Introduction xvii middle-class white boys it encompasses all genders, cultures, ethnicities, racial groups, and more. Although social media facilitates bullying and follows youths from the schoolyard into the home with e-mail, tweets, and more, the Internet does provide the opportunity for LGBT adolescents to escape bullies and to learn more about their emerging identity. The many resources for LGBT youths on the Internet can facilitate online friendships that help with the isolation and confusion even long-distance friendships with other LGBT youths are possible. A groundswell of interest concerning the relationship between bully- ing, suicide, and school dynamics has influenced many school districts to implement some level of antibullying effort. Other efforts such as the Tre- vor Project and the It Gets Better Project have helped many adolescents to understand their situation, have hope, seek help, and not attempt suicide. But there is much more to do. One of the major stressors for LGBT youths is fundamentalist families that try to “convert” their child to heterosexual- ity. Beginning with California, a number of states have passed legislation banning any attempt to subject adolescents to sexual orientation change therapy. It is expected that more states will take up this call to protect chil- dren and adolescents from this harmful practice. **** In her essay “Creating Safe Schools: Clubs, Curriculum, and School-Based Inclusion for LGBTQ+ Youths,” Sarah R. Young of the University of Ala- bama describes in greater detail what schools could do to make schools safe for all students. It is clear from the literature that adolescents are iden- tifying as LGBT at earlier ages and that bullying is a major concern in K–12 education. The focus of Young’s essay is to review what programs in public schools are effective at reducing bullying and harassment. Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs began to proliferate nationally in the 1990s, mostly in large metropolitan areas. In some cases GSA clubs were accepted through court actions to provide equal access to all student pro- grams. The Equal Access Act of 1984 requires schools to be unbiased in support of extracurricular activity. If, for example, an after-school Chris- tian prayer club is allowed to form and function on school property, then LGBTQ kids have the same right to organize on campus. Besides provid- ing educational meetings and social gatherings, many of these clubs par- ticipate in their local pride parade, host LGBTQ-themed movie nights, or conduct letter-writing campaigns to their legislator.
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