What Is a GSA?

GSA stands for Genders & Sexualities Alliance. GSAs are school clubs in which students can talk and learn about sexual orientation, gender identity, and some of the issues that surround them.

They’re set up just like any other student group, with a faculty advisor and regular meetings. Everyone is welcome—lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students, as well as straight students, students with LGBTQ families, and students who don’t have or need a label for their sexual orientations or gender identities.

GSAs play a vital role in making schools safer for LGBTQ students by providing supportive and accepting spaces as well as doing broader organizing work against homophobia and transphobia in school.

What Do GSAs Do?

There are three common types of GSAs, which all meet the different needs of youth in different types of school climates.

• Social GSAs are generally helpful for youth trying to meet other LGBTQ & Ally students and make friends

• Support GSAs are for students who are trying to create safe spaces to talk about the various issues they face

• Activist GSAs are for those youth who are actively working to improve their school climate.

All of these types of GSAs make school safer for LGBTQ youth. Many GSAs begin as social or support GSAs and over time start to do more activism. It is important to move toward doing more activism because it improves school climate and policies for current youth in the school, as well as affects institutional change for future LGBTQ youth.

-Taken from the National Association of GSA Networks.