YOU, Your GSA, and National Coming Out Day: Sunday October 11, 2009! An opportunity for EVERYONE to come out as ALLIES!

Coming out - declaring to yourself, your parents, your friends, your school, and/or the world that you're Gay, or Lesbian, or Bisexual, or Transgender, or Questioning, is a BIG deal.

And there are lots of great resources* to help those working through that process come out - and as I said here, it is a process.

But a Gay-Straight Alliance Club holds (among many others) a unique position in a school setting - and that's as a resource to help EVERYONE ELSE come out as an ALLY.

ALLIES are where the real leverage for change comes from. It's always when people are brave enough to speak up against injustice when it's not solely THEIR rights at risk that tectonic shifts in the culture happen. Sure, the affected minority has to stand up. But ALLIES standing with them change the numbers. Suddenly, the minority who are being disenfranchised have more weight. More power. More respect.

Allies give us traction on the road to equality.

So, let's use our GSA meetings this week to put out a call for Allies. Ask people to stand up and say they believe in equal rights and safe schools for GLBTQ people.

Maybe plan some event, or create some petition, where Allies - students, teachers, librarians, faculty, parents, EVERYONE - can stand up and say,

"YES! I believe in equal rights for Gay people."

And hey, if you're ready to come out, and you're Gay (GLBTQ), know that you're not alone. You've got a whole vast community cheering you on.

And look - you have all those Allies, too!

Namaste,
Lee

*Look through the "Coming Out? Check Out" section in the right hand column of this blog for some wonderful resources, essays, and inspiration!