• From the U.S. Department of Education:
  • “Dear Colleague” letter (Oct. 2010): This letter “concern[s] [funding] recipients’ obligations to protect students from student-on-student harassment on the basis of sex; race, color and national origin; and disability. The letter clarifies the relationship between bullying and discriminatory harassment, provides examples of harassment, and illustrates how a school should respond in each case.” The letter includes information on harassment of LGBT students. (See especially pages 7-8.) An additional 2010 letter is available here. This second letter provides a link to a Word document entitled “Anti-Bullying Policies: Examples of Provisions in State Laws.”
  • “Dear Colleague” letter (Dec. 2010): This letter explains that the Department of Education “has prepared [a] summary of examples that illustrate how some states have tried to prevent and reduce bullying through legislation. States and local school districts can use these examples as technical assistance in drafting effective anti-bullying laws, regulations, and policies.” Click here for the summary of examples prepared by the Department.
  • “Dear Colleague” letter (April 2011): “The letter provides guidance and examples about Title IX requirements and how they relate to sexual harassment and sexual violence, discusses proactive efforts schools can take to prevent sexual violence and educate employees and students, and provides examples of the types of remedies schools and OCR may use to respond to sexual violence.”
  • Analysis of State Bullying Laws and Policies (Dec. 2011).
  • Sexual Harassment: It’s Not Academic (Sept. 2008): “This pamphlet addresses issues of sexual harassment of students by school employees, other students, and non-employee third parties. It is intended for use by school administrators and other employees in understanding a school’s obligations under Title IX, and by students and their parents in understanding student rights in this area. The pamphlet answers questions about sexual harassment, including how to recognize, respond to, and prevent sexual harassment. It also provides information about how to file a complaint with OCR.”
  • Click here for additional resources from the U.S. Department of Education.
• From the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU):
  • Preventing Harassment and Protecting Free Speech in School: “Some opponents of safe schools policies argue that anti-harassment policies restrict students’ free speech. This piece explains how it’s possible to adopt policies that adequately address harassment and protect free speech.”
  • Letter to School Officials About Addressing Anti-LGBT Bullying: “An open letter to school administrators about why they are legally obligated to protect students from anti-LGBT bullying. You can print this out and give a copy to your school.”
• From the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network:
  • States with Safe Schools Laws

• The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) offers numerous resources on bullying for schools and school professionals, including the following:
  • Four Steps Schools Can Take to Address Anti-LGBT Bullying and Harassment
  • Featured Lesson Plan: Building a Bully-Free Building
  • Safe Space Kit: Guide to Being an Ally to LGBT Students
  • ThinkB4YouSpeak: Educator’s Guide for Discussing and Addressing Anti-Gay Language Among Teens

• The federal government provides information about LGBT youth and bullying on its Stop Bullying website.

• From the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU):
  • Making Schools Safe: “This model training workshop for teachers and administrators is designed for ACLU affiliate offices and other organizations that want to put on trainings to help school districts to combat harassment early–before they wind up facing litigation.”

• Ally Week page from the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
• Description from GLSEN: “Ally Week is a week for students to identify, support and celebrate Allies against anti-LGBT … language, bullying and harassment in America’s schools.”
• GLSEN’s Ally Week Pledge
• GLSEN’s Ally Week Resources:
  • Ally Week Action Instructions
  • Printable pledge form
  • Printable pledge cards
  • Ally Week Organizing Manual
  • 10 Things You Can Do for Ally Week
  • Ally 101 Workshop Guide
  • Be an Ally to Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students
  • Sample letter to administrators
  • Thank You Card to send to allies

The Day of Silence is April 19, 2013!

If you miss it in 2013, don’t worry: it’s an annual event. Check back here again in early 2014 for details.

• Description from GLSEN: “The National Day of Silence is a day of action in which students across the country vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools.”
• Click here for the Day of Silence website (www.dayofsilence.org) from the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
• Resources from the Day of Silence website include:
  • An Activity Guide
  • An Organizing Outline
  • Information on Breaking the Silence
  • Information on Organizing the Countdown
  • Advice for Addressing the Resistance (disponible en español aquí).
  • Tips for the Last-minute Organizer
  • Speaking Cards (in English) (y en español)
  • Stickers (Color)
  • Stickers (Black & White)
  • A sample poster
  • A sample pledge
  • A sample letter from the American Civil Liberties Union to school administrators about students’ right to participate in the day of silence
  • The Freedom to Speak (Or Not) (Legal information from Lambda Legal)
  • Information for Educators and Families

• Posts from LGBT Youth Allies About the 2013 Day of Silence:
  • The Day of Silence is this April 19th!
  • Partial Victory for Student in Lambda Legal’s Day of Silence Lawsuit
  • An Email Trail of Constitutional Violations in the Day of Silence Lawsuit
  • Five Terrible Ways to Respond to Threats of a Day of Silence Walkout
  • GLSEN Video Responds to Linda Harvey’s Hateful Claims About the Day of Silence

Day of Silence Videos!

• International Transgender Day of Remembrance website

• Description: “The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the ‘Remembering Our Dead’ web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999.” More information here.

• More information about the International Transgender Day of Remembrance:
  • from HRC
  • from GLAD
  • on Facebook

• Spirit Day page from the GLAD
• Description from GLAD: Spirit Day is “[a]n annual day in October when millions of Americans wear purple to speak out against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth.”

• Students’ right to form a GSA at a public school is protected, with certain conditions, by the federal Equal Access Act, the First Amendment, and some state laws. The text of the Equal Access Act is here.
• Information from the U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov):
  • A “Dear Colleague” letter (2011) on gay-straight alliances and the Equal Access Act. The letter provides a link to a document entitled “Legal Guidelines Regarding the Equal Access Act and the Recognition of Student-Led Noncurricular Groups.”
• Resources from Lambda Legal:
  • The toolkit Out, Safe & Respected includes a chapter called So You Wanna Start a GSA.
  • The toolkit Out, Safe & Respected for Educators and Parents includes a chapter called Supporting Students in Starting Gay-Straight Alliances.
• The GSA Network has a legal resources page with additional information.
• Resources from the American Civil Liberties Union:
  • Letter to School Officials Regarding Gay/Straight Alliances: “An open letter to school administrators about why they must allow students to form GSA’s.” The ACLU’s site says “You can print this out and give a copy to your school when you turn in your application to start your club.”
  • Gay/Straight Clubs Formed by Public School Students: Why School Officials Need to Treat Them Equally: “Detailed information from the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights about what the law says about GSA’s.”
• The ACLU of Washington has a document called Frequently Asked Questions About the Equal Access Act.

• The resources from Lambda Legal in the “Legal Issues” sub-section above (So You Wanna Start a GSA and Supporting Students in Starting Gay-Straight Alliances) have tips on logistics for forming GSAs, in additional to legal information.
• GLSEN has a page about GSAs with links to various resources, including The GLSEN Jump-Start Guide for Gay-Straight Alliances and a GSA census page where you can register your GSA.
• The ACLU provides several resources, including the following:
  • “How to Start a Gay-Straight Alliance” video
  • Tips on Starting a GSA
  • “Get Busy, Get Equal: Start a Gay-Straight Alliance”: “A how-to guide on starting a GSA at your school.”

• Growing Up LGBT in America from the Human Rights Campaign. You can directly access a PDF of the report’s Key Findings at this link.
• 2011 National School Climate Survey from the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN): “The 2011 survey demonstrates a continued decline in anti-LGBT language over the years, and for the first time the 2011 survey shows a significant decrease in victimization based on sexual orientation. The survey has also consistently indicated that a safer school climate directly relates to the availability of LGBT school-based resources and support, including Gay-Straight Alliances, inclusive curriculum, supportive school staff and comprehensive anti-bullying policies. The 2011 survey had 8,584 student respondents from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”
• 2009 National School Climate Survey from GLSEN. The survey found, for example, that during 2009, “nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students (84.6%) experienced harassment at school in the previous year.”

• Information from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS):
  • Questions and Answers: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth Issues
  • At Risk and Ignored: The Reality for LGBTQ Youth in Schools
• Information from the American Psychological Association:
  • Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation and Youth (Sólo los hechos sobre la orientación sexual) (endorsed my multiple organizations)
• Information from Advocates for Youth:
  • Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (GLBTQ) Youth: A population in need of understanding and support (2010).

• Multiple organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have endorsed the resource Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators, and School Personnel. The document contains basic information about the harms of so-called “reparative” or “conversion” therapy, i.e., therapy aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation from gay or bisexual to heterosexual. (En español aquí.)
• The Human Rights Campaign has published The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity, which contains links to additional resources, including statements from various medical and mental-health groups.
• The American Psychological Association has published the Report of the American Psychological Association Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation.
• The organization Truth Wins Out offers news coverage and resources about “ex-gay” therapies and related topics. Many of its resources are available through this page.

• Know Your Rights! A Quick Guide for LGBT High School Students from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

• Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Justice: A Comparative Law Casebook (2011)
• The Yogyakarta Principles: Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (2007)
• Joint Briefing Paper on “Homosexual Propaganda” Bans in Eastern Europe (International Commission of Jurists and ILGA 2012)
• United Nations Documents:
  • Human Rights Council Resolution 17/19 on human rights with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity (2011)
  • Report: Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and  gender identity (2011)
  • Born Free and Equal: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in International Human Rights Law (2012)

• From Lambda Legal:
  • Getting Down to Basics: “This tool kit provides guidance to child welfare and other professionals on an array of issues affecting LGBTQ youth in out-of-home care.
  • “Recommended Practices To Promote the Safety and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth and Youth at Risk of or Living with HIV in Child Welfare Settings” (published with the Child Welfare League of America).
  • Moving the Margins: “Curriculum for child welfare services with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth in out-of-home care.”

• What We Wish We Had Known (“The Blue Book”): Breaking the Silence, Moving Toward Understanding from the Presbyterian Church of Mt. Kisco. The Blue Book provides information in a sensitive and accessible way to anyone (like parents, families, friends) with LGBT loved ones. It is also likely to be of great interest to LGBT people themselves, including youth. It covers LGBT issues from a religious perspective, but also from other perspectives, such as psychological and legal perspectives.
  • Haga clic aquí para ver este recurso (El Libro Azul) en español.
• A La Familia: A Conversation About Our Families, the Bible, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (2011), a bilingual guide for addressing LGBT inclusion in Catholic and Protestant Latino families and congregations, from the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and UNID@S, and the National Latina/o LGBT Human Rights Organization.

• Sexual orientation and Homosexuality: Answers to Your Questions for a Better Understanding. (In Spanish, Orientación sexual y homosexualidad).
• Answers to Your Questions About Transgender People, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression.

Lambda Legal and the Child Welfare League of America together published Getting Down to Basics. Though the toolkit overall is geared toward child welfare professionals, certain sections provide a general overview of LGBTQ issues accessible to a wide audience, including non-professionals and including LGBT youth themselves. See, for example, this section on Basic Facts About Being LGBTQ.

Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) provides numerous resources, including:

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About LGBT People
• PFLAG Story Center
• What do these words mean? (Definitions of common terms)
• Resources and Links

What We Wish We Had Known (“The Blue Book”): Breaking the Silence, Moving Toward Understanding (2007) is a question-and-answer-style booklet addressing a broad array of issues regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, and homophobia. (Haga clic aquí para ver este recurso en español.) Though published by a Presbyterian church, the resource addresses most questions from a completely secular standpoint, with quotations from and citations to a broad range of authors and organizations.

The Bluebook also answers frequently asked questions about Christianity and homosexuality.