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Letter From GLSEN Red River Valley
Welcome to GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) Red River Valley. We are proud to be one of the newest of the over 40 member chapters of GLSEN. We are a group of parents, educators, and community leaders who strive to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. We are here to serve the communities of the Red River of the North in Western Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota. We currently have members from Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. We are seeking representation from Fargo, Moorhead, Crookston and surrounding communities with the intention of serving the whole region, including rural areas and small towns.In the 2005 National School Climate Survey, more than 64% of students reported they had been verbally harassed and 38% reported they had also been physically harassed because of their sexual orientation. Despite this, research increasingly proves that we have the solutions to these problems, solutions that make our schools better places to learn and our communities more inclusive places to live. When LGBT students have supportive teachers, Gay-Straight Alliances, and less hostile school climates, their grades rise dramatically and they are much more likely to go to college. When schools have nondiscrimination policies that include categories like sexual orientation, not only does harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity decrease, but harassment based on physical appearance, the most common form of harassment, also declines. It turns out that what is good for LGBT students is good for all students and thus for our schools. GLSEN Red River Valley has openings on its board for people who are interested in helping decide future activities and direction for our campaign for safe schools. Besides teachers and other school personnel, we need members who are not teachers and can offer other points of view. We currently meet monthly at the Urban Stampede Coffeehouse in downtown Grand Forks. We welcome you to join us. Call (701) 777-3738 or e-mail glsenrrv@yahoo.com for meeting dates and time.
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