1st Edition

Standing Out, Standing Together The Social and Political Impact of Gay-Straight Alliances

By Melinda Miceli Copyright 2006
    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    Just a decade ago, requests by students to establish groups to support gay and lesbian students were rare and generally met with shock and confusion by school administrators and local communities. Today there are more than 1600 gay straight alliances (GSAs) across the country. Standing Out, Standing Together documents the emergence of gay straight alliances in public schools across America - from factors that have contributed to the relatively rapid spread of GSA to those that stirred controversy and posed roadblocks. Using over 10 years of interviews with students, teachers, administrators and political activists; case studies; and local and national media reports, Miceli explores the personal and political stakes involved in the battles over GSAs. Although the book acknowledges and documents the harassment, abuse and problems suffered by many gay, lesbian, transgendered, and bisexual students, its primary focus is on these students as political activists, rather than as passive victims, making it a unique contribution to sociologists, educators, political activists and LGBTreaders alike.

    Introduction THE PERSONAL AND THE POLITICAL; Chapter 1 ONE GAY—STRAIGHT ALLIANCES; Chapter 2 TWO IN THE TRENCHES; Chapter 3 THREE “WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE”; Chapter 4 FOUR A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS; Chapter 5 FIVE CAUGHT IN THE CROSSHAIRS; Chapter 6 SIX MAKING HEADLINES; Chapter 7 SEVEN THE BATTLES CONTINUE; Chapter 8 EIGHT HARNESSING THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL POWER OF THE GSA MOVEMENT; REFERENCES; NOTES; Index;

    Biography

    Melinda Miceli is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Hartford

    'This is the first book to document the history and contemporary social relevance of the GSA movement; it is well written and highly informative and will be of great interest to sociologists, students, teachers and activists.' - Gender and Education