GLSEN (pronounced glisten; formerly the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression and to prompt LGBT cultural inclusion and awareness in K-12 schools. Founded in 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts, the organization is now headquartered in New York City and has an office of public policy based in Washington, D.C. there are 39 GLSEN chapters across 26 states that train 5,000 students, educators, and school personnel each year. The chapters also support more than 4,000 registered school-based clubs—commonly known as gay–straight alliances (GSAs)--which work to address name-calling, bullying, and harassment in their schools. GLSEN also sponsors and participates in a host of annual "Days of Action", including a No Name-Calling Week every January, a Day of Silence every April, and an Ally Week every September. Guided by research such as its National School Climate Survey, GLSEN has developed resources, lesson plans, classroom materials, and professional development programs for teachers on how to support LGBTQ students. Research shows that in response to bullying and mistreatment, many LGBTQ students avoid school altogether; this can lead to academic failure. To combat this problem, GLSEN has advocated for LGBTQ-inclusive anti-bullying laws and policies. GLSEN has also worked with the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services to create model policies that support LGBTQ students and educators. GLSEN has considered their signature legislation to be the Safe Schools Improvement Act and has been honored by the White House as a "Champion of Change".

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Campaigns and programs

GLSEN's Day of Silence

GLSEN's Day of Silence is a national day of action that began at the University of Virginia in 1996 in which students vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment in schools. GLSEN's Day of Silence takes place in 8,000 U.S. schools every year and has spread to more than 60 countries.

GLSEN's No Name-Calling Week

Every January, thousands of elementary and middle schools participate in GLSEN's No Name-Calling Week to end bullying. No Name-Calling Week was inspired by the popular young adult novel entitled The Misfits by popular author James Howe, and is supported by over 60 national partner organizations.

GLSEN's Ally Week

Every fall, GLSEN's Ally Week serves to educate allies about the role they play in creating safer spaces for LGBTQ youth. Ally Week was started in 2005 by GLSEN's Jump-Start National Student Leadership team. Ally Week is supported by over 20 endorsers.

Think Before You Speak campaign

On October 8, 2008, GLSEN and Ad Council released the Think Before You Speak campaign, designed to end homophobic vocabulary and raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBTQ bias and behavior in America's schools among youth, through the use of television, radio, print, and outdoor ads. The campaign also aimed to raise awareness among adults, school personnel, and parents. It includes three television public service announcements (PSAs), six print PSAs and three radio PSAs. Television commercials for the campaign include singer Hilary Duff as well as comedian Wanda Sykes. In 2008 the campaign won the Ad Council's Gold Bell award for "Best Public Service Advertising Campaign".

GLSEN Research

GLSEN has been conducting research and evaluation on LGBTQ issues in K-12 education since 1999. GLSEN became the only organization to regularly document the school experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) middle and high school students in the U.S. using GLSEN's National School Climate Survey. Other research reports GLSEN has put out include From Statehouse to Schoolhouse: Anti-Bullying Policies in U.S. States and School Districts, Shared Differences: The Experiences of LGBTQ Students of Color in Our Nation's Schools, Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools, as well as many other reports, articles, and book chapters.

GLSEN National Student Council

The GLSEN National Student Council, formerly known as the Student Ambassadors program, is one of GLSEN's student leadership teams. Each year, GLSEN selects a small group of middle and high school students to serve as GLSEN youth representatives for the upcoming school year. Students of the National Student Council advise GLSEN on campaigns, bring GLSEN resources to their schools, represent GLSEN in the media, and have their own work published in local and national outlets.

GLSEN Chapters

GLSEN Chapters, with the support and guidance of the national office, work to bring GLSEN programs to their specific communities on a local level. Chapter board members and volunteers are students, educators, parents and community members who volunteer their time to support students and Gay-Straight Alliances, train educators and provide opportunities for everyone to make change in their local schools. GLSEN has 38 volunteer-led GLSEN Chapters in 26 states that work with student leaders, provide professional development for educators, and encourage policymakers to enact LGBTQ-inclusive policies.

GLSEN Respect Awards

GLSEN organizes the annual GLSEN Respect Awards to honor leaders, personalities, and organizations who have made significant contributions to LGBTQ youth. Awards are given to organizations, celebrities, students, educators and gay–straight alliances. Since 2004, there have been over four dozen honorees and over $15 million raised in all. The first Respect Awards were in New York in 2004 and honored Andrew Tobias, author and Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee; MTV; and student Marina Gatto. Since then, the Respect Awards are held annually in New York in late May and in Los Angeles in late October. Since 2004, there have been over four-dozen honorees and over $17 million raised.

Fistgate controversy

In 2000, the leader of the conservative Parents' Rights Coalition of Massachusetts (now known as MassResistance) secretly taped one of the 50 workshops in "Teachout 2000", titled "What They Didn't Tell You About Queer Sex and Sexuality in Health Class: Workshop for Youth Only, Ages 14–21". Students discussed sex in a workshop "billed as a safe place for youths to get their questions about their sexuality answered" in the session's Q&A section. A question was asked about fisting a minor and an explanation was provided. Greg Carmack subsequently suggested that the question might have been planted by those making the recordings. MassResistance dubbed the incident "Fistgate" and the tapes generated controversy when they were broadcast over radio. A state employee who participated in the discussion and was subsequently dismissed filed suit against Camenker and Scott Whiteman as a result of the distribution of the tape recordings, while others pointed out the legal prohibition against recording people without their knowledge or permission. According to Bay Windows, a "Massachusetts Superior Court judge ruled that the tape was illegally acquired and therefore an invasion of privacy against those individuals present, who were never told they were being recorded."