Your votes have been tallied and the results are in! Our statewide project will be a..... *drum roll*

Texas Queer Youth Zine

Now accepting your submissions for this statewide queer (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, allied, intersex, pansexual, label-less, etc.) youth zine.

Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For more information, go to www.texasqueeryouthzine.weebly.com the Texas Queer Youth Zine website!

What is a zine?

A zine is a do-it-ourselves,publication. It is an independently published pamphlet or booklet that is used to spread ideas, messages, and voices. It is what we make it!

Check out this link for more info on zines: http://grrrlzines.net/about.htm,

Why are we making a Texas Queer Youth Zine?

• To create a mosaic vision of what WE want Texas to be for queer youth
• To share the changes we want to see in our schools and communities
• To create a platform for queer youth around the state to connect, unite, share experiences, combat isolation, and exchange activist tools and resources
• To compile and amplify the voices and stories of Texas' amazing queer youth, and increase visibility of the diversity within our communities

Who should submit?

If you identify as queer, questioning, trans, genderqueer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, allied, or anything in between, and you are a youth in Texas, make your voice heard!

If you are a part of a high school or middle school GSA club, your club can submit something together, or you can submit something as a member of your club.

We welcome all of the experiences and identities that exist within Texas' queer youth communities, especially voices of queer youth of color, trans and gender-nonconforming youth, queer youth with disabilities, queer immigrant youth, and queer youth from low-income backgrounds.

What should we submit?

Zines are free-form publications. They include everything from collage to poetry, cartoons to rants, how to's to manifestos, stories to chants to.... whatever you can dream up. Tell us something about you, about your community, or about making change. Share tools, ideas, visions that will be useful to other youth. Express yourself in whatever way feels most powerful or real to you!

We'll even be accepting audio, to publish in an online version -- so feel free to send your voice along, too.

Where do we send our submissions?

By email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or by snail mail to Texas GSA Network, Re: Zine, 909 E. 49 1/2 Street, Austin, TX 78751.

Include the following information:

• Your name (if you don't feel comfortable publishing your name, let us know if there is another name you would like your submission published under or if you would like it published anonymously)
• Your age
• Your hometown
• Your mailing address (only if its safe for us to send a final copy of the zine there)

• If you are in a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance or Gender & Sexuality Alliance club), what is the name of your school?
• One place in your town or city where you would like to see the zine distributed, once it is finished (think coffee shops, bookstores, art spaces, youth spaces, community centers).

PLEASE SEND IN YOUR SUBMISSIONS BY FEBRUARY 15, 2012

For more information, go to www.texasqueeryouthzine.weebly.com!

Missing Camp? No worries! The Texas QSA Network staff will be reporting back on the activities through out the Queer Youth Activism Camp each day! That means every evening, between tonight (Saturday) and Monday, we will be posting blogs on the workshops lead by our fabulous trainers and experiences of our bad ass campers. Also, we will be live streaming workshops through out each day. To watch the live stream visit the following link: http://www.ustream.tv/user/txgsan/shows

*Photos and footage to be posted soon

*For more information on workshop material or if you have any additional queeries, email Gabi Padilla (Programs Director): This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

DAY 3 - Queer Youth Activism Camp

Today was a dynamic and exciting time to be a queer youth activist. Today our campers and facilitators spent time diving into topics such as class inequality, queer people of color, coalition building and more. Each workshop provided campers with the history, resources, and strategy building that will help equip their clubs and transform their schools (and world)!!! From Audre Lorde to club goals to the awful realities of capitalism, these incredible queer and allied youth engaged in critical thinking and identity theory dialogue in a (rather successful) effort to recognize the intersections of identities among queer folk and fight the multiple systems of power and oppression that face us all.

We were graced with the presence of the Transgender Education Network of Texas for our final workshop. Each session brought fruitful discussion and dialogue about intersections of oppression and how to organize our communities to challenge systemic injustice. Our evening was spent enjoying the talents of our campers and facilitators during fabulous queer talent show! Campers were treated with covers of Frank Sinatra, Cher, and Secondhand Serenade as well first class stand up comedy!

Tomorrow is our last day of camp and we will not be hosting live web streaming :(

Thanks for tuning in and please email us if you have questions on camp! Again, we're happy to share all of our resources and/or info about the amazing things Texas QSA Network is involving in this coming semester!

much love from san marcos (hi mom),

Texas GSA Network Staff and Campers

Missing Camp? No worries! The Texas QSA Network staff will be reporting back on the activities through out the Queer Youth Activism Camp each day! That means every evening, between tonight (Saturday) and Monday, we will be posting blogs on the workshops lead by our fabulous trainers and experiences of our bad ass campers. Also, we will be live streaming workshops through out each day. To watch the live stream visit the following link: http://www.ustream.tv/user/txgsan/shows

*Photos and footage to be posted soon

*For more information on workshop material or if you have any additional queeries, email Gabi Padilla (Programs Director): This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

DAY 2 - Queer Youth Activism Camp

Campers were BUSY today. First thing in the morning, we went over How to Have a Kick Ass GSA, and talked about conflict resolution and facilitation skills. Right after that, campers got a crash course in social justice activism through introduction to power & oppression, understanding white supremacy & racism, and discussion on beginning to transform themselves and communities. Campers had too many awesome conversations to recount here - it was inspiring!! Congratulations to all campers for participating in these intense and challenging workshops! Applause to yall for facilitating wonderful dialogue and building the stepping stones toward (queer and allied) liberation!

After the long day of workshops, campers let loose with a dance workshop, dance party & game night. Thanks to Griffin Yu for helping us out with sound. It was a lot of fun practicing how to dougie, whipping our hair, and doing the cupid shuffle for social justice....well, not specificially for social justice...mostly to have fun.

TOMORROW is a day dedicated to home-viewing-campers. We'll be live web streaming 3 workshops - Intro to Organizing, Queer People of Color History, and Ally 101.

Tune in for times - http://www.ustream.tv/user/txgsan

SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!!! 

much love from san marcos (hi mom),

Texas GSA Network Staff

If you would like to get involved in the Network, but feel like you can only sign on for a project or two, we have a space for you! Texas GSA Network is currently searching for volunteers for our Regional Outreach Program. Volunteers for the Regional Outreach Program will be asked to:

• Locate and apply (as TXGSAN) for outreach events & opportunities outside of Austin
• Locate and discern whether to apply to do presentations at conferences and training events outside of Austin
• Locate centers/youth centers outside of Austin, and contacting to learn more about their programming and how we might be able to partner
• Make calls to college QSAs to find out how we might be able to work together, and what they know about local high- and middle- school QSAs
• Utilize social media to locate and track GSAs in Texas that we might not already have from our registration drive data, particularly rural

Last week, The US Department of Education released a letter urging all schools to follow the law and allow equal access to GSAs on public school campuses! Not only does Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, demand that all schools obey the Federal Equal Access Act, he calls on educators and school administrators to recognize the value of GSAs in creating safer schools.

"Gay-straight alliances (GSAs) and similar student-initiated groups addressing LGBT issues can play an important role in promoting safer schools and creating more welcoming learning environments.  Nationwide, students are forming these groups in part to combat bullying and harassment of LGBT students and to promote understanding and respect in the school community. "

Duncan gives students like you from across the United States the credit they deserve for making it better at school, and finally calls for an end to bigoted school administrations standing in the way.

Read the complete letter below, and share with your faculty members!

June 14, 2011

Dear Colleagues:

Harassment and bullying are serious problems in our schools, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students are the targets of disproportionate shares of these problems. Thirty-two percent of students aged 12-18 experienced verbal or physical bullying during the 2007-2008 school year;¹ and, according to a recent survey, more than 90 percent of LGBT students in grades 6 through 12 reported being verbally harassed — and almost half reported being physically harassed — during the 2008-2009 school year.² High levels of harassment and bullying correlate with poorer educational outcomes, lower future aspirations, frequent school absenteeism, and lower grade-point averages.³Recent tragedies involving LGBT students and students perceived to be LGBT only underscore the need for safer schools.

Gay-straight alliances (GSAs) and similar student-initiated groups addressing LGBT issues can play an important role in promoting safer schools and creating more welcoming learning environments.  Nationwide, students are forming these groups in part to combat bullying and harassment of LGBT students and to promote understanding and respect in the school community.  Although the efforts of these groups focus primarily on the needs of LGBT students, students who have LGBT family members and friends, and students who are perceived to be LGBT, messages of respect, tolerance, and inclusion benefit all our students.  By encouraging dialogue and providing supportive resources, these groups can help make schools safe and affirming environments for everyone.

But in spite of the positive effect these groups can have in schools, some such groups have been unlawfully excluded from school grounds, prevented from forming, or denied access to school resources.  These same barriers have sometimes been used to target religious and other student groups, leading Congress to pass the Equal Access Act.

In 1984, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Equal Access Act, requiring public secondary schools to provide equal access for extracurricular clubs.  Rooted in principles of equal treatment and freedom of expression, the Act protects student-initiated groups of all types.  As one of my predecessors, Secretary Richard W. Riley, pointed out in guidance concerning the Equal Access Act and religious clubs more than a decade ago, we “protect our own freedoms by respecting the freedom of others who differ from us.”⁴By allowing students to discuss difficult issues openly and honestly, in a civil manner, our schools become forums for combating ignorance, bigotry, hatred, and discrimination.

The Act requires public secondary schools to treat all student-initiated groups equally, regardless of the religious, political, philosophical, or other subject matters discussed at their meetings.  Its protections apply to groups that address issues relating to LGBT students and matters involving sexual orientation and gender identity, just as they apply to religious and other student groups.

Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s General Counsel, Charles P. Rose, is issuing a set of legal guidelines affirming the principles that prevent unlawful discrimination against any student-initiated groups.  We intend for these guidelines to provide schools with the information and resources they need to help ensure that all students, including LGBT and gender nonconforming students, have a safe place to learn, meet, share experiences, and discuss matters that are important to them.

Although specific implementation of the Equal Access Act depends upon contextual circumstances, these guidelines reflect basic obligations imposed on public school officials by the Act and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  The general rule, approved by the U.S. Supreme Court, is that a public high school that allows at least one noncurricular student group to meet on school grounds during noninstructional time (e.g., lunch, recess, or before or after school) may not deny similar access to other noncurricular student groups, regardless of the religious, political, philosophical, or other subject matters that the groups address.

I encourage every school district to make sure that its administrators, faculty members, staff, students, and parents are familiar with these principles in order to protect the rights of all students — regardless of religion, political or philosophical views, sexual orientation, or gender identity.  I also urge school districts to use the guidelines to develop or improve district policies.  In doing so, school officials may find it helpful to explain to the school community that the Equal Access Act requires public schools to afford equal treatment to all noncurricular student organizations, including GSAs and other groups that focus on issues related to LGBT students, sexual orientation, or gender identity.  Officials need not endorse any particular student organization, but federal law requires that they afford all student groups the same opportunities to form, to convene on school grounds, and to have access to the same resources available to other student groups.

The process of revising or developing an equal-access policy offers an opportunity for school officials to engage their community in an open dialogue on the equal treatment of all noncurricular student organizations.  It is important to remember, therefore, that the Equal Access Act’s requirements are a bare legal minimum.  I invite and encourage you to go beyond what the law requires in order to increase students’ sense of belonging in the school and to help students, teachers, and parents recognize the core values behind our principles of free speech.  As noted in our October 2010 Dear Colleague Letter and December 2010 guidance regarding anti-bullying policies, I applaud such policies as positive steps toward ensuring equal access to education for all students.

Thank you for your work on behalf of our nation’s children.

North Texas – Mix & Mingle in May!

North Texas High School GSAs -- come to the North Texas GSA Mixer, Thursday, May 5^th. Get to know the other GSAs in your area, and work together to create inclusive schools!

• Connect with other GSAs in your area!

• Share resources & ideas!

• Learn about more ways to fight homophobia & transphobia in your schools!

Where: 3108 Live Oak Street, Dallas -- TRAC Center, part of City Square

When: Thursday, May 5^th

What time: 6pm – 8pm

FREE food will be provided.

Please RSVP here or to andi AT texasgsa.org so that we can be sure to

have enough food for everyone!

The Texas GSA Network is proud to partner with student activists in the Corpus Christi area this Saturday, April 30th!  If you’re in the Corpus area, join us for a workshop and forum on creating safe spaces for LGBTQQA youth in schools.   This will be an opportunity to build on the momentum from the recent student and local community effort to establish a GSA at Flour Bluff high school.  The event is open to all students/student leaders at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and area high schools.  Participation is free.

The event is sponsored by the Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s GSA. 

What:  Safe Schools Workshop & Forum

Where: Texas A&M Corpus Christi Campus, Island Hall Room 163

When:  Saturday, April 30^th

Time: 2pm – 6pm