An Open Letter to the GLSEN Family

To the GLSEN family:

It has taken more than 24 hours for me to break out of the numbness, blind grief and rage sparked by the racist, terrorist violence that stole nine lives from a church prayer circle in Charleston. How could our society turn a child to such racial hatred by the age of 21? How could we be a place where such an obviously troubled person, with prior involvement with the police, could legally own a gun? How could we fail to respond to the clear mental illness that allows for such alienation from one’s own humanity?

Our thoughts go out to the victims, their loved ones and their communities as we continue to grieve together. This horrific and unspeakable attack on men and women who gathered in peace and faith has presented us with yet another unnecessary reminder of the ways that prejudice and violence continue to warp our society. And of the work that remains for all of us. We may never know what drives a person to have such immense hatred toward another. But we do know that there is a role for each of us to play in putting an end to such violence and the hatred and prejudice that fuels it.

GLSEN’s very mission statement puts these issues front and center for us:

“The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression …. 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 …. forces such as racism and sexism have similarly adverse impacts on communities and we support schools in seeking to redress all such inequities. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes in creating a more vibrant and diverse community.”

We come together as GLSEN in order to clear a path to individual well-being and achievement for every child. To do that we have to clear away the systemic expressions of all kinds of bias, and prejudice, and violence that distort our schools because they warp our society. Because we live in America, our heritage of slavery means that racism is a primary challenge – and Black students a primary target of these inequities.

So much of what we advocate for, and how we approach our work, is shaped by our bedrock commitment to eliminating the damaging forces that shape how our schools function. Sometimes we forget to say so out loud. But we must: Racism in K-12 education is a GLSEN issue. Sexism in K-12 education is a GLSEN issue. Discrimination and stigmatization of students in K-12 schools on the basis of ability, poverty, religion, national origin, native language … these are all GLSEN issues.

They are our issues both because LGBT youth are part of any category you can name, and because discrimination and bias-based violence of any kind strike at our core purpose. The needs of LGBT youth everywhere require us to keep those issues in focus as we work to ensure that every member of every school community is valued and respected, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity.

As parents, teachers, friends, classmates and as a society, we must honor and respect the immense value diversity brings to our world, our lives and our country. We are enriched every day by it. Today, our youngest generation is the most diverse in our country’s history; a fact to be celebrated as a source of pride for all of us. But that gives even greater urgency to our purpose – to ensure that every school is prepared and willing to take each child as they are and provide them with the support and access and opportunity they deserve. Together – students and teachers, friends and family, policymakers and faith leaders – we must redouble our efforts to rid society of violence and hatred. To do that, we must eliminate their toxic impact on the K-12 schools which must serve us all. We owe it to the victims in Charleston and the far too many who came before them. We owe it to one another.

Thank you for doing the very hard work that GLSEN exists to do, and for challenging yourself to be part of the change we must see in the world.