The GSA difference: LGBTQ and ally experiences in high schools with and without gay-straight alliances

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dc.contributor.authorFetner, Tina
dc.contributor.authorElafros, Athena
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-31T18:23:03Z
dc.date.available2017-10-31T18:23:03Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.descriptionSherpa Romeo green journal: open accessen_US
dc.description.abstractWe 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a wide variety of friendships across sexual identities, while students at no-GSA schools felt more isolated and withdrawn.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.en_US
dc.description.peer-reviewYesen_US
dc.identifier.citationFetner, 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/socsci4030563en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/4962
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherMDPIen_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Sociologyen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Sciencesen_US
dc.publisher.institutionMcMaster Universityen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridgeen_US
dc.subjectYouthen_US
dc.subjectGay-straight allianceen_US
dc.subjectEducationen_US
dc.subjectLGBTQen_US
dc.subjectGSAen_US
dc.subject.lcshHigh school students
dc.subject.lcshGay-straight alliances in schools
dc.subject.lcshSexual minorities
dc.subject.lcshHomosexuality and education
dc.subject.lcshHarassment in schools
dc.subject.lcshGay high school students
dc.subject.lcshLesbian high school students
dc.subject.lcshBisexual high school students
dc.subject.lcshTransgender youth--Education
dc.titleThe GSA difference: LGBTQ and ally experiences in high schools with and without gay-straight alliancesen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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