBTQI-related historical figures and events, literature, commemoration days (such as National Coming Out Day), lesson plans and curricula, and professional reading for teachers.1 Safe Schools Coalition http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/RG-teachers_highschool.html A Washington State–based organization that provides support to schools worldwide , the Safe Schools Coalition includes a variety of useful resources on its website, including sample lesson plans and resource lists for incorporating LGBTQ issues into K–12 curricula. Unheard Voices: Stories of LGBT History http://www.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/unheard-voices A collaboration of the Anti-Defamation League, GLSEN, and StoryCorps, Unheard Voices is an oral history and curriculum project aimed at helping educators incorporate LGBTQ topics into their curricula. The organization’s website includes links to audio interviews with background and discussion questions and lesson plans for middle and high school classrooms. SUPPORTING QUEER VOICE IN COMMUNITIES BAGLY/GLBT Youth Group Network of Massachusetts http://www.bagly.org/home/programs/glbt-youth-group-network-of-massachusetts One of the largest statewide networks of its kind in the country, the GLBT Youth Group Network is also a source of advice and support for individuals anywhere in the country who wish to form effective community-based LGBTQ youth programs. FIERCE http://www.fiercenyc.org FIERCE (Fabulous Independent Educated Radicals for Community Empowerment ) is a New York City–based organization dedicated to leadership development, political organizing, and support for artistic and cultural expression among LGBTQ youth of color, both in New York and nationally. 1. In the Beyond Tolerance guide, LGBTQI stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning , and intersex. Online Resources for Supporting Queer Youth Voice 187 No Gay Left Behind http://www.facebook.com/nogayleftbehind Given the lack of gay-straight alliances at many schools (and the importance of GSAs for helping LGBTQ youth find their voices), NGLB is a Facebook campaign encouraging alumni of youth in isolated schools to come together and form “virtual GSAs.” SUPPORTING QUEER VOICE AMONG YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES It Gets Better Project http://www.itgetsbetter.org As of press time, more than thirty thousand videos have been created for the It Gets Better Project, whereby youth view and share messages of affirmation to counteract the negative effects of bullying and harassment in schools and society. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays http://www.pflag.org PFLAG’s “Get Support” section includes resources for families with LGBTQ members , such as a glossary of terms about LGBTQ issues, a “Family Story Center” where visitors can read and submit stories, and information about finding a local chapter. Point Foundation http://www.pointfoundation.org The Point Foundation...