If there is anything that the kids in Thats A Family! teach us, it’s that it doesn’t matter where your parents are from, or what gender they are, but it’s growing up in a loving home that makes a family. For many young people with same-sex parents, one parent is prohibited from being with their family because they are not eligible to immigrate.
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News from around the world that directly connects to the issues GroundSpark works on in our Respect for All Project!
At GroundSpark we stay pretty busy—and passionate about social justice—not just during the week day but in our “off hours” as well. Take Cristy Chung, for example. She’s the Community Programs Manager here at GroundSpark, where she specializes in helping underserved school communities take steps to build more safe and inclusive learning environments— but her dedication to equal civil rights goes well beyond the 9-5 work day. Her involvement in the quest to achieve marriage equality is extraordinary. Recently a piece in the Gay and Lesbian Times came out detailing her work and how she became the lead plaintiff on the case that led to the California Supreme Court ruling on behalf of marriage equality. Click here to read her amazing story that started several years ago.
Christy Chung
EDGE, “the largest network of local Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) news and entertainment portals in the world,” interviewed Debra Chasnoff about her work to end bullying and harassment in schools and featured the piece in EDGE Boston. The article highlights not only Straightlaced, but the work of GroundSpark and GLSEN, the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
To read the article, please click here
Last November, the GroundSpark team was in Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee with our Respect For All Project workshops. We heard teachers and social workers and counselors tell us of their desire to help the youth they work with overcome prejudice and hate. They also told us how a proposition to mandate english-only policies was dividing their community. The policy was eventually defeated, but we were shocked to hear this week that our allies in Tennessee will now have to heal from another divisive bill introduced in their state legislature.
After experiencing a controversy over a small school district’s use of our family diversity film that amplified into a national news story, GroundSpark realized that the LGBT safe schools movement needed more coordination to create an effective response when our efforts come under attack by the right wing. With this vision, we called together leaders of dozens of national organizations, many of which had rarely discussed issues related to LGBT issues in schools.
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News from around the world that directly connects to the issues GroundSpark works on in our Respect for All Project!
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I wanted to let you all know about our latest milestone in GroundSpark’s online presence–we’ve reached over 500 “friends” on the Straightlaced Facebook page.
IN THE LIFE, which recently featured It’s STILL Elementary is commemorating Women’s History Month by focusing its lens on the representation of LGBT women in television and cinema.
GroundSpark will be recognized this Friday by Community United Against Violence (CUAV) at their annual benefit gala. CUAV will be celebrating 30 years of “supporting LGBTQQ survivors of hate violence and domestic violence, and educating our broader communities.” We are thrilled to be honored for our work by such a great organization and are proud to stand alongside fellow honorees: Tom Ammiano & Hank Wilson, Early Gay Safety Advocates; Fresh Meat Productions and INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence.
