Student Organizing's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Welcome to Student Organizing's Frequently Asked Questions. Check out some answers to the most commonly asked questions. If you still need more information, and can't find it in our resource section, send an email to studentorganizing@glsen.org.

Index of Questions

About Gay-Straight Alliances
• What's a gay-straight alliance (GSA)?
• How do I start a GSA?
• Why the name "gay-straight alliance?"
• Is a public school legally required to allow a GSA?
• How does a GSA create a safer school?
• Are GSAs about sex?
• Who gets involved in a GSA?
• How common are GSAs?
• Does a GSA stir up controversy and attention?
• How can we get more members to our GSA?
• Ok, so we've started a GSA, now what do we do?

  About Student Organizing

• I registered with Student Organizing but haven't received any mail yet, what's up with that?
• What are the Student Organizing Listservs and how do I subscribe to them?

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What's a gay-straight alliance (GSA)? Why the name "gay-straight alliance?" Is a public school legally required to allow a GSA? How does a GSA create a safer school? Are GSAs about sex? Who gets involved in a GSA? How common are GSAs? Does a GSA stir up controversy and attention?

These questions can be answered by checking out GLSEN and the ACLU's new resource, Common Questions and Answers about Gay-Straight Alliances.

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How do I start a GSA?

Good question, check out the wealth of resources online, listed below. If you still have questions, check out the GSATalk Discussion Listserv.

Resources for starting a GSA

• 10 Steps Towards Starting a GSA
• The GSA Handbook
• The Equal Access Act: What Does It Mean?

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How can we get more members to our GSA?

Check out the resource 10 Cool Tips for Finding New Members.

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Ok, so we've started a GSA, now what do we do?

That's completely up to you and the other members of your GSA. Here's three tips:

1. Check out the GLSEN Workbook for a guide towards accessing your school and what you can do to make it better!
2. Check out the Program Tools under Student Resource Section for ideas and tips towards what hundreds of other GSAs are doing in their schools!
3. Ask hundreds of other youth on the GSATalk Discussion Listserv

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I registered with Student Organizing but haven't received any mail yet, what's up with that?

Currently, due to a change in our mailing systems, we're behind in sending out Welcome Packages. We'll be sending every registered GSA and Individual a new "Welcome - Back to School" mailing in October.

Under normal operation a Welcome Package is sent to each new registrant on the first day of each month, September through June (no mail is sent in July or August). If it's more than 2 weeks after the first of the month (except July or August), we probably have an incorrect or incomplete mailing address for you. Please email us with the date you think you registered, your correct name and your mailing address to studentorganizing@glsen.org, and we'll try to correct the problem.

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What are the Student Organizing Email Listservs and how do I subscribe to them?

The Student Organizing Email Listservs are email lists for which participants can either have discussions or receive announcements and news. Student Organizing's four email listservs include:

• GSATalk - Email discussion list for youth working in GSAs in K-12 schools across the country to discuss and share ideas, resources and information. (student only; 5-20 emails/week - daily digest available)
• AdvisorTalk - Email discussion list for GSA Advisors in K-12 schools acrossthe country to discuss and share ideas, resources and information. (advisor only; 5-20 emails/week - daily digest available)
• Student Organizer - Bi-weekly email newsletters with GSA resources, information, news and more. (both student & advisor; 2-5 emails/month)
• GLSEN Alert - Important announcements & alerts regarding LGBT issues in education. (both student & advisor; 1-2 emails/week)

Subscribing to the listservs Subscription to a listserv is done upon registration with Student Organizing. If you're not yet registered, you can sign up by clicking here. If you've registered in the past, but have a new email address, or never joined in the past, please email your NAME, SCHOOL NAME, NEW EMAIL ADDRESS and a LIST of the Listservs you wish to sign on to studentorganizing@glsen.org

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