Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) are formed and led by students who see them as a group that provides a safe place to meet as well as addresses issues of discrimination, tolerance, and school safety.

The Equal Access Act, which was passed by Congress in 1984, provides that high schools that receive federal funding and allow at least one after-school club to meet and use the school’s facilities may not deny any student club the same treatment based on the content of what they want to discuss.

The Act states,

It shall be unlawful for any public secondary school which receives
Federal financial assistance and which has a limited open forum to deny
equal access or a fair opportunity to, or discriminate against, any
students who wish to conduct a meeting within that limited open forum on
the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content
of the speech at such meetings.   20 U.S.C. 4071(a)

A high school has a limited open forum when “such school grants an offering to or opportunity for one or more noncurriculum related student groups to meet on school premises during noninstructional time.”  20 U.S. 4071(b).

A “noncurriculum-related club has been defined by the United States Supreme Court as a club “that does not directly relate to the body of courses offered by the school.”   Board of Educ. of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226, 239 (1990).  Such clubs would include a chess club and a community service club.   Examples of curriculum-related clubs include language clubs such as the German Club, Math Club or Psychology Club.

According to its website, the mission of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance is “to promote safety, support and healthy development for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, in Illinois schools and communities, through advocacy, education, youth organizing and research.” The Alliance’s website is www.illinoissafeschools.org. They also have information on the social networking site, MySpace.

In the Peoria area, the Heartland Safe Schools Initiative (HSSI) works with concerned citizens and organizations to address the safety and welfare of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in local schools. For more information, email heartlandsafeschools@gmail.com.

The Bloomington/Normal-based Central Illinois Safe School Alliance (CISSA) is a coalition of local youth, parents, educators and others that seek to end the bullying of students in schools because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. CISSA works to “increase the awareness of administrators, faculty and staff, students, parents, and the community about the negative social, emotional, and academic consequences of anti-gay bullying and provide programs designed to prevent bullying of students based upon actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.” For more information, email cissa.bn@gmail.com.

Several Illinois high schools have Gay Straight Alliances, which are student-formed groups that address issues of discrimination, tolerance, and school safety. For more information, contact the Gay Straight Alliance at www.gaystraightalliance.org.