Issuu

2021 Impact Report

POLICY BATTLES

Resisting Anti-LGBTQ Policies Poised for Repair and Opportunity Pushing Forward 06 STUDENT SUPPORT

When Schools Shut Down, GLSEN Was There GLSEN Bolsters Nationwide Student Activism 08 STRATEGIC REFRESH

GLSEN Leaders Prepare for the Future Your Support in Action 10

THE FUTURE

Your Continued Support 12

WAYS TO GIVE

Thank you again for your continued support. Your generosity enabled GLSEN to navigate massive transition on all levels. Thanks to you, we held off the worst of the previous Administration’s documented assaults throughout the past four years, and are now working in close partnership with the Biden Administration. We continued to support students despite major disruptions from the pandemic, and we set the course for GLSEN’s future with our Strategic Refresh. Thank you for fueling this work through your partnership.

YOUR IMPACT Policy Battles

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

Student Support

Strategic Refresh

THE FUTURE

Policy Battles

2019-2020 | Resisting Anti-LGBTQ Policies As the Trump Administration pushed hateful policy and rhetoric, GLSEN resisted this every step of the way. In order to ensure safety for LGBTQ+ youth, GLSEN mobilized our longstanding partners, like those listed on the right, to secure protections for students and fight against the Administration’s persistent and harmful attacks. Your generosity helped GLSEN fight hard against the previous Administration with the following tactics: • By making early connections with Democrats on the House and Senate oversight committees that supported LGBTQ+ students, and mobilizing our network to submit (sometimes up to 300,000) public comments, we delayed the regulatory process and defeated harmful legislation.

Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus Department of Education National Education Association National Association of School Psychologists National Association of Secondary School Principals

• We worked closely with State Attorney General Offices across the country to ensure protections for LGBTQ+ students. • We provided Recommendations for State Education Agencies and collaborated to implement these best practices.

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

VIEW ARTICLE CONTRIBUTED TO BY GLSEN >

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

Policy Battles

2020-2021 | Poised for Repair and Opportunity

November 2020

January 2021

April 2021

May 2021

GLSEN publishes formal Recommendations for Biden Transition Team to create safe and inclusive schools for LGBTQ+ students

Biden follows GLSEN’s Recommendations issuing two Executive Orders to protect LGBTQ+ students

SUCCESS! U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights implements these Executive Orders on student nondiscrimination protections

GLSEN publishes formal Recommendations for Inclusive Athletics Programming

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

2021 | Pushing Forward GLSEN continues to confer with members of the House and Senate’s respective Education Committees urging them to support our Legislative Agenda. 2021 Priorities: • Safe Schools Improvement Act • Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act • LGBTQ Data Inclusion Act • STOP Bullying Act • Full Service Community School Expansion Act

With a seat at the table throughout the Biden transition and now with the Administration, GLSEN attends regular stakeholder meetings with the Department of Education. Continuing our collaboration, members of our leadership attend regular meetings with Secretary Cardona, as we are firmly positioned as the experts. We continue to engage in State Policy work, recently seeing this big win for Nevada.

Nevada Passes New Law Supporting LGBTQ+ Inclusive Curriculum VIEW ARTICLE > GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

Student Support

When Schools Shut Down, Your Support Allowed GLSEN to Be There As the pandemic unfolded, many LGBTQ+ youth were cut off from supportive in-school spaces, facing dangerous isolation, and potentially harmful home environments. GLSEN created life-saving connections with new online spaces, trainings and resources. GLSEN immediately began expanding our virtual and online training to increase accessibility. With your support GLSEN was able to host virtual trainings throughout 2020, quickly responding to students and educators during COVID-19.

SAMPLE VIRTUAL TRAININGS: Department of Education For Student GSA Leaders: Creating Safe Virtual Spaces for LGBTQ+ Students For GSA Advisors: Creating Safe Virtual Spaces for GSA Meetings How to Organize a Virtual Rainbow Graduation Webinar on the 2019 National School Climate Survey LGBTQ+ Educators – Out and Proud at School

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

GLSEN Bolsters Nationwide Student Activism At the heart and soul of GLSEN are LGBTQ+ students, and our National Student Council represents that. Thanks to your support, we brought on the first ever virtual National Student Council in 2020-2021, creating spaces for support and bonding despite the challenges of COVID-19. The 2020-2021 NSC cohort engaged in digital connection throughout the year, organized GLSEN’s Days of Action, like Day of Silence, and led GLSEN Instagram live conversations, like those linked. In part due to your support, the upcoming NSC cohort will expand from 13 to 20 students.

GLSEN’s National Student Council

SAMPLE INSTAGRAM LIVE STUDENT DISCUSSIONS: GLSEN’s Day of Silence

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

It’s Solidarity Week! | LGBTQ+ History Visioning and Semester Planning | Trans Athletics

Strategic Refresh

GLSEN Leaders Prepare for the Future Your support enabled GLSEN to continue to serve LGBTQ+ youth, fend off attacks, and plan for the future. You helped GLSEN hold the line to protect our community, while we navigated transition of leadership amid the pain and chaos of the global pandemic. Beginning in 2019, GLSEN Staff and Board created a revitalized vision for the future, crafting our Strategic Refresh. With this framework now in place and the strength of our diverse leadership team, led by Interim Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, we have begun to see outcomes rooted in Justice, Connection and Impact.

As I plan to depart, I’m proud to say that the organization is extremely well positioned to continue to act as an agent of change. We are in our strongest financial position ever, with a newly invigorated leadership team that is the most diverse in the organization’s history, allies in the incoming administration, and a vibrant period of strategic innovation just ahead. —Eliza Byard

(Justice x Connection x Impact x Capacity) Principles = Outcomes Justice Advance racial, gender & disability justice outcomes in education

Connection Build digital connections to extend reach

Impact Unify our organization and strengthen our impact

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

Your Support in Action Justice

Connections

Impact

• GLSEN Webinar – Liberated Education, The Need for Decriminalizing Youth in Schools

•

• 44 Accredited GLSEN chapters across the U.S.

• 2020 GSA Summit – LGBTQ and Black Lives Matter/Organizing Virtual Events

• 100k followers on Instagram

• GLSEN Webinar – The School Experiences of Transgender and Nonbinary Youth • GLSEN Article – 6 Things White Educators Can Do to Support Native LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit Students • Statement from National Student Council and Student Advocate of the Year – Condemning Police Brutality, Calling for Greater Support for Black Lives

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

GSA Advisor Summit with the National Education Association – 1,300 GSA Advisors

• GLSEN launched Tiktok • GLSEN Virtual Respect Everywhere Awards featuring LGBTQ+ Students like JP Media Placements at a glance: The American Independent, Associated Press, Business Insider, CBS News, CNN, Education Week, The Hill, Inside Higher Ed, LGBTQ Nation, Metro Weekly, NBC News, Nylon, People Magazine, The 74 Million, them, USA Today, Vice, Washington Post

• 1,700+ GSA’s supported • Over 7,200 Educators and community members trained by GLSEN • 50+ Inquiries about how to start a new GLSEN Chapter • 500,000 GLSEN resources downloaded by Educators and Students – Top Resource: Pronouns Guide (144k downloads) • 17,000 LGBTQ+ Students surveyed for National School Climate Survey

The Future

2021 | Your Continued Support This fall will be one of the most uncertain, disruptive and turbulent back to school season yet, and with your continued support we will forge ahead to ensure the safety of LGBTQ+ students. We Know

We Will

• 2 in 5 LGBTQ+ Youth of Color were bullied based on their race or ethnicity

• Launch the regional Freedom Fellows program, to strengthen the leadership of youth 18-25, prioritizing investment in the next generation of BIPOC LGBTQ+ leaders

• 84% of trans students felt unsafe because of their gender • 86% of LGBTQ+ students were harassed or assaulted at school because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression To do our part in lowering these statistics and push forward, GLSEN is urgently prioritizing and integrating Gender, Disability and Racial Justice into all facets of our programming for 2021 and beyond. With your continued support we can take the next step, and do our part to protect the most vulnerable LGBTQ+ students. In line with the pillars of our Strategic Refresh, and because of your ongoing partnership...

• Build a deeply multiracial GLSEN grassroots presence, across our chapter, student, and educator networks • Expand the GLSEN Rainbow Library program across the Chapter network, increasing widespread access to LGBTQ+ affirming books • Engage policymakers and the public with new findings from the 2021 National School Climate Survey • Increase downloads/engagement with GLSEN materials (up from 549,362 in FY21) • Publish the next edition of the GLSEN Safe Space Kit, the premier guide for allied educators looking to make a difference in their own schools GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

Help LGBTQ+ youth receive the education they are entitled to — one free from bullying and harassment. With your gift, together we can transform our nation’s K-12 schools into the safe and affirming environment all youth deserve. Please donate now to protect our most vulnerable students. GLSEN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and contributions are fully tax-deductible to the extent of the law. Tax ID: 04-3234202

WAYS TO GIVE • Make a one-time gift • Join the Dean’s List, our monthly giving club • Become a major donor by joining the Honor Society • Remember GLSEN in your will/estate planning by joining the Weiland Society Visit www.glsen.org/donate to make a gift today.

To view this Import Report online, and the links included in it, please visit www.glsen.org

GLSEN 2021 IMPACT REPORT

Thank you! Your support helps ensure that every member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

glsen.org