Friday May 25, 2007 SGN.org |
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Volume 35 Issue 21 |
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Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
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GLSEN founder to keynote 3rd annual Gay-Straight Alliance Banquet & Awards |
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| GLSEN founder to keynote 3rd annual Gay-Straight Alliance Banquet & Awards | ||
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June 1st event at Lakeside School to include dinner, entertainment and silent auction by Devin Glaser - SGN Contributing Writer ? Kevin Jennings, the founder and executive director of the national Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) will keynote the third annual Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Banquet and Award Ceremony Friday, June 1st in the Wright Center of Lakeside School (14050 1st Avenue NE, Seattle). The ceremony will recognize Washington State's courageous students and educators who have worked to end bullying and harassment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals in grades K-12. Attendees will enjoy a buffet-style catered meal, live entertainment and the chance to bid on great silent auction items, including four signed Broadway cast posters and personal face-time with local elected officials such as Seattle City Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Sally Clark and State Rep. Dave Upthegrove. "This is an event for the entire community. It is important that LGBT students and their allies know that there is a wider community out there outside the classroom door that support them and honor their courageous contributions to ending anti-Gay bias in K-12 schools," said GLSEN Washington State's Education and Training Director Joseph R. Bento, M. Ed. Jennings rose to fame in 1988 after creating the first GSA in Massachusetts at the Concord Academy where he worked as a history teacher. In 1990, Jennings founded GLSEN to bring together LGBT and straight teachers, students, and parents in order to foster a safe, bias-free environment in K-12 schools. As co-chair of the Education Committee of the Governor's Commission on Gay & Lesbian Youth, Jennings worked to make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation against public school students. He has also written several books, which have each received critical acclaim. Under Jennings' tutelage, GLSEN continues to expand its reach and has grown to encompass more than 3,000 GSA's. GSA-sponsored programs such as the national Day of Silence and No Name-Calling Week have taken place in nearly 5,000 schools nationwide. "GLSEN Washington State is doing some of the leading organizing in the country with regards to GSA's," Jennings told the Seattle Gay News this week. "Their statewide network is a model we are recommending that other GLSEN chapters emulate. I am really excited to spend some time with the students and teachers who are leading the charge." Likewise, Bento said GLSEN Washington State was pleased to have Jennings in Seattle. "We are honored to have Kevin come to Seattle for our Banquet and Awards. He is truly a civil rights leader for the LGBT community," he said. "He is the inspiration behind GLSEN, as founder and executive director, and has helped make schools safer for LGBT students and educators nationwide. His books have also transformed many lives." Tickets are available at varying price levels: $10 for students and teachers; $20 for low income members of the community; and $35 for other guests. Save $50 on the purchase of an adult table for 10. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-838-3006 or online at www.brownpapertickets.com. Proceeds from the Banquet and Awards will benefit the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Washington State, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a safe learning environment for all the LGBT students and staff in schools across Washington State. For more information, call 206-330-2099 or email mail@glsenwa.org. |
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copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2007