We’ve clocked that Trans youth don’t feel safe to be their authentic selves and that our social and legal freedoms are being denied! This school year, trade your closet for the club cos YOUR GSA is the space to devise freedom, build connection, learn together, and TAKE action. We’re talking art, we’re talking storytelling, and we’re talking TAKING UP SPACE!
Explore this landing page to learn how to start and register your club so you can #MarkYourselfPresent in the fight for TQ2S+ freedoms! Kiki with your club as you use our STAR Freedom School curricula to study campaign tactics and practice community care. Then – apply to the Youth Freedom Fund to access money for your clubs; no strings attached! It’s now or never – Our Freedom is In Our Hands; we’ve got to make it happen!
Table of Contents
This guide, Genders & Sexualities Terms, is meant to help GSAs develop a common language and understanding of various terms used within some of our communities. All terms should be evaluated by your local community to determine what best fits. As with all language, the communities that utilize these and other words may have different meanings and reasons for using different terminology within different groups.
In just 10 steps, learn how to create a GSA that provides support, builds community, and takes action to create change.
Make sure your GSA is marked #Present for the upcoming school year by registering today. By doing so, you’ll gain access to valuable resources, training opportunities, and ongoing support that will empower your club. Remember, annual registration is key to keeping your club active and impactful—only one registration per club is needed, and either youth members or advisors can handle this.
Alternative GSAs: Community and Virtual Spaces
- Community GSA:
- Virtual GSA: Trans and queer young people of color want to build community in this moment. They are searching for places that affirm their identities and experiences, uplift their spirit, and promote self and community care. The Virtual GSAs In Action Toolkit was created to support them to start a Community GSA, take their existing school-based GSA clubs online, create new clubs, and above all, build virtual spaces that can restore our community.
If you want to create an amazing GSA, you’ve come to the right place! This resource contains everything you need to know to organize a kick-ass GSA. Behold the winning formula for starting and running a successful Genders & Sexualities Alliance club: BUILD (Begin, Unite, Inspire, Lead, Don’t give up)!
The three typical functions of a GSA club are to: support students, build community, and create change. We break this down into three types of GSA clubs: Support, Social, and Activist. Most GSAs are a combination of all three.
GSA clubs play a critical role in helping make schools safer and more accepting for LGBTQ youth. Individuals in the LGBTQ community come from all segments of society, representing the spectrum of human diversity. As a GSA club, your membership may already be diverse, or there may be more you need to do to make sure your club represents the full diversity of your school. The tools in this section will help you make your GSA welcoming to all.
Check out these resources and tools that will support you – GSA club advisors – to create and sustain thriving GSAs in partnership with students, schools, and communities, as we move closer to our vision of trans and queer liberation.
GSA Values for Justice is meant to help students understand the importance of a values statement in creating a safe and welcoming environment for all students. This workshop can also be used to develop your organization’s mission statement, bylaws, and constitution.
There are different models for organizing your GSA and spreading leadership. You should check if your school policies require a specific type of club and leadership structure. Information can often be found at your school activities office or counseling office. Remember that these leadership structures can be adapted or combined to fit your club or you can develop your own model!
In order to run effective meetings and get things done as a group, your GSA should designate a process for making decisions as an organization. In this resource, we outline some possible decision-making models you can use.
Once your GSA is up and running, decide how it will be structured and start planning for the year. How to Have an Awesome GSA is a great tool to help you develop a well-rounded GSA. It outlines how to establish your club’s purpose, prepare for and facilitate meetings, and create an action plan.
This resource provides everything you need to know about how to facilitate a meeting, including facilitator responsibilities, strategies for keeping the meeting running orderly, strategies for encouraging participation, and strategies for facilitating discussion and decision-making.
Check out our list of ways to gain more members and allies for your GSA club. Strategies include providing food at your meeting, making flyers, making an Instagram, and more.
When planning events and projects as a GSA, it will be helpful to create a “work plan.” This document will cover details of the planning process and designate responsibility for different tasks. Taking the time to make one at the outset will help your group stay organized and focused. This document will also address issues that your GSA should keep in mind while planning your event.
GSA Activities
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Most GSAs would agree that their schools are not 100% safe and welcoming for ALL students. That’s why GSAs work to raise awareness and educate their campuses through workshops, assemblies, and days of action. Sometimes you see a little change. Sometimes you see a lot. But what are the magic steps that turn your activism from small steps into big impact? This resource and accompanying tactic guides will help you think through a campaign strategy to win the things you want, like gender-neutral restrooms, restorative justice, or anti-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Should you find your GSA club facing harassment or hostility at school or from the community, this resource details some possible ways of dealing with it.
Fundraising Your GSA
- Fundraising 101: Your GSA club is making important changes on your school campus, but maybe you need money to keep up the momentum. This resource will help you figure out what works best for your GSA club, its fundraising goals, and the individual strengths of its members.
- Youth Freedom Fund: This fund is here to give GSAs like yours the resources needed to make great things happen. Whether you’re planning an event, starting a project, organizing a campaign, or keeping your club going, we’re here to support. We look forward to receiving your inspired and community-driven proposals. Together, let’s devise a world where TQ2S+ young people thrive with dignity, self-determination, and delight.
STAR Freedom School is a youth-rooted political education space centered in community organizing and ancestral memory. We offer tools, trainings, and fellowship for TQ2S+ youth to build power locally and nationally.
The health and wellbeing of trans and queer youth is central to what we do every day in the GSA movement—whether that’s organizing for justice, creating safe spaces in schools, or advocating for comprehensive sex education. The Trans & Queer Wellness Resources page was developed specifically for trans and queer youth who are working to create change in their schools and communities while balancing their physical and mental wellness.
2025-2026 School Calendar of Events
TBD
Back-to-School Checklist
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A strong and well-run GSA, like a tree, is dependent on how well it is maintained. This checklist is meant to help you build your GSA by focusing on the three parts of a strong GSA: the roots, the trunk, and the branches.
GSA PSA Zines
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