GLSEN New Jersey
GLSEN New Jersey is made up of three regional chapters: GLSEN Northern NJ, GLSEN Central NJ & GLSEN Southern NJ. Collectively, GLSEN NJ believes that every student has a right to a safe, supportive, and LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 education.
Each GLSEN NJ chapter, guided by four pillars, works throughout the year to make this right a reality. The four pillars can be found below.
To learn more about each GLSEN NJ chapter, click on the logos
at the bottom of the page.
Develop Supportive Educators
Supportive educators save students’ lives. Just one visibly supportive educator in a school can help LGBTQ students feel safer and more seen. Educators can advocate on LGBTQ students’ behalf to school administration, and can also directly implement LGBTQ content in class curriculum, address anti-LGBTQ bullying or harassment, and serve as advisors for students to formally organize supportive groups at school. For many students, having adult allies in school to whom they can turn for support — or even simply knowing that LGBTQ allies exist at their school — creates a more welcoming and safe environment for students to learn.
Comprehensive Policies
Passing and implementing comprehensive policies around key issues for LGBTQ students is crucial to ensuring that LGBTQ students can learn and grow in a supportive environment. Over the years, GLSEN NJ chapters have been at the forefront of efforts including:
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Harassment, bullying, and non-discrimination policies
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Policies for facilities accessibility for trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary students
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Policies affirming trans and gender non-conforming students’ participation in athletics
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The adoption of the LGBTQ-Inclusive Curriculum Legislation. For more information on this law, click here.
Inclusive Curriculum
GLSEN NJ chapters were at the forefront of the effort to pass legislation requiring Boards of Education to include instruction, and adopt instructional materials, that accurately portray political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
Curriculum serves as a mirror when it reflects individuals and their experiences back to themselves. At the same time, curriculum serves as a window when it introduces and provides the opportunity to understand the experiences and perspectives of those who possess different identities. Having LGBTQ-inclusive mirrors and windows in school curriculum can help create a more positive environment and healthy self-awareness for LGBTQ students, while raising the awareness of everyone.
Support Student GSAs
GSA Advisors create environments that promote the safety, affirmation, and inclusion of all students and foster a culture of respect and care that extends throughout the school community. Advisors serve as allies and advocates to LGBTQ+ students while cultivating a platform for student voice, agency, support, community and activism so student-led GSAs can work towards educational justice for all.grow in a supportive environment.
If you are interested in starting a GSA at your school, please reach out to one of the GLSEN NJ chapters.
