I firmly believe that most people at GLSEN have come to dedicate their lives to this company because of very similar stories and values: you're someone who wants to do good to the world; you're queer or an ally; you want to directly impact queer youth; you want to do work that reflect your values; you want a work environment where you can bring your full self and be appreciated for that; and you want to have clear goals about what your job is and how you can grow.
I know of this because I also share that story and have listened to so many of my co-workers express the same.
GLSEN is the perfect embodiment of a toxic relationship: it promises you all of those things and because you love them, you decide to stay, even after you witness blatant and covert racism that affects you and your co-workers (as the reviews state, people cry in the bathrooms and at their desks); even after trans voices are either squelched by directors and the executive team (and you guessed it, no trans or executives are trans!) or trans-related programs/decisions/assets are directed by cis people, you decide to stay because when you voice concern, leadership comes back to you saying they are "working on it and take your concern seriously" but when you follow up, no answer or resolution is put in place.
I know that people have had serious issues with racism and transphobia and because there's no system of accountability in place, those affected had to come up with their own system to try and resolve the situation, but of course, those actions led nowhere because there's actually no one to hold leadership accountable and none of those stories ever make it to the board (which by the way is also vastly white and cis!).
Time goes by and you watch leadership let go of people without any backup plan (it's about to be 1 year with no directors in multiple departments) so the aftermath is that leadership then blames the 1 or 2 people left, saying that they are not doing their jobs when in fact what happened is: 1. People were let go without ANY plan and 2. Leadership is ignorant about what people's jobs and responsibilities actually are so then they proceed to gaslight people and blame them for not doing the job of the 4 other people who left.
Gaslighting is very common here and you start to question yourself. You start to question your worth as a professional and as a human being. But like the toxic relationship you've been trying to leave, you'll give it more chances.
GLSEN invested thousands of dollars in consultants to try and "fix" structural issues and then proceeded to implement "changes" without the involvement of staff. This is their way of saying "we're committed to change" but leadership is still the same and the very few new people who were hired (who I assume initially wanted change) quickly drank the kool-aid. New folks will eventually also be impacted.
The other thing that toxic relationships do is try and isolate you from the people that can actually support you. GLSEN has a way of putting PoC staff against each other to the point where you see people trying to destroy one another in order to "ascend" professional, since there's really no opportunities for growth here.
GLSEN is stuck in the past and continues to strategize with a pre-historic knowledge/tools because the ED and those around her are so afraid of change and are so afraid of letting forward thinkers do their job.
Because GLSEN is inherently racist, when it hires PoC who are abusive and incompetent, like the new Deputy Executive Director, it’s afraid to fire them because of fear of being low in the PoC quota.
I hope you find the strength to stay away from this place and if you're in it, that you find the courage to leave.
I have been volunteering with GLSEN for nearly 10 years and became a Board member last year. GLSEN is the pre-eminent organization dealing with anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. Tragically, the need for GLSEN was no more evident than the tragic loss of young lives last Fall due to anti-gay bullying in schools. And it was re-enforced with the homophobic language displayed by top NBA stars over the past few weeks.
GLSEN has forged strong relationships and reputations with most of the national education associations, the Obama administration, the Ad Council, and the NBA to ensure that homophobic language and harassment have no place in our nation's schools. Every child deserves a safe and respectful place to learn.
I have volunteered for a number of organizations and served on numerous Boards. GLSEN is far and away one of the top non-profits I've served with.
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I have been involved with GLSEN for over 6 years now. I've seen GLSEN grow from a struggling grassroots organization to a prominent voice on issues facing LGBT youth in schools. The programming, training, and research the organization provides is world-class. The staff and volunteers are truly dedicated and loyal to the mission and vision.
GLSEN changed my life. Their student organizing program gave me a week of training with other LGBT and allied 13-17 year olds. We learned about community organizing tactics, communication strategies, the legislative process, and workshop facilitation skills. Their staff provided ongoing support and summits throughout the year as each of us implemented action plans in our widely varied areas of the country. We went way beyond founding Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in high schools. Students did everything imaginable: hosted statewide summits for youth on their rights or transgender advocacy, organized lobbying for anti-LGBT harassment and bullying laws, provided resources to local GSAs, networked clubs to hold rallies and days of action, made asks of our administrations to cover inclusive curricula, provide gender neutral bathrooms, or address bias in other ways. The students I met through GLSEN inspire me to this day. They were the most diverse group of people I have ever met in my entire life. Because GLSEN paid for ALL expenses, youth came from every economic, ethnic, geographic, rural/urban background and united for a common cause. The program was truly empowering of grassroots leadership, enabling the people affected by oppression to address it themselves in ways that were appropriate to their area and changed the relationships of power within the schools. We created real change in people's lives with an incredible support network of inspirational friends and knowledgeable paid staff. GLSEN helps youth become not the leaders of tomorrow but the leaders of today. This experience in many ways made me who I am- someone who knows her power to organize change.
The Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network has been an influential organization in both the development of my personal as well as my professional life. On a personal level I have found strength and pride as an openly gay educator in Boston. I have been empowered by my work as an activist on the local Boston board member, and board Chair, as well as co chair of the National Advisory Council. Through our work we have made schools safe for thousands of school age youth by advocating for legislation which protects students, educating administrators, teachers, students and parents about the harmful affects of anti gay bullying and harassment in our schools. Professionally as a teacher, I have been able to infuse LGBT themes in my curriculum which further provides all students with the opportunity to acknowledge sexual orientation and gender expression as only one facet of a person's overall identity. I am proud of GLSEN's work throughout the country and especially on the National Level in spearheading anti bullying legislation across the country. I will continue to support GLSEN in it's efforts to make all schools safe for every menber of a school community, Frank Pantano Boston, MA