“GSA participation is linked to academic performance (higher grade point average), more school belonging, and feeling safe at school.”
Whether you need to get the word out about your movie night, money so you can send your club officers to a leadership training, or help dealing with an unsupportive school administration, the East Texas GSA Coalition is here to help. We can advertise your event in our newsletter, connect you with community donors, help you put together a fundraising event or speak at your school board meeting to advocate for new policies. If your GSA needs support, shoot us an email or come to one of our meetings, and we'll work out a strategy!
Research shows that GSAs improve the success and well-being of all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We would love for every middle and high school to have a GSA, but unfortunately, that is not yet the case. If you'd like to start a GSA in your school but are facing some obstacles along the way, please reach out to us and we'll either help you overcome those challenges or find someone who can.
Schools often fail to provide adequate support for LGBTQIAP2+ students and information about issues and experiences that are specific to our community. We at the East Texas GSA Coalition hope to correct this lack of information by compiling our own resource guides and by connecting students with professionals who can provide helpful, accurate information about various topics, including advocacy, college, health, and more.
Notifying people about queer community events, facilitating youth attendance at community events, whether it be by providing transportation, funding, or awareness,
Advocating for change by attending school board meetings,
Teaching self-advocacy skills,
Contacting lawmakers about legislation that affects our community,
Supporting individual students however we can,
Inspired by Central Texas GSA Coalition founder Elle Smith, the East Texas GSA Coalition was founded in 2020 by Hannah Cohen and Shah Sultan Velani, both presidents of their schools’ GSA clubs. Realizing that schools that were geographically very close to one another but happened to be in different districts had widely different policies, Hannah and Shah Sultan started looking at what issues were recurring throughout the region. From rampant deadnaming in digital classrooms during COVID and repeated deadnaming in school yearbooks, to advocating for inclusive sex ed and Know Your Rights curriculum, the East Texas GSA Coalition aims to tackle big issues right out of the gate. We hope you’ll join us to create a community of GSAs and other LGBTQ-related organizations across the Houston area to collaborate on projects, combine resources, share best practices, and host events. The Coalition currently has more than 15 member schools and organizations, and we are continuing to grow.
