On Wednesday, a new international effort to combat racism and intolerance in schools was launched at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the full backing of the U.S. government. The effort, “Teaching Respect for All,” is designed to develop curriculum for use across the globe to promote tolerance and respect for all people. Importantly, the effort will allow countries to adept the curriculum for different contexts and needs.

According to the State Department, part of the focus initially will involve a review of existing curricula, legislation, and policies that include a component on education for respect and tolerance, as well as identifying best practices in the field.

Last September, the ACLU wrote to UNESCO on the problem of homophobic discrimination and harassment in U.S. public schools. In our comments, we offered a model federal legislative solution that would address this problem — the Student Non-Discrimination Act. This legislation would have a profound impact in improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in the U.S. by ensuring that discrimination and harassment of students on the basis of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity has no place in our country’s public elementary and secondary schools.

This is particularly important because of the fact that no federal law expressly protects students on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Federal laws currently protect students on the basis of their race, color, sex, religion, disability and national origin.

Hopefully, as the “Teaching Respect for All” effort gets underway and best practices are developed, the Student Non-Discrimination Act will come to be seen as one of the most important steps the U.S. could take in this area, as well as serve as a best practice for other countries to follow. Teaching respect and demanding non-discrimination in schools are complementary goals that are mutually reinforcing. Please stand with the ACLU in support of LGBT students by urging your members of Congress to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act today.

In addition, join the discussion on Twitter regarding “Teaching Respect for All” and how best to address issues of intolerance and discrimination in schools by using the hashtag #dignity4all, weighing in with @StateDept, @USUNESCO, @UNESCOUSA, @Democracyis, and @Americagov.

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On Thursday, subscribers to the conservative Weekly Standard received an email fundraising pitch from the president of a fringe anti-gay organization, Public Advocate of the United States, which directed tremendous venom at the Student Non-Discrimination Act, labeling it the “Homosexual Classrooms Act.” The email, first reported by Justin Elliott writing on Salon.com, opens with the following outrageous and hate-filled accusation, which would be laughable if it were not so deeply offensive:

Radical homosexuals have infiltrated Congress and want to indoctrinate children and eliminate traditional values from America while creating a society based on sexual promiscuity.

Because the ACLU has been a longtime champion of the Student Non-Discrimination Act and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, we could not allow the vicious anti-gay misinformation in this fundraising email to go unchallenged. After all, one of the brilliant aspects of the First Amendment is the ability to fight hateful and misleading speech with a counter response.

The Student Non-Discrimination Act, which is currently pending in both chambers of Congress, would have a profound impact in improving the lives of LGBT students in the U.S. by ensuring that discrimination and harassment of students on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity has no place in our country’s public elementary and secondary schools. This is a goal that should, and does, transcend party affiliation and ideology.

The email goes on to list what it labels a “laundry list of anti-family provisions.” The problem of course is that nothing on their list is actually true. For example, the email claims that the legislation would force a pro-LGBT curriculum on private and religious schools. Well, guess what? The Student Non-Discrimination Act only applies to public K-12 schools nationwide. In addition, the legislation specifically includes language restating the legal right of students to form extracurricular Bible clubs in public schools.

About the only thing this email gets right are the very impressive cosponsorship counts both bills currently have – 34 in the Senate and 150 in the House. Perhaps it is this support, made possible in no small way by the advocacy of tens of thousands of ACLU members and activists across the country, which has the anti-gay fringe so worried.

If groups like Public Advocate of the United States think they’ll be able to defeat the Student Non-Discrimination Act using misrepresentations and the language of hate, well, I think they have already lost. I take comfort in knowing that the vast majority of Americans would find the language in this fundraising pitch to be offensive in the extreme and utterly repugnant. While this fringe anti-gay fundraising pitch contains nothing but misinformation, the problems facing LGBT students in our nation’s schools are all too real. Discrimination, harassment, and even physical abuse, are often part of LGBT students’ daily lives at school. A 2009 study of more than 7,000 LGBT middle and high school students across the U.S. found that nine out of ten reported experiencing harassment at their school within the past year based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and two-thirds said they felt unsafe at school because of who they are. Nearly one-third skipped at least one day of school within the previous month because of concerns for their safety. LGBT youth are also at a significantly increased risk for suicide related to mental health issues that often arise from poor treatment and discrimination in schools.

Please stand with the ACLU in rejecting anti-gay hate and misinformation and urge your members of Congress to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act.

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Michigan is a microcosm of the nation’s current economic crisis: a shrinking job base and an education system that is failing its youth. As the presidential candidates wind through Michigan this campaign season, like they did last week for a national debate on the economy, we hope they focus on ways to ensure that more students graduate with high school diplomas. We need every eligible high school graduate to attend college and help build the American economic engine with highly skilled labor and entrepreneurial know-how.

One step they could take is to support the bipartisan DREAM Act, which fulfills the promise of the "American Dream" and lives up to our Constitutional ideals by opening up the path to higher education and military service, regardless of immigration status, for every child.

Our economic and national security depends on legislation grounded in the Constitution and the principles of equality and opportunity. The DREAM Act will let new generations of Americans enter our workforce and serve our country. It will channel young immigrants into the nation’s universities so they can contribute to our manufacturing base, make sure America is competitive in the new global economy and build a strong military. In fact, the DREAM Act is among the Defense Department’s top strategic goals in order to maintain mission-ready, all-volunteer armed forces.

Passage of the DREAM Act will help take Michigan and the nation into the future, which is what Election 2012 is supposed to be all about. Let’s hope the candidates help take us there.

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Imagine if there were a group of students more likely than their peers to be depressed. Imagine if they were more likely to be bullied, to get low grades, to be suicidal. Imagine if they were ultimately more likely to be victims of violence.

For young people who are harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, these things aren’t hard to imagine. That’s because they’re unfortunate daily realities for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students — and for straight or gender-conforming students who are perceived as LGBT. When school days are spent hearing homophobic slurs or avoiding transphobic bullying, it’s hard to study, to make friends, to be happy, or even to feel safe. It’s even harder when you’re trying to do it all alone.

Now imagine there’s a way to help those students.

That’s where Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) come in. GSAs are school clubs that aim to create safe and supportive environments for students to learn about homophobia, transphobia, and other types of oppression and prejudice. They are places to have important discussions, to make friends, and to get support from peers. They can help educate the school community — even people who aren’t in the club — about issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity. And they can help fight the discrimination, harassment, and violence that plague so many students.

Research has shown that students at schools with GSAs experience less harassment and are more likely to feel safe — which makes every day a whole lot easier. That’s why we at the ACLU are such big fans. And that’s why we’ve put together this step-by-step video on how to start a GSA! It guides you through five steps for starting a GSA, from explaining why you want a club to things to do when you start meeting.

The Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), has registered over 4,000 GSAs across the country and in every state in the U.S., so chances are everything will go smoothly! But if you’re worried that your school administration won’t be supportive, it’s particularly important to make sure you follow the steps laid out here. These tips will make it easier for the ACLU to support you if you need our help.  And we have lots of additional resources on our website that may be helpful too.  We’re here to support you through every step of starting a GSA - before you start, when you’re putting up posters, if you run into opposition, and during your meetings.

No one should be bullied. Starting a GSA helps ensure that everyone feels safe at school. It might sound like a big project, but it’s a hugely important one — and if you have any questions or just want to get some general advice about starting a GSA at your school, please contact us. You don’t have to do it alone!

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