Gay-Straight Alliances Can Improve School Environment, Panel Says

by: Dana Boone

Before students at Johnston High School organized a Gay-Straight Alliance last year, one of 17-year-old Adam Helgeson's friends didn't feel safe going to class in the suburban school district located northwest of Des Moines.

"He felt like it was socially unacceptable to be who he was...He would skip class so people wouldn't see how he acted and presented himself because he felt he would be labeled as gay," said Helgeson who is straight and is vice-president of Johnston's GSA. "Now because of our GSA, he feels a lot safer to go to class."

Last summer, Iowa enacted its Safe Schools law, which requires public and private schools to establish policies that prohibit harassment and bullying against students. The law makes it illegal to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, among other things. The Iowa Civil Rights Act also was changed to include sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes.

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