Start a Gay-Straight Alliance

Gay-Straight Alliances, or GSAs, are student-led and student-organized school clubs that aim to create a safe, welcoming, and accepting school environment for all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. GSAs provide a supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, as well as those who are perceived by others to be LGBT, are questioning their identity, have LGBT friends or family members, or just care about LGBT issues.

GSAs help students work towards making schools safer for all students through providing support, educating others in their school about LGBT issues, and engaging in political activities like Day of Silence ). GSAs also allow LGBT and straight students to cooperatively address issues that affect all students, including harassment, discrimination, and bias based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Like any club, what a GSA does is up to its members―like pitching in on community service projects and getting together for social activities.

While school administrators sometimes balk at allowing students to start GSAs, federal law guarantees that students have the right to do so. There are two types of clubs in public high schools: curricular clubs (those that relate directly to things that are taught in the school, like Math Club), and non-curricular clubs (those that don't relate directly to things that are taught in the school, such as Key Club). The federal Equal Access Act says that if a public high school allows students to form non-curricular clubs at all, then it must allow students to form any non-curricular club they want, and the school must treat all non-curricular clubs equally. If you're trying to start a GSA at your school and you encounter resistance, or if your school places limitations on what the GSA can do that it doesn't place on other clubs, keep reading for tips on what to do and how to contact us for assistance.

Here are the basic steps to starting a GSA at your school. Depending on where you live and what your school is like, chances are you'll be able to start your GSA with no problems — after all, thousands of GSA's already exist across the United States. Sometimes, though, administrators, parents, or other students try to stand in the way of GSA's. Just in case that happens at your school, we're including information on how to handle opposition.

A Gleeful Thought About School Clubs

“My two gay dads have a very close relationship with our local branch of the ACLU!”

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Common Arguments Against GSAs...And Why They're Wrong

Below you'll find a few of the arguments commonly used against GSAs, and explanations of why those arguments are wrong.

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Start Meeting!

If your school turns you down or tries to place restrictions on you that it doesn't place on other clubs, you should contact the ACLU for help.

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Prepare and Turn In Any Necessary Paperwork

Make sure you follow the rules thoroughly and correctly. This is a good time to address any concerns or arguments your administrator may have brought up earlier (check out "Common arguments against GSA's - and why they're wrong" if you need to do this). Keep dated copies of any forms or other paperwork you have to turn in for your club application, and keep notes on when and to whom you turned them in to as well as any conversations you have with school officials about starting the club. If your school gives you any trouble later on down the line about starting your GSA, then at least they won't be able to say they're doing it because you didn't sign a required form or made some other mistake with your application.

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Inform the Administration of Your Plans

Talk to your school principal or assistant principal and let him or her know that you plan to start a GSA. A supportive administrator can really help you move things along, and if he or she isn't supportive, then at least you'll know where he or she stands. If he or she tries to tell you that a GSA won't be allowed, ask why so that you can prepare yourself to address his or her concerns and tell him or her that preventing a GSA from forming is against the law under the federal Equal Access Act. You can take the time to respond to your administrator's arguments against forming a GSA in the next step.

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Find a Faculty Advisor or Sponsor

Almost all schools require that clubs have faculty advisors or sponsors. And even if your school doesn't require one, it's a good idea to have one. Ask a teacher (or, if your school allows them to be club advisors, a staff member like a counselor or librarian) who has shown herself or himself to be supportive of LGBT students to be the advisor or sponsor for your GSA. Your faculty advisor can help with things like writing a constitution and explaining why you want to start a GSA to others. Keep in mind that if your school isn't very friendly to the idea of a GSA, some teachers who want to help may be more comfortable doing so in a more behind-the-scenes way.

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Find Out Your School's Rules for Setting Up a Club

Starting a GSA is just like starting any other school club. Get a copy of your student handbook, and look up your school's requirements for student organizations so that you can be sure to follow the rules carefully. Some of the things you may have to do are find a faculty advisor or write a constitution or mission statement.

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Know Your Justification for Starting a GSA

Some of the people you have to talk to along the way may ask you why you want to start a GSA. That's not a bad question to ask yourself. Under the law, you don't have to have a reason to start a non-curricular club, but it's important to be able to rationally explain your reasons for wanting a GSA to people who oppose your or just want to know more about what you're doing. Is anti-gay harassment a problem at your school? Are there LGBT students or allies who want a safe, supportive space?

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