The Action...

Our organizations are student organizations, found primarily in North American high schools and universities, that are intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) youth and their straight allies (LGBTA).

The goal of most, if not all, organizations is to make their school community safe and welcoming to all students regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. They participate in national campaigns to raise awareness, such as the Day of Silence, National Coming Out Day, and No Name Calling Week.

A common misconception among the student body and the parents is that organizations are simply dating services, or places where the "gay kids" can get together. In actuality the diversity of a organization's membership varies widely. Some organizations find that their members are mostly straight, while some memberships are completely gay. Some organizations change their name to place less emphasis on the word "gay," resulting in creative alternatives such as "Project Rainbow," "Pride Alliance," "Common Ground," "Spectrum," or even the "Straight-Gay Alliance." There are continued efforts to make organizations and like prorgrams accepting of a wide range of individuals. The common acronym "LGBT" can include many additional letters including "QQASIP": corresponding to queer, questioning, allied, straight, intersex or pansexual.

-- Gay & Straight united --