The Georgia Safe Schools Coalition and Georgia Equality will hold the 2012 Georgia Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Summit for Georgia youth at the Gwinnett campus of The University of Georgia on February 25, 2012. The summit will bring together hundreds of students and advisers from GSA’s all over Georgia. Last year, over 110 students and advisers attended the first annual summit. This year, the event planners hope to reach even more youth.

LGBTQQA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and ally) youth face a variety of difficulties in society as well as in their own schools. Gay-Straight alliances are vehicles for advocacy and protection within school systems, particularly in areas with little protection for LGBTQQA students. The GSA Summit was created to unify and empower youth with relevant workshops and activities and offer a chance to create community.

The Summit will be a day-long event beginning at 8:30 a.m. and lasting until 4:00 p.m. The workshop topics will include: Starting and Developing a GSA, Bullying and Safety, LGBTQ Pop Culture and Transgender Identities. The Georgia Young Advocate Award will be given to one deserving youth who has demonstrated a commitment to LGBTQQA advocacy in his or her community.

One of our students at Berkmar High School who attended the summit last year, provided comment, “Being a pioneer member of the 2011 Georgia GSA Youth Summit was an experience I’ll always cherish. It has given me more than just more friendships and unity with others, but it also allowed me to experience a greater cause–a quest bound by this annual youth summit. I only hope that the 2012 GA GSA Youth Summit will bring in more members, as well as more support towards the fight for equality.”