Thousands of students across the country this week are pledging to address anti-gay bullying as part of GLSEN’s fifth annual Ally Week, a week of activities designed to encourage people to be allies against anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying, and harassment at school.Ally Week, which was created by students as a way to encourage and support allies, is often organized by the more than 4,000 Gay-Straight Alliance student clubs registered with GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education network.
“Students will bring a message of respect into schools across America this week,” said Lazaro Cardenas, a 17-year-old senior from Riverside, Calif. “We will ask our friends and classmates to be allies against anti-LGBT behavior by signing a pledge to not engage in that kind of activity and intervene when others do so. This is a first step toward making schools safer places to learn.”
The Ally Week pledge, which students and adults sign either through pledge cards in school or online at allyweek.org, reads:
I believe all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression deserve to feel safe and supported.
That means I pledge to:
-Not use anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) language or slurs.
-Intervene, if I safely can, in situations where students are being harassed.
-Support efforts to end bullying and harassment.
