The GSA difference: LGBTQ and ally experiences in high schools with and without gay-straight alliances
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Date
2015
Authors
Fetner, Tina
Elafros, Athena
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
We examine the lived experiences of high-school students who participated in
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-centered activism of some kind,
highlighting the promise of gay-straight alliance groups by comparing the experiences of
students at schools with gay-straight alliances (GSA schools) with the experiences of
students at schools that did not have an LGBTQ-specific group (no-GSA schools). We
compare students at GSA and no-GSA schools based on their experiences of harassment,
experiences of support from authority figures, and patterns of friendships. We find that
students at both types of schools experienced harassment and heard negative comments
about lesbian and gay people. However, students at GSA schools reported more support
from teachers and administrators than students at no-GSA schools, who have stories of
teachers and administrators actively opposing equality for LGBTQ people. Students at
GSA schools reported a wide variety of friendships across sexual identities, while students
at no-GSA schools felt more isolated and withdrawn. This much-needed qualitative
comparative analysis of students’ experiences brings a human face to the improved quality
of life that schools with gay-straight alliances can bring to young people.
Description
Sherpa Romeo green journal: open access
Keywords
Youth , Gay-straight alliance , Education , LGBTQ , GSA
Citation
Fetner, T., & Elafros, A. (2015). The GSA difference: LGBTQ and ally experiences in high schools with and without gay-straight alliances. Social Sciences, 4, 563-581. doi:10.3390/socsci4030563