[glstn.brochure] Provided by: GLSTN 122 West 26th Street, Suite 1100 New York, NY 10001 USA Tel: (212) 727-0135 Email: glstn@glstn.org Web: http://www.glstn.org/freedom/ GLSTN: THE GAY, LESBIAN, AND STRAIGHT TEACHERS NETWORK (updated October 11, 1995) The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network is a national federation of local groups working to address issues of homophobia and heterosexism in K-12 public, private, and parochial schools. WHAT IS GLSTN'S MISSION? GLSTN's goal is to create a school environment in which every member of the school community is valued and respected, regardless of sexual orientation. We believe that such an atmosphere engenders a positive sense of self, which is the basis of educational achievement and personal growth. Since homophobia and heterosexism undermine a healthy school climate, we work to educate teachers, students and the public at large about the damaging effects these forces have on youth and adults alike. We recognize that forces such as racism and sexism have similarly adverse impacts on communities, and we support schools in seeking to redress all such inequities. GLSTN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes in creating a more vibrant and diverse community. We welcome as members any individual, regardless of sexual orientation or occupation, who is committed to seeing this philosophy realized in K-12 schools. WHAT DOES GLSTN DO? To fulfill our mission, GLSTN is committed to the following activities: 1) addressing homophobia and heterosexism in schools by facilitating communication among educators of all sexual orientations. 2) promoting dialogue with and among schools on the needs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and their families. 3) developing and distributing trainings, curricula and other materials in printed form and online which provide schools with strategies to guarantee equality for their students, to create a safe environment, to provide support and training for their faculty, and to value diversity with regard to sexual identity. 4) helping schools understand how communities which value diversity are healthier ones for all students, regardless of sexual orientation and that students are then freer to realize their human potential in such an environment. 5) educating the general public on the necessity for addressing sexual identity in the educational system as a means of creating better schools. 6) creating support for gay, lesbian and bisexual students and teachers currently in schools. 7) advocating change in the society at large with regard to homophobia and heterosexism, working to influence local, state, and national leaders. GLSTN's specific activities include regional conferences focused on creating change in schools, retreats which offer support to gay, lesbian, and bisexual educators, on-site workshops for individual schools and conferences, curriculum and training module development, bi-monthly newsletters and advocacy on behalf of youth and families. WHAT IS GLSTN'S HISTORY? GLSTN was founded by teachers in the Boston area in 1990, and was instrumental in the work that led to Massachusetts becoming the first state in the nation to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in its public schools, being honored for this work with a proclamation by Massachusetts Governor William Weld in 1993. In response to increasing national interest in GLSTN's work, the group decided to incorporate, hire staff, and begin to develop the first national network of local chapters working to end homophobia in our schools, in 1994. Since that time, more than twenty local chapters have been founded across the United States. By the end of the 1994-1995 school year, GLSTN's work had expanded to include helping to establish October as National Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual History Month, assisting local groups to introduce legislation to protect the rights of gay students in states including California and Connecticut, and sponsoring programming on the local level in more than 20 states. WHAT HAS GLSTN ACCOMPLISHED? GLSTN's work has been highly successful. GLSTN developed the "Gay-Straight Alliance" student support program, and helped established such groups in schools in more than a dozen states. GLSTN was instrumental in the fight that made Massachusetts the first state to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against public schools students in December, 1993. In 1994 GLSTN was chosen to develop the faculty training component of the Massachusetts Department of Education's "Safe Schools for Gay and Lesbian Youth" program, the first state-wide effort to provide comprehensive training to school staffs on the needs of gay and lesbian youth. GLSTN helped establish Gay and Lesbian History Month, persuading Massachusetts Governor William Weld and Connecticut Governor Lowell Weicker to issue proclamations on behalf of this inaugural event in October, 1994 and hosting the nation's largest conference on the subject as well. In local chapters across the nation, GLSTN members have won partner benefits for members, created more inclusive curriculum, delivered hundreds of trainings for school staffs, and carried out a myriad of activities to make our schools better places for all to work and learn. More than 20 local chapters have been founded across the country during the past twelve months. WHO SHOULD JOIN GLSTN? Anyone who cares about homophobia in schools! GLSTN believes that we must all come together--gay or straight, teacher or student, community member or school employee--in a true coalition dedicated to making our schools places where students learn self-respect instead of self-hatred. "Whether you are a gay or straight teacher, you should support GLSTN if you care about your students. GLSTN helped me to understand, as a "straight ally", why I needed to care about this issue and to take action." --Tom Stege, Science Teacher and Academic Dean, Austin, Texas "As a new teacher, GLSTN has been invaluable. GLSTN gave me the opportunity to work with other committed educators who face many of the same issues I face in my school. The support I have received has reaffirmed my belief in the strength of numbers and the importance of taking action." --Torey Wilson, History Teacher, Oak Park, Illinois THE GLSTN HONORARY BOARD Kate Clinton, comedienne and former high school teacher Robb Forman Dew, author Martin Duberman, historian, founder, Center for Gay and Lesbian Studies Louise Erdrich, author Bill T. Jones, dancer, choreographer, author Greg Louganis, Olympic Gold medalist Brian McNaught, author Paul Monette, author* Ruth Messinger, Manhattan Borough President David Mixner, author and political activist Martina Navratilova, athlete and author Robert B. Parker, author Susan Sarandon, actress Andrew Sullivan, editor of The New Republic Carolyn and Laurence Tribe, civil rights activist/Harvard Law professor Virginia Uribe, founder, Project 10 Urvashi Vaid, former Executive Director, NGLTF, and author *deceased (affiliations for identification purposes only) GLSTN CHAPTERS (as of 9/1/95) Atlanta Boston Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Colorado Columbus Connecticut Dallas D.C. Detroit Indianapolis Los Angeles Minneapolis/St. Paul New Hampshire New Mexico New York Philadelphia Portland, ME San Francisco St. Louis Tampa Bay Washington State GLSTN receives its funding from people like you. The majority of funding comes from membership fees and individual donations; the remainder comes from revenue from events and grants. Please print and fill out the following form and return to GLSTN: --------------------------------------------------------------------- YES, I'D LIKE TO SUPPORT GLSTN'S WORK! ENCLOSED IS MY TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TO BECOME A: ____GLSTN Member ($25 for standard membership, $15 for student or limited income membership) ____GLSTN Supporter ($50) ____GLSTN Patron ($100) ____GLSTN Sponsor ($250) ____GLSTN Benefactor ($500) ____GLSTN Angel ($1000) I CAN ALSO VOLUNTEER SOME TIME TO SUPPORT GLSTN. PLEASE CONTACT ME. My skills include: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Name:___________________________________________________ Address:________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:_________________________________________ Phone (include area code):______________________________ Email Address:__________________________________________ I am: ___an educator ___a community member ___a student ___a parent ___other __________________________ PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO: GLSTN, 122 West 26th Street, Suite 1100, New York, NY 10001 USA ----------------------------------------------------------- "I feel indebted to GLSTN as the organization which shape my professional life. GLSTN gave me the courage to come out and the results have been entirely positive for myself and my school. Most important for me is the feeling of freedom and openness I now have, not feeling like I need to hide from my students. Without the support of GLSTN, the strength to come out might have eluded me altogether." --Vicky Greenbaum, Music Teacher, Northfield, Massachusetts "GLSTN helps empower teachers to affect change within themselves, and this translates into being more effective in the classroom. In short, it makes us all better teachers." --Duff Coburn, Middle School Teacher, Chapel Hill, North Carolina "The GLSTN Conference taught me more than any conference I've attended in ten years of teaching. Every single session was outstanding. As a straight person with many gay friends, I had thought about issues of homophobia before, but GLSTN helped me think about them in completely new ways. I now recommend these conferences to everyone I know." --Kate Higgins, History Teacher, Hightstown, New Jersey "One day I went to my teacher and asked him a question about something I had read about gay youth. Because I was so distraught, I began to cry. He then took time out of his class to help me. From that time on, he has been there to talk about whatever I am feeling. With this teacher, my life, which is normally fairly stressful, has been a little happier and easier to deal with." --Lesbian senior writing about a GLSTN member When I heard that the young teacher who would later be my coach, history teacher, and advisor, was gay, I was shocked. "No, he can't be," I thought. "He's a nice guy." It is sometimes hard for me to believe how much I have grown and changed since then ...I am proud of how much I have learned from him and changed because of his influence. --Heterosexual senior's college application essay on a GLSTN member I have realized what a difference I could be making in kids' lives. Instead of repeating the past, we as gay teachers can help the kids we care about, both gay and straight. The workshop made me think of the pain I went through as a kid. No one should feel that way. I know now that I can make a difference, that I can help. I thank you for helping me see that. --Lesbian elementary teacher, evaluating a GLSTN workshop ***** ***** ***** This document is part of THE GLSTN TOOLBOX, an online resource of practical information and tools, for educators, students, parents and community organizers, to help fight homophobia in K-12 schools. Founded in 1990 as a regional volunteer organization in Boston, The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN) today has over 20 chapters around the country and is the largest organization of teachers and community members dedicated to ensuring that all students are valued and respected, regardless of sexual orientation. GLSTN's work includes community organizing, providing programming to schools, and developing materials that teachers can use to raise awareness among their colleagues and students. Membership is open to all who are committed to ending homophobia in schools, regardless of sexual orientation or occupation. The GLSTN TOOLBOX is available from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teachers Network World Wide Web Site: http://www.glstn.org/freedom/ In the interest of sharing this information with others, you may copy and redistribute this document provided that all notices remain intact. You may not charge or make a profit from the redistribution of this material. If you have writing which you would like to contribute to The GLSTN TOOLBOX, please contact us by phone at (212) 727-0135 or by e-mail at glstn@glstn.org.