A federal judge has ruled in favor of the Lake County, Florida school board, denying the recognition of a gay-straight alliance club at Carver Middle School in Leesburg, but that isn’t keeping the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida from pressing to try win their case on appeal.
The ACLU thinks school board officials violated student’s rights by not allowing the club, but this judge didn’t see it that way.Supported by Equality Florida’s “The Florida Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Network,” this is the second lawsuit filed against the school board.
Here is what Equality Florida states on their website about this gay-straight alliance endeavor of theirs:
Gay-Straight Aliance (GSA) Network
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The Florida Gay Straigt Alliance (GSA) Network is a program of Equality Florida dedicated to promoting safe schools by helping GSAs form and grow through peer support, leadership development and student empowerment.
By supporting GSAs, the Network helps students to:
- create safe schools where students support each other in a fear-free environment,
- educate their school community about homophobia, gender identity and sexual orientation issues, and
- fight discrimination, harassment and violence in schools.
The Network provides students with numerous resources to aid them in the success of their clubs, including an online GSA registry and discussion board, legal artillery for clubs that are banned or pressured to disband, leadership training and an annual gathering of student leaders.
Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) are student-led clubs, usually at the high school or middle school level, that promote respect for all students.
GSAs can be any of the following:
Support Groups
a safe and confidential place for students who are struggling with their identity as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
Activist Groups
a group of students working to end homophobia by getting LGBTQ issues represented in the curriculum, LGBTQ related books in the library, and progressive non-discrimination policies implemented at a district level.
educating themselves and the broader school community about sexual orientation and gender identity issues, through guest speakers, awareness days and educational workshops for students, teachers and/or parents.
Social Groups
build community between LGBTQ students and their straight allies and lessen isolation by hosting or attending barbeques, movie nights, gay proms, pride celebrations, etc.