Safe Spaces: Gay‐Straight Alliances in High Schools

Abstract

In activists' circles as in sociology, the concept "safe space" has been applied to all sorts of programs, organizations, and practices. However, few studies have specified clearly what safe spaces are and how they support the people who occupy them. In this paper, we examine one social location typically understood to be a safe space: gay-straight alliance groups in high schools. Using qualitative interviews with young adults in the United States and Canada who have participated in gay-straight alliances, we examine the experiences of safe spaces in these groups. We unpack this complex concept to consider some of the dimensions along which safe spaces might vary. Participants identified several types of safe space, and from their observations we derive three inter-related dimensions of safe space: social context, membership and activity.

‘Until that magical day…no campus is safe’: reflections on how transgender students experience gender and stigma on campus

“…Fetner et al (2012) report that transgender students in particular (95%) are more likely to feel that their school is not a safe space to express their gender. While most research to date focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of these alliances, Fetner et al 's (2012) qualitative study of gay-straight alliances in North America seeks to strengthen the conceptual clarity of 'safe spaces. '…”

“…Lee, & Spade, 2011, p. 16). In response to the widespread presence of heteronormative practices and instances of gender suppression (Schilt & Westbrook, 2009), programs and spaces such as gay-straight alliances have emerged in high schools across Canada and the US in order to provide social support, guidance, protection, and a safe space 3 for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, 4 and questioning (LGBTQI+) students who find themselves in difficult, hostile, and marginalizing personal circumstances (Cruz, 2008;Fetner, Elafros, Bortolin, & Drechsler, 2012;Fetner & Kush, 2008;McGuire et al, 2010;Sohalil, 2011).…”

The GSA Difference: LGBTQ and Ally Experiences in High Schools with and without Gay-Straight Alliances

“…Most importantly, what are the mechanisms of exclusion and how can they be challenged to create more inclusive gay-straight alliances for all students? Not all gay-straight alliances are the same [2] and further research needs to be conducted to tease out the differences within these important student clubs. These types of comparative studies both between GSA and no-GSA schools and within GSA schools can provide much needed quantitative and qualitative data that will contribute to the growing body of literature on gay-straight alliances in high schools.…”

“…The findings show a wealth of benefits that gay-straight alliances have for high school students [5]. For example, gay-straight alliances form safe spaces for students [2] and these safe spaces can act as sites of advocacy and social change [19], as sites of empowerment [20][21][22][23], and as "counter-publics" where LGBTQ youth can redefine youth subjectivity [24]. Students in gay-straight alliances also report lower victimization and suicide attempts [25], and LGBTQ students who participate in gay-straight alliances show reduced incidence of suicidal thoughts [26].…”

“…Many have found that gay-straight alliances provide a safe space for LGBTQ students and their allies [1][2][3][4]. Others argue that the benefits of gay-straight alliances extend beyond LGBTQ students and last beyond graduation [5][6][7].…”