Unity Mississippi » Student Orgs

Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition

Unity Mississippi — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:13:50 +0000

The mission of the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition is to ensure that all students have a safe learning environment by protecting students’ constitutional rights, ending homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and all forms of discrimination, and fostering acceptance of LGBT students through public education and advocacy.

Who we are
The Mississippi Student Safety Coalition is led by students across Mississippi working to promote student safety through a number of educational strategies and policies. Such strategies can include urging Mississippi schools and communities to adopt comprehensive non-discrimination policies. Training coordinators, and developing local strategies to educate students on their constitutional rights is also needed. Members of the Mississippi Student Safety Coalition are working together with the LGBT Project of the American Civil Liberties Union to ensure that all students have access to public education that is safe and free from discrimination.

How to Help
The MSSC is a new organization, and we have some necessary groundwork to establish. Right now, the MSSC is collecting data of incidents of harassment, discrimination, ridicule, or embarrassment based on student sexual orientation or gender non-conformity, whether actual or perceived. Only with a substantial amount of stories and narratives can we begin to argue for change.

What You Can Do
We need your stories! If you have had an incident where you’ve been discriminated against in your public school, tell us about it! Even if you’ve seen other people discriminated against in your school, we want to know about it. Write up a summary of what happened and how you felt, and send it to us via our anonymous survey. A link to our survey can be found below here.

Website: mssafeschools.org

Gay/Straight Alliance of USM

Unity Mississippi — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:01:05 +0000

The GSA of USM is very active at USM and in Hattiesburg.

Mission Statement:

To provide a supportive, safe social setting for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered persons and their friends and supporters, as well as any other interested parties recognizing sexual diversity on the Southern Miss campus.
To provide educational resources to the university and community regarding issues of sexual diversity.
To provide a vehicle of social and political action in regards to sexual diversity on a local, state, national, and international level.
To act as an ally to other organizations dealing with issues pertinent to our own membership body.

Website

UM Gay Straight Alliance (Oxford)

Unity Mississippi — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:56:18 +0000

The University of Mississippi Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a student organization that provides advocacy and education for individuals in the University and Oxford communities, as well as works to increase tolerance and respect for individuals of all sexual orientations and identities.