GSA help please!?

Question

I have done a lot of research, so I know that public schools legally have to allow GSAs. The problem is that I go to a very homophobic Catholic high school.

Is there any legal help for my situation, or do I need to further compromise my position?

Fyi, I'm not being harrassed, but there is a ton of namecalling, slurs, and generally homophobic attitudes. Now I know that I can not make the theology teachers stop teaching that the RCC says homosexual activity is gravely disordered, but can I at least get my principal to ok a group?

I fear that there is nothing I can do, as far as legal backup... like it's just one or two of us who care against five hundred people who don't give a rip. Please help.

Thank you all for your help/support, but I've done that already. I've been talking to the administration all year and already given them suitable sets of information on what we're going to do. The only person that is getting in the way is my homophobic principal... only he can give the permission for the group, and only he thinks it's a sinful idea. There appears to be nothing I can do legally.

Answer 1

wow, if your going to start a GSA you're going to have to put up a big fight for it, especially in a Catholic school. When we started our GSA, we had to get a certain number of people to sign a petition, they're not neceserily signing to join, but so that there is a place they can go to where they wont be harrassed or left out, whether their gay or straight. Do you have any gay friends? Get as many gay or gay accepting friends to back you up, the more people you have the better. Also, your going to need a teacher to supervise, maybe one you're really close to or one who is open to all beliefs and lifestyles.

You're gonna have to prove to the principle or whoever you tak to to get it started, that this club is going to make a positive difference.

When you get it started, put up posters everywhere explaining what it is and what days you have it on. Try to get an equal amount of students from each grade level. this is where my GSA went wrong, most of the people who joined the club where my friends, who are all Seniors, now no one goes to it anymore because we have to focus on graduation, which sucks because i dont know if there will be one in the future.

It wasn't even a week since the GSA had started when a very religious and anti- gay student decided to create some sort of competition and open a Bible Study Group. This student would pretend that he was interested in gays and came to our first 2 weeks of GSA meetings, (because everything we say in GSA is confidentail, so that closeted gays dont get outed) he began to tell everyone what type of things we talked about and ended up using it against us in his group. So what I'm trying to say is that there are going to be many people who will try to end your group and at first there may be no one showing up because people are scared to admit in a Catholic school that they are gay.

The only way to get people to come and support is to educated them, maybe talk to the principle or a gay friendly teacher who can convince the staff to have an assebly or mayube talk to their students in class about the club and it's purpose.

you said you get harrassed a lot, so try not to let everyone know that you're the one who is trying to start a gay straight alliance, keep all members of the club confidential.

Good luck

Answer 2

You may want to consider getting the group together outside of school first. Start with the kids you know will be interested and let them invite potential members.
If your school is allowing bullying it is putting itself in line for legal trouble. Even Catholic schools realize this. They allow it to happen as long as no one makes a stink. Document actual incidents, name calling, teasing etc. Check with Lambda Legal or one of the other legal society for LGBT rights.
You are not just doing this for yourself but also for your little brothers and sisters who will come to this same school.
I wish you much success!

Answer 3

Don't know what a GSA is, but I'd suggest you talk to a priest.

God bless.