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Middle school GSAs: an analysis of strategies used in Los Angeles County

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Middle school GSAs: an analysis of strategies used in Los Angeles County

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Middle School GSAs: An Analysis of Strategies Used in Los Angeles County
by
Sean McCallon

Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
A dissertation submitted to the faculty
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education

May, 2021

© Copyright by Sean McCallon 2021
All Rights Reserved

The Committee for Sean McCallon certifies the approval of this Dissertation

Briana Hinga
Rudy Castruita
David Cash, Committee Chair

Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
2021

iv

Abstract
Gay Straight Alliances in middle schools do not exist in the numbers that they do in high
schools. With this in mind, LGBTQ middles school students face more instances of hostile
environments, biased language, and victimization based on their LGBTQ status (Kosciw et al.,
2018).
This study explored how middle school GSA clubs in Los Angeles County were created, how
they have sustained membership, and how the relationships between middle school principals,
middle school GSA club advisors, and the school community can either hinder or benefit GSA
clubs.
The research questions used to guide the study were: How were middle school GSA clubs
established at middle schools?; What practices, strategies, and resources do principals use to
create/sustain middle school GSAs?; What is the role of the middle school GSA advisor in
leading the club?; and How have middle school GSA clubs evolved over time?
The methodology for this study was qualitative with data collected from ten interviews with
middle school principals and middle school GSA advisors.

v

Dedication
To anyone who has felt like an outsider who did not belong in school or anywhere else—“Man, I
swear, I’d give the whole thing up for you.” -Lou Reed
To Aaron Richard Green, a friend, brother, mentor, and inspiration as an advocate for all.

vi

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my family (especially my parents) for the encouragement to see this
project through along with my wife Elizabeth for always pushing me to be my best. A special
thank you to my friends, Dave, Jason, Dustin, Cash, Andrew, Gerardo, and Ommid for always
being there for me. I also would like to thank those in my school district for encouraging me in
this program: John Paramo, Oscar Macias, Matt Hill, Matt Chambers, Stacy Cashman, Jennifer
Meglemre, and Issac Huang. I especially want to thank Juan Avila—an extraordinary advocate
for GSA clubs, who helped to inspire this study. I also want to thank all the middle and high
school students that I have worked with who felt comfortable speaking to me about their identity.
Finally, I want to thank all of the participants in this study and thank them for the work they are
doing with middle school students. I hope that I am honoring the collective “you” with this study.
For more information regarding this study please contact Sean McCallon at
sean.mccallon@gmail.com.

vii

Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv
Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... v
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... vi
Chapter One: Overview of the Study .............................................................................................. 1
Background of the Problem ................................................................................................ 2
Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................... 4
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 4
Significance of the Study .................................................................................................... 5
Limitations and Delimitations ............................................................................................. 5
Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................. 6
Organization of the Study ................................................................................................... 6
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature .......................................................................................... 7
A History of Gay Straight Alliances in Public Schools ...................................................... 7
Laws Regarding LGBTQ Students in California .............................................................. 10
The Sense of Belonging to One’s School ......................................................................... 12
Involvement and Strategies for Gay Straight Alliances .................................................... 13
The Role of the Club Advisor in Gay Straight Alliances ................................................. 15
The Role of the School Principal in Gay Straight Alliances ............................................ 16
Queer Theory .................................................................................................................... 17
Minority Stress Theory ..................................................................................................... 17
Ecological Systems Framework for Gay Straight Alliance Advising .............................. 18
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 19

viii

Chapter Three: Methodology ........................................................................................................ 21
Purpose of Study ............................................................................................................... 21
Selection of the Population ............................................................................................... 22
Design Summary ............................................................................................................... 23
Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 24
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 25

Summary ........................................................................................................................... 25

Chapter Four: Findings ................................................................................................................. 27
Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................... 27
Presentation of Findings ................................................................................................... 30
Organization of Data Analysis .......................................................................................... 30

Descriptive Characteristics ............................................................................................... 32

Findings Research Question 1 .......................................................................................... 32

Discussion Research Question 1 ....................................................................................... 36

Findings Research Question 2 .......................................................................................... 37

Discussion Research Question 2 ....................................................................................... 42

Findings Research Question 3 .......................................................................................... 43

Discussion Research Question 3 ....................................................................................... 52

Findings Research Question 4 .......................................................................................... 52

Discussion Research Question 4 ....................................................................................... 55

Summary ........................................................................................................................... 55

Chapter Five: Discussion ............................................................................................................. 58

Purpose of Study .............................................................................................................. 58

ix

Methodology .................................................................................................................... 59

Findings ........................................................................................................................... 59

Research Question 1 ......................................................................................................... 59

Research Question 2 ......................................................................................................... 60

Research Question 3 ......................................................................................................... 62

Research Question 4 ......................................................................................................... 63

Implications for Practice .................................................................................................. 64

Future Research ............................................................................................................... 66

Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 66

References .................................................................................................................................... 68

Appendix A: General Recruitment Email Cover Letter .............................................................. 73

Appendix B: Interview Cover Sheet – Middle School Principals ............................................... 74

Appendix C: Interview Cover Sheet – Middle School GSA Advisors ........................................ 75

1

Chapter One: Overview of the Study
Middle school (6
th
-8
th
grade) can be a difficult time for any student. During the middle
school years, students are working their way from children to teenagers and in this process are
trying to figure out their identities. Differences amongst students can be seen as a negative and
those who are different may face ridicule. Such ridicule impacts the middle school climate and
also the safety of the school. In particular, “LGBTQ students in middle school had more hostile
school experiences than LGBTQ students in high school, including experiencing higher rates of
biased language, victimization, and anti-LGBTQ discriminatory school policies and practices”
(Kosciw et al., 2018). Research from the the Equality California Institute 2019 Safe and
Supportive Schools Report Card showed:
Studies routinely show that school climate is related to student success and overall
well-being. Over one-third of LGBTQ students nationally have skipped school due to
safety concerns. Research suggests that LGBTQ youth are more likely than their non-
LGBTQ peers to drop out of school, often due to bullying, harassment, discrimination
and lack of acceptance. Nearly one in three LGB students have attempted suicide, a rate
that is vastly higher than for non-LGB youth, and 40% of transgender people attempt
suicide at some point during their lives.
McEwing et al. (2018) stated that “Middle school students were the most likely to witness
physical harassment and bullying when compared to high school students and undergraduates.”
Additionally, “The majority of LGBTQ students of all races and ethnicities reported hostile
school experiences due to their marginalized identities” (Kosciw et al., 2018). Such information
cannot be ignored by educators.
2

When Equality California (2019) surveyed school districts regarding implementation of
programs to support LGBTQ students only 130 out of 343 (38%) unified school districts
responded. Out of those 130 unified school districts, only 83 reported “that they regularly collect
data regarding student sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity” (Equality
California, 2019). There is work yet to be done in making sure that LGBTQ students are
supported in secondary schools and specifically middle schools.
Background of the Problem
LGBTQ students in middle school do not have enough resources to help them explore
their respective identities. In lacking resources, “Those who had same-sex attractions in middle
school were significantly less integrated or attached to the school, had greater disengagement,
and were less attached to their teachers than youth with different-sex attractions” (Seelman et al.,
2015). Across the state of California, “LGBTQ youth reported they had a lower level of
connection with school than their non-LGBTQ peers” (Choi et al., 2017). LGBTQ middle school
students have needed and continue to need resources as they progress through the three years of
middle school.
Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs in secondary education have been utilized to help
provide support to LGBTQ students and allies. The origin of GSA clubs stemmed from the
creation of “The Hetrick-Martin Institute’s Harvey Milk School in New York City, and Project
10 in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1984 and 1985” working towards “addressing
the difficulties encountered by students perceived to be lesbian or gay in schools” (Griffin &
Ouellet, 2003). GSA clubs first started to appear in schools “in 1989 at two private schools in
Massachusetts, . . . which led to the formation of many new GSAs” (Snively, 2004). Griffin et al.
(2004) affirmed that “School-based GSAs are the most visible and widely adopted strategies” in
3

working with LGBT student issues. In California, “LGBTQ youth in rural areas experienced a
more negative school environment than LGBTQ youth in urban areas,” and consequently, more
GSA clubs are reported in urban areas over rural areas (Equality California, 2019). The Human
Rights Campaign Foundation (2018) conducted a survey of middle and high school students in
California and found that 70% of students have access to a GSA or similar club but “only 20% of
LGBTQ youth in California hear positive messages about being an LGBTQ person in schools.”
Within GSA clubs, the adult club advisor plays an integral role in how GSA clubs operate
and strategies that are utilized to assist students. Some of the strategies utilized by GSA club
advisors include how students respond to LGBTQ slurs used by other students, the addressing of
LGBTQ issues by students, working with colleagues who are resistant to discussing LGBTQ
issues, and how visible LGBTQ messages are around the school campus (Graybill et al., 2015).
Pertaining directly to middle schools, “school districts should devote greater attention to
implementing these supportive resources” (Kosciw et al., 2018). Middle school GSA advisors
are key to implementing support structures for LGBTQ students.
To better understand how GSA clubs in middle schools are able to successfully help
students and school climates, this study will use an ecological systems theory to examine how
GSA clubs operate in middle schools and help to sustain the operation of the clubs.
Bronfenbrenner’s (1981) “ecological environment is conceived as extending far beyond the
immediate situation directly affecting the developing person—the objects to which he responds
or the people with whom he interacts on a face-to-face basis.” Watson et al. (2010) specifically
identified three ecological environments that impact GSA clubs: “sociocultural factors, school-
based factors, and individual factors.”
4

This study will provide insight into how middle school GSAs operate in order to serve
LGBTQ students to promote a positive student climate for the entire school by understanding the
factors that go into making middle school GSA clubs sustainable on campuses.
Statement of the Problem
Middle school GSA clubs are not as prevalent in middle schools as they are in high
schools. According to Kosciw et al. (2018), “LGBTQ students in middle school had more hostile
school experiences and less access to LGBTQ-related school supports than LGBTQ students in
high school.” Students who identify as LBGTQ are a minority as, “Overall, 10.3% of
California’s students in public middle and high schools identified as LGBTQ” (Choi et al.,
2017). Additionally, Choi et al. (2017) stressed, “Across the state, LBGTQ youth reported
having less meaningful school participation, lower expectations from adults, fewer caring adult
relationships at school, and a lower level of school connection than non-LGBTQ youth.” This
study will examine how middle school GSA clubs are supported by school administration, club
advisors, and other school stakeholders in order to show how middle school GSAs are able to
function in sustainable ways.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to provide insight into how middle school GSA clubs in Los
Angeles County operate and how relationships between a GSA club and a middle school stay
sustaining. Interviews will be conducted with middle school principals and middle school GSA
advisors in order to understand both the formal and informal experiences of school leaders who
interact with and run GSA clubs.
This study explores how middle school GSA clubs formed in Los Angeles County and
how they are able to sustain club membership. In looking at how middle school GSA clubs are
5

able to operate, middle school principals will also be interviewed to better understand their role
in the GSA club operation. Additionally, the study examines the relationship that the GSA
advisor has not only to the club itself but also to other school stakeholders. Through an
ecological systems theory, this study looks at how GSA clubs operate not only within themselves
as a club but also their influence on middle school social climate. Ecological environments look
at how an individual's impact with their environment shapes who they are (Bronfenbrenner,
1981). The formal and informal experiences of middle school principals and GSA advisors will
be determined by using a narrative analysis approach in order to best understand how GSA clubs
operate to support students in middle schools.
The following research questions were used to guide this study:
1. How were middle school GSA clubs established at middle schools?
2. What practices, strategies, and resources do principals use to create/sustain middle school
GSAs?
3. What is the role of the middle school GSA advisor in leading the club?
4. How have middle school GSA clubs evolved over time?
Significance of the Study
This research study will provide insight into the formal and informal experiences of
middle school principals and GSA advisors who have successfully launched and sustained GSA
clubs at middle schools and may help other middle schools to launch GSA clubs.
Limitations and Delimitations
This study was limited to middle school principals, GSA advisors, and middle school
GSA clubs in Los Angeles County. Interview questions related to the history middle school GSA
clubs, practices/strategies to sustain GSA clubs, roles of principals and GSA advisors, and
6

evolution of GSA clubs were limited to the relevance of the research participants’ personal
experiences.
The delimitations of this study were limited to middle school principals and GSA club
advisors, geographic region (Los Angeles County, California), and the number of middle school
principals and GSA club advisors interviewed.
Definition of Terms
Queer refers especially to younger individuals, who do not identify as heterosexual only—it is
not an accepted term by everyone in the LGBTQ community (Defining LGBTQ, 2019).
Transgender refers to those whose gender expression and/or gender identity is different from
what the sex they were given at birth (Defining LGBTQ, 2019).
Organization of the Study
This study is organized into five chapters. Chapter one provides an overview of the study
and gives reason as to why this topic is important conduct research on. Chapter one also
describes context and background from which the problem results from. Chapter two gives a
review of literature that relates to the research questions. The conclusion of chapter two provides
comments on the literature review and why there is a need to study this topic. Chapter three is
the methods section where the purpose for studying and research questions are restated. The
rationale for utilizing a qualitative method will also be given. Chapter four is an analysis of the
data collected from the interviews. Finally, chapter five concludes the study in proving a
discussion of findings, implications, and recommendations for future research on the study of
middle school GSA clubs.

7

Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
Gay Straight Alliance Clubs have arisen out of the need for LGBTQ students and their
allies to have safe spaces at schools. These clubs have been able to succeed in Los Angeles
County because of California state laws, research concerning the needs of LGBTQ students, and
the work that GSA club advisors have done to make sure that clubs are sustainable on campuses.
GSA clubs in middle schools are a relatively new phenomenon. It is important to study this issue
in order to understand how GSA clubs are able to work on middle school campuses in order to
provide support to LGBTQ students. In this chapter, I will first review a history of GSA clubs in
public schools and what led to their formation. Then, I will look at California state laws that have
been enacted to support LGBTQ students, such as the FAIR Education Act and Seth’s Law.
Additionally, I will look at the major stakeholders in GSA clubs, including club strategies for
gaining and maintaining student members, the role of club advisors, and also school principals. I
will complete the chapter by looking at theories involved in studying GSA clubs and complete
the chapter by presenting the conceptual framework.
A History of Gay Straight Alliances in Public Schools
GSAs were created out of a need to give gay and lesbian students safe places to express
their identities (Griffin & Ouellet, 2003). An antecedent of GSA clubs was support positions by
many teacher unions across the United States towards gay and lesbian employment rights in the
1980s (Griffin & Ouellet, 2003). Additionally, many research journals in the psychology,
medical, and social work fields during the same time period started to publish articles focusing
on gay and lesbian youth (Griffin & Ouellet, 2003). Two programs supporting gay and lesbian
youth were created by the mid-1980s in response to the need for gay and lesbian students to have
safe spaces: Project 10 in the Los Angeles Unified School District and The Hetrick-Martin
8

Institute’s Harvey Milk School in New York City (Griffin & Ouellet, 2003). As a result of the
work from many individuals and advocacy groups in the 1980s, the National Education
Association (NEA) passed a resolution in 1988 in support of protecting rights of gay and lesbian
students in schools (Griffin & Ouellet, 2003).
The Hetrick-Martin Institute’s Harvey Milk School and Project 10
The Hetrick-Martin Institute started in 1979 in New York City, New York and is known
as the oldest and largest organization helping LGBTQ youth (LGBTQ Youth Services & Centre -
About Us, 2020). In working specifically with LGBTQ youth, The Hetrick-Martin Institute
“believes all young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and
supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential” (LGBTQ Youth Services &
Centre - About Us, 2020). The Harvey Milk School was created in collaboration with the New
York City Department of Education to serve LGBTQ youth and those specifically at-risk
(LGBTQ Youth Services & Centre - About Us, 2020).
Dr. Virginia Uribe started Project 10 in the Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD) in 1984 while working on her Ph D. in Psychology (A Brief History). In describing
her intentions for starting Project 10, Dr. Uribe stated:
Every young person has a right to a sense of self-respect and dignity. In public education
we serve the needs of all of our students. Some are gay and lesbian and we need to serve
them too. We’re supposed to be teaching them to live in an increasingly diverse society.
This shouldn’t be a place where prejudice is fostered. It’s where discrimination should
be fought. (A Brief History)
In her research, Dr. Uribe noted how very few services existed for gay and lesbian students at the
time within schools (A Brief History). In starting Project 10, Dr. Uribe worked with numerous
9

experts for counseling advice and currently today, Project 10 has many groups in LAUSD high
schools and some middle schools (A Brief History).
The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educational Network (GLSEN)
The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educational Network (GLSEN) started in 1990 by a
group of teachers with a mission to create learning environments that are safe for LGBTQ youth
(About Us GLSEN, 2019). The GLSEN uses research-based solutions in addressing K-12
environments and work with thousands of GSAs across the country (About Us GLSEN, 2019).
In helping to enact laws in fifteen states, the GLSEN also worked to pass legislation for the Safe
Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act (About Us GLSEN, 2019).
Today, the GLSEN has a network of more than 1.5 million educators, students, parents, and
education advocates (About Us GLSEN, 2019). Additionally, the GLSEN offers “Safe Space
Kits” for schools looking for assistance in protecting LGBTQ students and their allies (About Us
GLSEN, 2019). The GLSEN reported that from 2001 to 2017, LGBTQ students reported a rise in
GSAs at their schools nationally from 10% of schools having a GSA to 60% (Kosciw et al.,
2018). Though the numbers of GSAs in the United States have risen nationally, only 20.7% of
middle school students reported having a GSA on their campus (Kosciw et al., 2018).
Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Network
The Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Network began in San Francisco, California
in 1998, formerly known as the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Network until 2016 (Mission,
Vision, & History, 2020). Utilizing a youth leadership model, the GSA Network works to
connect GSA clubs and LGBTQ youth through “peer support, leadership development, and
community organizing and advocacy” (Mission, Vision, & History, 2020). The GSA Network
strives to create safe school communities where GSA clubs are able to be started and sustained
10

(Mission, Vision, & History, 2020). By 2005, the GSA Network helped to create the National
Association of GSA Networks to support GSAs across the country (Mission, Vision, & History,
2020). In California, the GSA Network has over 100 middle schools registered with over 30 in
Los Angeles County (C. Covington, personal communication, February 12, 2020).
Laws Regarding LGBTQ Students in California
Over the past decade, California has enacted laws targeted towards the safety of LGBTQ
students (Equality California, 2019). Additionally, some of these laws have also addressed
utilizing LGBTQ curriculum in middle and high schools (Equality California, 2019). Although
many laws have been passed, Equality California has addressed the fact that “many school
districts lack the resources to implement these laws, face hostile local social climates that impede
implementation or lack awareness regarding the laws’ requirements and the best ways to meet
them” (2019 Safe & Supportive Schools Report Card, 2018).
FAIR Education Act
LGBTQ laws pertaining to school curriculum in California look at the inclusion of
LGBTQ individuals and how sexual education is taught. Enacted on January 1, 2012, the FAIR
(Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, Respectful) Education Act mandated that history and social studies
school curriculum must include individuals with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ
community (About the FAIR Education Act, 2016). Additionally, the FAIR Education Act
amended California Education Code to make sure that a diverse range of cultural groups are
studied in schools (About the FAIR Education Act, 2016).
Seth’s Law
Seth’s Law went into effect on July 1, 2012 and sought to specifically address anti-
bullying policies by “protecting students who are bullied based on their actual or perceived
11

sexual orientation and gender identity/gender expression, as well as race, ethnicity, nationality,
gender, disability, and religion” (AB 9: Seth’s Law, 2012). This law required all California
schools to update their anti-bullying policies to include a focus on protecting students who are
bullied because of gender identity and expression and actual or perceived sexual orientation (AB
9: Seth’s Law, 2012). Amending California Education Code, Seth’s Law requires that if school
personnel witness any act of bullying behavior that immediate steps are to be taken to intervene
(AB 9: Seth’s Law, 2012).
School Success and Opportunity Act
On August 12, 2013, the School Success and Opportunity Act was signed into law
(Frequently Asked Questions, 2019). This law required that individuals be allowed to participate
in sex segregated activities, programs, and facilities according to one’s gender identity and not
what is listed in the individual’s records (Frequently Asked Questions, 2019). This law was
created in order to ensure that students who identify as transgender or gender questioning were
protected and have the same rights as other students (Frequently Asked Questions, 2019).
California Healthy Youth Act
As it pertains specifically to LGBTQ curriculum, the California Healthy Youth Act made
it so that “Sexual health education must respect and address the needs of students of all genders
and sexual orientations” (Fast Facts, 2015). When discussing relationships, instruction must
address same sex relationships in the same way that opposite sex relationships are viewed and
must also teach about gender expression and gender identity (Fast Facts, 2015). For non-charter
public schools, this mandate went into effect in 2016 and for charter schools during the 2019-
2020 school year (Fast Facts, 2015). Essentially, this law covers all public schools and charter
schools in California.
12

California Assembly Bill 2246
AB 2246 mandated that all middle and high schools in California implement suicide
prevention policies specifically addressing the needs of LGBTQ students in 2016 (AB 2246
Passes, 2017). School districts are required to work with mental health professionals, suicide
prevention experts, and community stakeholders to craft suicide prevention policies (AB 2246
Passes, 2017). According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (2018), California
educators need to look at the California Healthy Kids Survey to view the percentage of students
within their district and schools who have “seriously considered suicide” each year as part of AB
2246.
California Assembly Bill 493
AB 493 requires that all teachers (seventh to twelfth grade) and other certified educators
on California school campuses become trained on school and community resources available to
support LGBTQ students (California Assembly, 2019). Online training would be required every
two years for those who teach seventh through twelfth graders, as well as other certified school
employees (California Assembly, 2019). This law went into effect on January 1, 2020 as a
response to a continued commitment by California state lawmakers to provide safe public-school
environments for all students including LGBTQ students (CA Assembly, 2019).
The Sense of Belonging to One’s School
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (2018) indicated that LGBTQ youth face more
mental health disparities than their non-LGBTQ counterparts. LGBTQ youth also face a higher
probability of encountering harassment, rejection from family and school staff, and a feeling that
they do not belong in schools than their non-LGBTQ peers (Human Rights Campaign
13

Foundation, 2018). The presence of a GSA club on a school campus serves as a symbol for
LGBTQ students that their identities manner (Poteat et al., 2012).
GSAs are connected with positive academic and social-emotional outcomes in LGBTQ
students. Toomey and Russell (2011) noted that GSAs on campus show positive associations
with school belonginess and higher GPAs. Poteat et al. (2012) described how having a GSA
presence on a school campus may have a positive effect on the sense of belonging that LGBTQ
students have towards school and their feeling of safety because there is a dedicated LGBTQ
space. GSAs not only give a sense of belonging to schools but also to those working at schools.
When a school has a greater number of adults deemed safe to speak to about sexual orientation
or gender identity, LGBTQ students felt more engaged (Seelman et al., 2015). Additionally,
when a school has an LGBTQ-intense curriculum, LGBTQ students reported that they felt a
greater sense of belonging to their school (Kosciw et al., 2018). GSAs have the potential to
provide a place for LGBTQ students that they would not otherwise have at schools.
Involvement and Strategies for Gay Straight Alliances
Successful GSAs utilize strategies to not only get students to attend meetings but also
stay engaged in attending more meetings (Friedman-Nimz et al., 2006). Poteat et al. (2018)
emphasized how GSAs create greater civic engagement through students taking on leadership
roles. By taking on such leadership roles, students involved in GSAs are more aware of LGBTQ
issues and create an awareness on campus that gives the potential for even more student
involvement (Poteat et al., 2018). Student leadership in GSAs is a key for students to also remain
engaged in making the clubs successful. Rizga (2016-2017) noted that it takes authentic student
ownership over GSAs in order for success to occur. Student-led GSAs give GSAs authenticity on
school campuses amongst students (Hand, 2012).
14

Structure of GSA Clubs and School Support
The structure of a GSA club and support it receives from the school plays a role in
determining whether the club is successful or not. GSA activities may include members offering
support to each other in meetings informally, inviting guest speakers to meetings, and
coordinating special events (Hand, 2012). Hand (2012) also described how one mission of GSAs
is to combat heterosexism and homophobia against students and staff on school campuses. GSAs
also need the support of their schools to help with their success to reduce sexism, racism, and
bullying to students who have disabilities (Rizga, 2016). The success of a GSA relies not only on
what the GSA does itself but also on the support it receives from the school. Ideally, GSA clubs
may attract LGBTQ student allies who do not identify as LGBTQ but join to have a safe place
where their individual identities are able to be revealed (Rizga, 2016). With the support of
schools, GSAs are able to participate in National Coming Out Day and the National Day of
Silence as well (Quasha et al., 2014).
Campus Staff Support
Adults on school campuses provide a key support for the success of GSAs. Adults who
communicate openness to LGBTQ youth over closed hostility contribute to an overall better
school climate (Seelman et al., 2015). Supportive adults also contribute to make for a more
successful GSA experience for students. Seelman et al. (2015) also found that personal
relationships with adults on a school campus are extremely important in working with LGBTQ
youth. With adults invested in the success of a GSA club, the GSA has a better chance of also
attracting LGBTQ student allies who do not identify as LGBTQ but join to have a safe place
where their individual identities are able to be revealed (Rizga, 2016). The support of campus
staff helps GSA clubs to be successful.
15

The Role of the Club Advisor in Gay Straight Alliances
A GSA club advisor is an adult leader (usually a teacher) on campus who guides the club
and is the direct liaison with a school’s administration regarding club matters. Additionally, GSA
club advisors guide club meetings, often set agendas, and gauge what the club needs for
continued success and membership. One of the toughest barriers for school employees in
becoming GSA club advisors is that negative attention from school administration could arise if
administrators do not agree with the views of the GSA (Buehler et al., 2011). A supportive
district and school administration are crucial to an employee wanting to be a GSA club advisor
(Buehler et al., 2011).
Becoming a GSA Advisor
Those becoming GSA advisors do so for a variety of reasons. Some GSA advisors
become advisors because they are concerned about the welfare of LGBTQ students and they
have empathy for the struggles that LGBTQ students go through in school (Valenti & Campbell,
2009). Furthermore, many GSA advisors are motivated by offering a space in which they are
able to offer support by listening to students (Valenti & Campbell, 2009). Friedman-Nimz et al.
(2006) looked at how many GSA advisors are motivated by offering a space in which they are
able to offer support by listening to students. The GSA advisor role is not just the adult leader of
a student-led club but also a mentor for LGBTQ students who may not have anyone else to turn
to on a school campus (Friedman-Nimz et al., 2006).
GSA advisors also take on organizational leadership roles within the club through the use
of critical pedagogy (Mayo, 2013). The use of critical pedagogy is characterized as: “expanding
students’ knowledge, facilitating students’ activism and encouraging students’ reflection on
significant interactions with peers and family” (Mayo, 2013). Critical pedagogy is necessary for
16

advisors to utilize in order to give GSA member students access to important information and
issues, be involved in community and school issues related to the club and be able to reflect on
moments when homophobia impacted student lives (Mayo, 2013). Furthermore, GSA advisors
are a gauge of school culture as related to LGBTQ students. Graybill et al. (2015) emphasized
how GSA advisors should act when encountering derogatory words used towards the LGBTQ
community from other students by pulling those students aside and explaining why such
comments are inappropriate or telling the student that the comment is inappropriate. GSA
advisors are some of the most trusted adults for LGBTQ students on a school campus in creating
learning environments that are safe (Graybill et al., 2015).
The Role of the School Principal in Gay Straight Alliances
The school principal plays an integral role in how successful GSA clubs are on campus
through their support or non-support. While public-school principals are not allowed to ban
GSAs on school campuses, their willingness to help out GSAs is one integral component to the
support GSAs receive from the school (How to Start a Gay-Straight Alliance, 2020). A public-
school principal who is supportive is key to helping a GSA become established more quickly
(How to Start a Gay-Straight Alliance, 2020). One responsibility for school principals is to create
an environment where all students are able to be educated (Mendels, 2012). Another
responsibility for school principals is to build a sense of community for students so that they feel
a belonginess to the school (Mendels, 2012). By supporting GSAs, school principals are helping
to responsibly create safe areas for LGBTQ students, ally students, and staff members who
support LGBTQ students. Specifically, middle school principals are in a position to greatly offer
support to middle school GSA clubs.

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Queer Theory
GSA clubs are places where students are able to question their identity and discover who
they are. Arising out of the 1980s, queer theory came out of the gay and lesbian civil rights
movements, issues concerning pornography censorship amongst feminists, and the AIDS
epidemic (Morland, 2005). When AIDS was discovered not to target individual groups or people
but that its spread usually depended on one’s individual choices, it was realized that one’s
identity could keep them safe rather than place them in a negatively viewed group category
(Morland, 2005). Mayo (2004) asserted that queer theory has helped to blur identity categories,
as the theory looks at sexuality as constantly negotiated and indeterminate. Furthermore, “queer
theory politicizes sex, gender, and sexuality in a way that severs the notion of identity from any
stable reference points” (Morland, 2005). Many students in GSA clubs are questioning their
identity and/or may be in the process of “coming out” or trying to determine who they are
(Mayo, 2004). GSAs are able to provide a space for students to explore their own identities
without fear of prejudice.
Minority Stress Theory
GSA clubs are places where students are able to feel safe being who they want to be.
Minority stress theory is utilized the describe the stigmatization that minority communities feel
in society. Meyer (2003) described minority stress theory as the excess stress that stigmatized
people may feel as a result of their minority position in a society. Three processes of minority
stress effect the LGBTQ community and other minority communities according to this theory:
external and objective events and conditions that cause stress (chronic and acute), expectations of
stressful events and the vigilance needed to handle them, and internalizing negative societal
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attitudes (Meyer, 2003). Within a school, GSAs operate to assist students with their minority
status in the public-school environment.
Additionally, there needs to be a realization that the LGBTQ community is multi-cultural
and containing of intersecting identities. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (2018)
stressed the need for an “intersectional approach” when working with LGBTQ youth of color.
LGBTQ students of color may face stigmatizing not only from identifying as part of the LGBTQ
community but also face “racial discrimination and/or xenophobia that can further complicate
their ability to thrive in school and beyond” (The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 2018).
GSA clubs need to be aware of intersectionality and the role it plays in students’ lives.
Ecological Systems Framework for Gay Straight Alliance Advising
An ecological systems framework puts together various stakeholders involved in creating
successful advocating for LGBTQ students. With this model, one can look at certain
stakeholders as either helping or hurting LGBTQ students. Watson et al. (2010) described an
ecological systems framework for GSAs as the relationship between sociocultural factors
(parents, public policy, cultural norms, community resources), school-based factors
(administration, school personnel non-administrators, students, school policy, school-based
resources), and individual factors (consequences to advocacy, sexual identity of advisor,
knowledge of LGBTQ issues, personality characteristics, personal experiences) as creating both
openings and closings to advocacy for GSA advisors. Utilizing ecological systems is a way for
advisors to possibly understand how to work within each of these factors to create changes
within their schools (Watson et al., 2010). Furthermore, these different ecological systems may
hinder or benefit advocacy for LGBTQ students by how each category within each factor
operates (Watson et al., 2010).
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Conclusion
Despite the many laws passed to protect LGBTQ students and allow for GSA clubs on
school campuses, only 20.7% of middle schools in the United States have GSAs (Kosciw et al.,
2018). Additionally, in Los Angeles County, the GSA Network only has 30 registered clubs as of
2020 (C. Covington, personal communication, February 12, 2020). A significant amount of
literature serves as witness to the benefits that GSAs on school campuses have towards overall
school support for LGBTQ students, increasing student sense of belonging towards school, and
LGBTQ student safety (Graybill et al., 2015; Griffin and Ouellet, 2003; Mayo, 2004; Poteat et
al., 2012; Seelman et al., 2015).
More GSA clubs continue to be established at schools throughout the country (Kosciw et
al., 2018). Although there are more GSA clubs, there needs to be more research regarding GSA
clubs at the middle school level in order to support students who need what a GSA could
provide. Research looking into middle school GSA advisors and middle school principals with
active GSA clubs on campus is needed in order to guide other middle schools as to how to start
their own GSA clubs.
There are many laws that fully support middle schools having GSA clubs—FAIR
Education Act, School Success and Opportunity Act, California Healthy Youth Act, AB 2246,
and AB 493 (AB 2246 Passes; About the FAIR Education Act, 2016; CA Assembly, 2019; Fast
Facts, 2015; Frequently Asked Questions, 2019). Although these laws exist, there needs to be
continued research looking at what the presence of a middle school GSA does for a campus and
why more do not currently exist. Additionally, looking at how middle school GSA clubs sustain
themselves is needed in research.
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GLSEN’s survey data shows that from 2001 to 2017, the number of GSAs reported by
LGBTQ students rose across the nation from 10% of schools with a GSA to 60% (Kosciw et al.,
2018). With GSAs continuing to rise, future middle school principals, middle school GSA
advisors, and LGBTQ students need to be encouraged and supported to keep creating sustaining
GSA clubs.

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Chapter Three: Methodology
Only 20.7% of middle schools reported having GSAs nationally (Kosciw et al., 2018).
The California-based GSA Network has over 100 middle school GSAs registered with over 30 in
Los Angeles County (C. Covington, personal communication, February 12, 2020). There were
664 middle schools in Los Angeles County during the 2019-2020 school year (Top LA County,
2020). GSAs help to support LGBTQ students’ and their allies’ social, emotional, and overall
feelings of safety while at school. Under the federal Equal Access Act (EAA) of 1984, any
school that permits non-curriculum related student groups must provide equal access to all
student groups, and that includes equal access for GSAs (The Right, 2010). Though the EAA
exists, in schools that are less supportive of the establishment of GSAs, there may be greater
resistance when advisors attempt to advocate on behalf of LGBTQ youth (Watson et al., 2010).
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study is to examine how established middle school GSAs are able to
thrive and encourage more middle schools to establish GSAs. By middle schools understanding
how GSAs are able to work, those starting GSAs may be better equipped for handling any issues
that may arise.
The following research questions were used to guide this study:
1. How were middle school GSA clubs established at middle schools?
2. What practices, strategies, and resources do principals use to create/sustain middle school
GSAs?
3. What is the role of the middle school GSA advisor in leading the club?
4. How have middle school GSA clubs evolved over time?

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Selection of the Population
I interviewed GSA club advisors and principals at middle schools currently with active
GSAs in Los Angeles County. The knowledge gained from the interviews will support more
middle schools and individuals at middle schools to create GSA clubs for students. Participants
in this study were five middle school GSA advisors along with five middle school principals who
currently have active GSA clubs. Some GSA advisors disclosed that because of COVID-19, their
middle school GSA clubs were on hold for the 2020-2021 school year. I still conducted
interviews with these schools because they still had middle school GSA clubs up until COVID-
19. Middle schools with GSAs were selected by searching Los Angeles County school districts
and looking on individual middle school websites for GSA clubs. During the selection process,
middle schools who openly displayed that they had a GSA club or a similarly named club on
their school website were selected to be contacted. Because of the prominence in displaying the
club on the school website, I felt that these clubs would be more open to participating in the
study. Additional middle schools were selected based upon being within Los Angeles County,
being a public middle school, and having a website with contact information for the school
principal to see if a GSA club existed.
In order to conduct this study, I selected a qualitative design in order to discover the
perspectives and personal experiences of middle school GSA advisors and middle school
principals (Patton, 2002). Purposeful sampling was needed in this study since the subject was
specific—middle school GSAs (Merriam & Tisdell, 2017). Convenience sampling also
supported the study since I was very limited on the number of individuals to seek for an
interview since the number of known middle school GSAs in Los Angeles County was limited
23

(Merriam & Tisdell, 2017). As I focused on middle schools with GSA clubs, the GSA advisors
and middle principals represented varied backgrounds and experiences.
Design Summary
Qualitative design was important for this study to be able to understand others’
experiences and how they have made sense of their experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2017).
Particular to this study, understanding how individual middle school GSA groups function
required speaking to middle school principals and GSA advisors directly through Zoom
meetings. This study focused on the research questions and purpose of the research study from
chapter one. Chapter two addressed the literature review and chapter three focused on how data
was collected. Chapter four and chapter five interpreted, analyzed, and reported out the data.
Methodology
The methodology consisted of open-ended interview questions that were acquired from
middle school principals and GSA advisors. Since school administrators and GSA advisors play
integral roles in how GSAs operate at schools, interviewing those individuals directly gave
information as to how GSAs functioned (Watson et al., 2018). In developing the interview
process, I used a semi-structured format in order to ask questions with flexibility depending on
how interviewees responded (Merriam & Tisdell, 2017). By utilizing a semi-structured interview
format, I was able to respond to answers given by interviewees in a way that allowed for new
ideas to develop (Merriam & Tisdell, 2017). By interviewing middle school principals, I was
able to understand how GSAs developed at middle schools and how they are sustained.
Additionally, GSA advisors were interviewed in order to discover the role they play in
overseeing GSAs and how the role has evolved over time. All four research questions were
addressed in the interview questions, which utilized a qualitative design.
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Qualitative Design
To ensure internal validity, triangulation of data was utilized by interviewing different
people (middle school principals and GSA advisors) and cross-checking data through the
extensive literature review. Furthermore, the theories of queer theory and minority stress theory
were utilized to connect the findings to macro perspectives.
Qualitative Instrument
Qualitative data was gathered through the use of interview questions that focused on the
research questions. The interview consisted of 10 questions for GSA advisors and eight questions
for middle school principals. Probing questions were asked during the interview process to ask
for more details and clarification making the interview semi-structured (Merriam & Tisdell,
2017). Interviews were conducted online with video and audio through Zoom.
Data Collection

I followed qualitative methods for data collection presented by Merriam and Tisdell
(2017): develop a goal of investigation, allow for flexible design characteristics, use purposeful
sampling, collect data through interviews, analyze the data, and describe the data. Interviews
were conducted with five GSA advisors and five middle school principals from a total of five
middle schools. Purposeful sampling was utilized to make sure that the conditions were met in
utilizing middle schools with GSAs and the availability of the GSA advisor and principal to be
interviewed. In dealing with the topic of middle school GSAs, it is imperative that prior consent
is given to me to protect interview subjects from harm (Merriam & Tisdell, 2017). I contacted
interviewees one month prior to the interview. I asked the subjects if they were comfortable with
being recorded for the interview. Additionally, by being overt with research procedures and
purpose, I was able to access those wanted to interview and observe (Bogdan & Biklen, 2016).
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Each interview took approximately 30 minutes to 45 minutes to complete and all the interviews
were transcribed and reviewed by me.
Data Analysis
This study utilized a qualitative approach in acquiring data from interviews. All items
from the interview questions were directly related to the research questions. All interviews were
transcribed and coded by me. I analyzed the data from the interview participants focusing on
patterns and insight given from the participants related to the research questions (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2017). By using multiple sources of data, crosschecking data with the literature review,
and utilizing multiple theories, I was able to increase the credibility and internal validity of the
findings (Merriam & Tisdell, 2017).
Queer theory and minority stress theory were applied as a way to connect my findings
with wider ranging perspectives. Additionally, I made sure that each participant’s confidentiality
was preserved during the entire research process. Glesne (2011) addressed cultural
considerations in ethics and how people act as a way to inform the process of research. When
preparing for interviews, I made sure to review his own ethical considerations regarding not
being directly part of the LGBTQ community. Multiple steps were taken to ensure reliability and
validity during the study including data triangulation, maintaining ethical principles, utilizing
peer review, having an audit trail, and finding variation in sample selection (Merriam & Tisdell,
2017).
Summary
This study utilized a qualitative approach, gathering data from interviews. The data
collected from middle school principals and GSA advisors were analyzed to target the four
research questions: the establishment of GSAs at middle schools; practices, strategies, and
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resources principals use to create/sustain GSAs; the role of the GSA advisor in a GSA; and the
evolution of middle school GSAs over time. These findings have been presented in chapter four
with a discussion in chapter 5.

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Chapter Four: Findings
The purpose of this research was to explore how middle schools GSAs were created; how
they have evolved over time; and the relationships between middle school GSAs, the GSA club
advisors, and middle school principals. This study also looked to inform the practices, strategies,
and resources that middle school principals utilize to sustain GSA membership. The intent of this
study was to inform middle school principals on how GSAs can be created at middle schools,
and the integral role that middle school principals play in a GSA being successful or not being
successful. An additional outcome of this study was to support and emphasize the importance of
middle school GSA club advisors to achieving positive club outcomes. Specifically focusing on
the role of the middle school principal and the GSA club advisor, the results and findings from
this study are presented in this chapter. The following results give way to valuable information
regarding positive and negative factors faced by middle school GSAs, how middle school GSAs
are supported by school administration, how the school community is supported by middle
school GSAs, the role of the GSA club advisor, and how club membership is sustained.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to investigate how GSA clubs in middle schools are
created and sustained by the middle school principal and club advisor in order to provide a safe
space for LGBTQ students and their allies. While there is much research looking at high school
GSA clubs, there is a definite dearth of research strictly focusing on middle schools. LGBTQ
students in middle school face more negative school experiences than students in high school
(Kosciw et al., 2018). GSAs on campus serve as a symbol for LGBTQ students to show that their
identities manner (Poteat et al., 2012). While LGBTQ middle school students face more negative
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experiences than LGBTQ high school students, the GSA Network only has 30 registered GSAs
in Los Angeles County (C. Covington, personal communication, February 12, 2020).
There are multiple studies that look at how critical it is to further explore the need for
middle school GSA clubs. In Equality California’s “2019 Safe & Supportive Schools Report
Card,” students who identify as LGBTQ account for over 10% of public high school and middle
school students, while “only 32% of LGBTQ students feel comfortable being their authentic
selves on campus.” Furthermore, out of 130 districts who responded to Equality California’s
2019 survey, only 19 school districts reported that 50% of their middle schools have GSAs and
only 12 districts stated all of their middle schools have GSAs. There is great potential for schools
to support their LGBTQ students through GSAs. The Equality California 2019 Safe &
Supportive Schools Report Card demonstrated the lack of overall support that LGBTQ students
have in California. Second, the “GLSEN 2017 National School Climate Survey” examined how
LGBTQ students in middle school are not as likely to have access to LGBTQ school resources as
high school students, while also facing more antagonistic experiences in school than high school
LGBTQ students (Kosciw et al., 2018). Specifically, middle school students face more
victimization from their peers based on gender expression and sexual orientation than high
school students (Kosciw et al., 2018). The “GLSEN 2017 National Climate Survey” contributed
to the growing discourse revolving around negative experiences that middle school LGBTQ
students face and the disconnect in resources that these students have at school (Kosciw et al.,
2018). Third, The Williams Institute’s “LGBTQ Youth in California’s Public Schools:
Differences Across the State” (2020) report concluded that LGBTQ students felt less safe at
middle and high schools than non-LGBTQ students based on survey data. Additionally, LGBTQ
students reported twice as many school absences for being “sad, hopeless, anxious, etc.” than
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non-LGBTQ students (Choi et al., 2017). The Williams’ Institute report demonstrated that
LGBTQ students may miss school days because of negative feelings associated with school
safety and fear (LGBTQ Youth, 2020). Lastly, The Human Right Campaign Foundation (2018)
reported that only 20% of LGBTQ students heard positive messages regarding being LGBTQ at
middle and high schools. LGBTQ students are attending school in more fear than their non-
LGBTQ peers and are also not receiving positive affirming messages regarding their identities.
Middle school GSA clubs require support from a variety of stakeholders. In supporting a
GSA club advisor, there are many elements needed for support: parents, public policy, cultural
norms, and community resources (Watson et al., 2010). Watson et al. (2010) explained that
“sociocultural factors were identified as being external to the school system or factors within the
community or larger society that influenced advisors’ advocacy efforts.” In some communities,
the existence of a middle school GSA is nearly impossible because of barriers faced from a
sociocultural perspective. Even with support from stakeholders outside the school, GSAs also
face many school-based factors that influence their continued existence: administration, non-
administrator school personnel, students, school policy, and school-based resources (Watson et
al., 2010). Depending on the school climate, these school-based factors will either have positive
or negative impacts on GSA clubs. By utilizing minority stress theory and queer theory, this
study examined the existence of GSA clubs on middle school campuses and what leads to middle
school GSAs to sustain themselves.
A GSA club serves as a safe space where students are able to explore their identities.
Mayo (2004) emphasized that “in much the way queer theory contends sexuality is
indeterminate, in play, and constantly negotiated, student groups often make this negotiation and
play central to their conversation.” Furthermore, many students in GSA clubs are questioning
30

their identity, and in turn, utilizing queer theory to eliminate “the notion of identity from any
stable reference points” (Moreland & Willox, 2005). Additionally, minority stress theory is
utilized within GSA clubs to view stressful events internally and externally, how to handle
stressful events, and the internalization of negative societal attitudes and the effects of those
attitudes (Meyer, 2003). Furthermore, GSA clubs are able to serve as safe places for students to
recognize the intersectionality of LGBTQ status and race, tying together ideals of queer theory
and minority stress theory. The aim of this study was to understand how GSA clubs are able to
start in middle schools, thrive in middle schools, and explain the relationship of the GSA club to
the middle school via the administration to hopefully give a guide to middle school leaders as
how to start a GSA club at their own school or keep membership sustaining.
Presentation of Findings
Beginning with an exploration of two main aspects of the research, this chapter will
focus on responses given by middle school principals and middle school GSA advisors. A
description of the interview responses will be explained first. An analysis looking at how the
findings address the research questions follows. The following research questions helped guide
this study:
1. How were middle school GSA clubs established at middle schools?
2. What practices, strategies, and resources do principals use to create/sustain middle school
GSAs?
3. What is the role of the middle school GSA advisor in leading the club?
4. How have middle school GSA clubs evolved over time?
Organization of Data Analysis
The data analysis begins by describing how the research questions were viewed via the
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instrumentation method. Next, is a section which describes the interview participants. The last
section is devoted to a detailed analysis regarding the findings for each research question.
The qualitative data gathered was acquired through the use of semi-structured, open-
ended interviews. At least one middle school out of 53 school districts with middle schools in
Los Angeles County (not including Los Angeles Unified School District or Burbank Unified
School District) were contacted via e-mail at least two times (if no response was given from the
first e-mail). If a school district had more than one middle school, a second middle school was
contacted in the school district in order to try and contact more middle schools within a school
district. When I inquired about a GSA club at middle schools, most schools responded either
with not having a GSA club or not responding at all. Five middle schools participated in the
interviews in total. Five middle school principals participated in the interviews along with five
middle school GSA advisors in separate interviews. The interview questions were written to
address one or more of the research questions. Middle school principals were asked eight
questions and middle school GSA advisors were asked 11 questions. Because of middle school
GSA advisors working directly with the GSA clubs, additional questions were asked. Both
middle school principal and middle school GSA advisor interviews followed a pattern of asking
how GSA clubs became established, targeting Research Question One. The middle school
principal questions focused more on Research Question Two, suggesting how middle school
principals helped to create/sustain GSA clubs. The middle school GSA advisor was more
focused on for Research Question Three, focusing on the role of the GSA advisor in club
meetings. Finally, Research Question Four was covered mainly in GSA club advisor interviews,
focusing on how GSA clubs have changed over a period of time. Again, I focused on the
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research questions when crafting interview questions for both middle school principals and
middle school GSA advisors.
Descriptive Characteristics
I found that five middle schools in Los Angeles County had active GSA clubs. For
schools that did not have active GSA clubs, answers such as not having a club ever, once having
a club but it does not exist anymore, and there are no clubs because of COVID-19 were given
amongst other “no” responses from middle schools. Out of 82 middle schools contacted, five
middle schools responded and were willing to give interviews.
The qualitative data gathered was acquired through the use of semi-structured, open-
ended interviews. The interview questions were written to support the answering of the research
questions. Merriam and Tisdell (2017) explained when finding a sample size, one consideration
that should be taken is “the resources you have to support the study.” I acquired data via
interviews to allow for interviewees the opportunity “to open up, provide more information,
elaborate and expand on what they have said” (Edwards & Holland, 2013). Furthermore, I
acquired interview data by conducing Zoom meetings and recording the interviews for further
analysis. All interviewees gave signature consent for being video and audio recorded. By
speaking with five middle school principals and five middle school GSA advisors, I was able to
delve into middle school GSAs at individual school sites in relation to the research questions.
Findings Research Question One
Students in middle school are more likely to see bullying and physical harassment when
compared to high school students, while at the same time LGBTQ students feel less connected to
their schools than non-LGBTQ students (Choi et al., 2017; McEwing et al., 2018). My intent in
Research Question One was to understand how middle school GSA clubs were established and
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why they were created in light of the research stating that these spaces are needed for student
connection to school. Categories emerged through searching for common themes in the data to
produce answers to Research Question One utilizing a priori codes based on the Watson et al.,
(2010) ecological framework, queer theory, and minority stress theory. I found that GSA clubs
were usually started by a combination of two stakeholders at middle schools. First, a student or
students became interested in starting a GSA or similar club where issues could be discussed
pertaining to identity or just having a place away from the rest of the school. For example,
Principal 1 explained, “I had several students who came to me and asked, you know, is there any
way that we can have a club?” The second group of stakeholders in starting middle school GSA
clubs were often staff members. For example, Principal 2 stated, “One of our teachers here on
campus felt there was a need to have a [GSA] club for students who you know were gay,
straight, bisexual, whatever their orientation maybe.” I found that overall GSA clubs were started
mostly by a single student or a group of students at middle schools but also at times because a
staff member saw a need.
In both the middle school principal and GSA advisor interviews, questions were asked
regarding the establishment of GSA clubs at their schools. During this section of the interview,
the middle school principals and GSA club advisors shared examples from their own schools and
experiences with the creation of GSA clubs. A synthesis of two overarching themes regarding
middle school GSA club creation and how these themes informed Research Question One.
Student Club Creation
GLSEN has made available resources for students to start their own GSA clubs on their
school campuses with suggestions, such as finding a faculty member to be the advisor, informing
the school administration, and following guidelines regarding starting a school club (10 Steps,
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2019). #Furthermore, the ACLU also has resources concerning student-led GSA club creation
that includes information if resistance to the club occurs (How to Start, 2020).
During the interviews, I found that middle school principals were supportive of students
starting GSA clubs on their middle school campuses. For example, Principal 3 responded, “I
started to receive requests from students who were inquiring about Unity clubs and a place that
they could go that would be considered a safe place.” Additionally, Principal 5 stated, “It [the
GSA club] got started because students were interested and went through the process with ASB
to get it.” Furthermore, Principal 1 replied, “I was a new principal at the time actually, and I had
several students who came to me and asked … is there any way that we can have a club?” I
found that while all five middle schools principals were supportive, three middle school
principals took on their principal role after the GSA was already established. Despite the GSA
club starting after their principalship, each middle school principal had some knowledge of how
the GSA started on their campus. Principal 4 responded, “I’ll be honest, the GSA club predates
me. I am now entering my fourth year as principal . . . and the GSA club started before that.” I
found that the GSA club advisors had additional details regarding how clubs were created on
campus.
When interviewing GSA advisors, I discovered additional details regarding students
wanting to start GSA clubs. Describing how students approached starting a GSA club, GSA
Advisor 4 stated,
So about five years ago was our first club, and I just had kids approach me. So a girl
approached me and she said, “Can we start a GSA club?” And, I said, immediately, “Of
course. Yes. Definitely.” They [students] must have realized that I was okay with that . . .
so they approached me, and they felt safe enough to do that.
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Additionally, GSA Advisor 5 responded, “The GSA Club was originally established, I
believe by a student. However, I didn’t know them. I think it had been a few years in the making
when our counselor . . . came to me and said, ‘Hey, I think that this might be a program that you
would want to support and then a student came to me.’” I found that while some sort of student
involvement led to the creation of all five GSA middle school cubs, there needed to be some sort
of adult support in order for the club to be created as well. This finding is further indicated in the
next section.
School Staff Club Selection
Middle school staff play an integral role in the creation of GSA clubs. Griffin et al.
(2004) identified four distinct roles that GSA clubs may take on in schools: supporting and
counseling for students, providing a safe space for students, and giving education and awareness
at school. Subsequently, GSA advisors also face socio-cultural factors within their schools such
as parents, public policy, cultural norms, and community resources available (Watson et al.,
2010). The GSA advisor is responsible for taking on these facets that revolve around running a
GSA club.
The researched found that staff creation of GSA middle school clubs supported students
in many of the Griffin et al. (2004) roles and needed to enter the club space within the Watson et
al. (2010) socio-cultural factors. For GSA Advisor 2, the creation of the middle school GSA club
came through a school counseling environment. GSA Advisor 2 stated,
My husband was actually working at . . . at the time. He’s an LCSW [Licensed Clinical
Social Worker]. And so he was there as a social worker full-time and after his first year
of working at the school, he found out that there are a lot of kids that would come to his
office anytime. They got a chance right at snack or lunch or after school . . . and they
36

were all the queer kids and their friends. And so after that he and I already had started
talking about . . . [how] they need another place to go . . . there was a reason that the kids
were ending up in a counseling office. They didn’t feel safe. They didn’t feel like they
had a place in the school . . . so he and I started talking about forming a GSA with those
kids the summer after his first year at [the school].
I found similar origin stories amongst GSA clubs that were formed by school staff. Like GSA
Advisor 2, Principal 3 created the club because of student need. Principal 3 responded,
It [creating the middle school GSA club] actually happened under my leadership. I started
to receive requests from students that were inquiring about like “unity clubs” and a place
that they could go that would be considered a safe space . . . I spent some time talking
to some directors in my district who had experience in other districts GSAs.
As a result of the interviews, I found that school staff took on an integral role in noticing that
middle school GSA clubs needed to be created. Even at times when students might have been
inquiring about starting middle school GSA clubs, it was often the school staff who helped
navigate the socio-cultural factors that can work for or against a club’s success.
Discussion Research Question 1
While middle school students are less likely to have LGBTQ resources when compared
to high school students, the GLSEN Research Institute advocates supporting student groups such
as GSA clubs to give students safe places to discuss LGBTQ issues (Kosciw et al., 2018).
Additionally, advocacy groups like the ACLU and GSA Network provide online resources for
students explaining how to successfully start GSA clubs at schools (“What is a GSA club?”,
2020; “How to Start a Gay-Straight Alliance,” 2020). While some of the middle school
principals and middle school GSA advisors described how students requested for GSA clubs to
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be created, it oftentimes took a school staff member to officially form the clubs. Hence, the
creation of middle school GSA clubs not only relies on student need but also a supportive adult
staff member or supportive adult staff members (Valenti & Campbell, 2009). For the middle
school principals, a need for the GSA club arose usually through a groundswell of support via
student requests and to smaller degree, staff requests. Middle school GSA advisors had similar
experiences but had students ask them to be club advisors because students and/or other adult
staff members had trust in that adult to advise the club. Even though information exists for
students to look-up how to start a middle school GSA club online, a supportive school staff
member is necessary to guide students not only through forming a club on-campus but also being
supportive to the idea of a GSA club. The findings which informed Research Question One
indicated the integral need for a positive and trusting relationship between middle school
students and middle school staff members wanting to create GSA clubs. In the next section, I
discuss the strategies that principals utilize to not only create but also sustain middle school GSA
clubs on their campuses.
Findings Research Question 2
Adults on school campuses who are able to communicate their openness toward LGBTQ
students contribute to the overall safety of schools (Seelman et al., 2015). Moreover, supportive
principals are a resource for LGBTQ students to perhaps have more positive school experiences
(Kosciw et al., 2018). All of the middle school principals involved in this study took a stance that
their GSA clubs should not only exist but also be able to function organically with little influence
from school administration. While not all principals were active in the GSA clubs, they
expressed support and did not create barriers for club creation and/or clubs continuing.
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The interviews with middle school principals highly focused on the practices, strategies,
and resources that they utilize to keep middle school GSAs functioning. The principals were
asked how middle school administrators support GSA clubs, strategies used to sustain
membership in GSA clubs, and goals that they have for GSA clubs. During this part of the
interview, principals were directly asked to look at their personal interactions with GSA clubs.
What follows is a synthesis of the data obtained, uncovering three overall themes that informed
Research Question Two.
GSA Club Autonomy
While there are written policies and laws regarding GSA clubs being able to operate on
school campuses, district and school administrators need to realize “that many educator
preparation programs provide little to no cultural competency instruction on sexual orientation,
gender identity or gender expression” (Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 2018). It becomes
up to the principals on their respective campuses to create the kind of school culture that they
wish to create, especially when middle school students overall report that LGBTQ resources are
less prominent on their campuses than what high school students report on their campuses
(Kosciw et al., 2018). It is through my conversations with middle school principals that middle
school GSAs do exist and have the ability to be successful in striving for a safer school climate.
Much of what the school principals stressed overall was the ability for all school clubs to run
autonomous of school administration as much as possible in an organic way.
I found that all five school principals believed that school clubs in general should be
student-ran as much as possible with little to no interference from school administration.
Principal 5 stated,
I mean, I’ll be honest. I don’t think I directly support any of the clubs . . . except for just
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making sure that they can exist by supporting ASB and supporting the students, but I’ll
be honest, I take kind of a hands-off approach with the club because I feel like . . . at the
age of middle school and then especially in high school it’s up to the kids. My job is to
make sure that there isn’t anything bad going on, but it’s not my place to . . . control their
agenda.
Additionally, Principal 4 added, “Probably my biggest thing is just providing them [the GSA
club] the space to do it [have the meetings] and making sure that they have the right to assemble
just like everybody else.” Principal 4 and Principal 5 expressed a strong assertion that all school
clubs’ operations should be left up to the students and club advisors.
Other principals expressed that while they let the GSA clubs be autonomous, they
occasionally attend GSA club meetings to show their support for the club publicly. Principal 2
expressed, “I’ve attended many of their [the GSA club] meeting . . . and they’re actually quite
well attended. I would say in the meetings I’ve been to they’ve had between 12 and 15 students.”
Similarly in understanding students who attend the GSA Club, Principal 1 stated, “I try and stop
by each of the clubs when I get a chance, even if it is just to pop in and just say ‘hi.’ It gives me a
visual of what students are in the club because more than likely those students have had some
sort of interaction . . . they’re more apt to be bullied or made fun of and so it gives me a visual of
people to be checking in [with] during the week.”
All the principals in this study reported direct experiences with GSA clubs to various
degrees, from not getting in the way of GSA clubs existing to attending meetings. For those that
have attended meetings, it was made clear that they were doing so to show support for the GSA
club and the students participating in it. Each principal did agree that the GSA club should run
autonomously of school administration in order to build naturally without interference.
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Next, I found that principals had various strategies in order to help GSA clubs sustain
themselves on middle school campuses. Some principals took on approaches that were more
involved while others were not as involved. These findings were made clear to me through
responses principals gave to questions regarding sustaining GSA club membership. These
findings are further indicated in the following section.
Sustaining Club Membership
I found that while each principal was committed to the success of middle school GSA
clubs, principals differed in their approaches to helping in how school administration assists in
sustaining club membership. Principal 2 expressed personal support for LGBTQ students outside
of the club as a way of sustaining student membership by responding, “I want the students to
know that I have an open-door policy when it comes to LGBTQ issues [and] that you can come
in and you can talk to me, and I will support you in whatever way you want to be supportive.
And that’s the key.” Principal 4 asserted support for the club but also made a point to make sure
that the title of “Principal” does not hinder students from attending by stating, “I don’t go to the
meetings. As we said, we want this to be a safe place for kids and sometimes the principal is a
scary person. I try not to be a scary person.” By not attending meetings, Principal 4 feels that
students will likely be more comfortable to express themselves in GSA meetings. Outside of
what principals do for sustaining GSA club membership, there are other ways that GSA clubs are
able to sustain membership.
During the interviews, I found other methods that middle school principals utilize at their
schools to support GSA club membership. Instead of focusing just on what a principal does to
help sustain club membership alone, Principal 3 explained,
So . . . it’s [the GSA club] open to anyone at any time. It’s not a “You have to join” . . .
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during club rush week and if you don’t then you’re outed. It’s an our doors [are] open
to you anytime, and we don’t take roll. We just invite you in, so like, it could be kids that
are established in the club, but it could be, on a given week, a kid who is established who
brings a friend or a kid who invites a classmate, so it’s literally an open door. And then,
each time they walk into that space the norms are reminded.
Additionally, Principal 1 stated, “I love the idea of having guest speakers come in.” In further
explaining the guest speakers, Principal 1 explained, “They [the GSA club] . . . even had some
high schools come back and talk as guest speakers.” Though principals did have some strategies
for sustaining club support, they overall were agreed that club autonomy was most important, as
explained in the previous section.
Principal Goals for GSA Clubs
I found that all principals had goals for the GSA clubs on their middle school campuses.
Some principals had more specific goals than other ones. There also seemed to be a correlation
between the involvement of the principal with the GSA club and the specificity of goals. For
example, Principal 2, who attended many GSA club meetings had a specific goal explaining,
Well, I would like the club to continue to work on Ally Week to continue to carry the
message that some of this language [anti-LGBTQ language] is not going to be acceptable.
It’s not going to be permitted . . . we’re not going to just roll over and take whatever you
feel like you want to dish out. [We] will notify adults when we hear something, if we
hear something weird, say something, and when those adults support those students, I
think that’s the most important . . . I think to continue with the anti-bullying message.
Additionally, Principal 3 who helped create the GSA club at the middle school had specific goals
for acceptance in mind stated,
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Ultimately, I want a foundation of acceptance. I think it was a beautiful thing to see kids
who were very, very diverse and just representing, like, all walks of life regardless of
their sexual orientation. It was just like it was a cool space for kids to be in and … why
can’t this extend beyond the doors of these walls? … So my dream is to drop the walls
and have this be universal.
For Principal 2 and Principal 3, their goals correlated with having more involvement in their
GSA clubs, either in club creation or activeness in the club. Other principals stated their support
for GSA clubs but did not have as direct of goals.
I found that principals who stressed club autonomy also had more broad goals for GSA
clubs. For example, Principal 5 explained, “I want them [the GSA club] to do their thing and
contribute positively to the school culture.” Principal 4 also asserted club autonomy when asked
about the GSA club goal in stating,
Well, I personally have my goal for this club again, and I’m just going to sound like a
broken record, and they have a safe place to assemble. I want them to be able to come
and talk about issues that are personal to them in a way that is meaningful for them and
the advisor of the club.
I found that while all middle school principals supported the GSA clubs, the goals for the GSA
clubs were more detailed for the middle school principals that were more involved with the GSA
clubs. Though some middle principals were more involved in the GSA clubs at their schools, the
level of involvement did not take away from the importance that each principal saw in having a
successful GSA club at their middle schools.
Discussion Research Question 2
I discovered that while all middle school principals support the GSA clubs at their
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schools, principals fell into two distinct groups regarding their support strategy to GSA clubs. In
line with the ecological systems conceptual framework utilized within this study, principals are a
key component to whether a GSA middle school club is successful or not (Watson et al., 2010).
Regardless of the level of involvement that principals have within the middle school GSA clubs,
it was integral to all principals that students felt a sense of “school belonging” (Toomey &
Russell, 2011). Within the conceptual framework used in this study, administrators who provided
support were viewed “as paramount in fostering a safe and supportive school climate for LGBTQ
students and advisors” (Watson et al., 2010). The principals reported their main strategy for GSA
club success was for club autonomy. While some principals were more active in their middle
schools’ GSA clubs through meeting attendance, recruiting students, and helping with guest
speakers, other principals saw their support for the club being better utilized without direct
involvement. The next research question looked at the role of the middle school GSA club
advisor and how club advisors run their clubs.
Findings Research Question 3
The middle school GSA advisor is an adult employee of the middle school who provides
organizational support and supervision to the student club members. GSA advisors are often
helpful to other school employees in helping improve the school climate for LGBTQ youth
(Watson et al., 2010). The GSA advisor also can serve as an advocate for LGBTQ students
(Friedman-Nimz et al., 2006). Watson et al. (2010) identified a potential issue for GSA advisors
being conflict from others (parents, other school employees, the school community, and
students) who do not agree with the presence of a GSA club at a school. Watson et al. (2010)
interviewed 22 high school GSA advisors across the United States and found that parents, public
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policy, cultural norms, and community resources were seen as sociocultural barriers and/or
facilitators towards advocacy for GSA clubs and LGBTQ students.
The Watson et al. (2010) high school GSA study found major sociocultural areas that
affect how GSA clubs and GSA advisors are able to operate within school systems. When
interviewing the middle school GSA advisors, multiple themes emerged that reflected the
ecological systems framework presented. These themes included how advisors engaged with
students, the types of activities that advisors utilize in GSA clubs, how GSA clubs are involved
with the school, challenges that GSA advisors have faced, and how GSA clubs are structured,
which informed Research Question Three. Each middle school GSA advisor dealt not only with
the GSA club itself but with some aspect of school administration and/or the school community
regarding having a GSA club.
The interview questions pertaining to Research Question Three were directed at the
middle school GSA club advisors. These questions asked about the role of the GSA advisor to
the club, the club’s involvement with the middle school, and how the club interacts with other
members of the school community. Utilizing the lenses of the ecological conceptual framework
laid out by Watson et al. (2010), minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003), and queer theory
(Morland, 2005), the responses given by middle school GSA advisors revealed how they
navigate being adult leaders in GSA clubs. What follows are the main overarching themes that
were uncovered from the interview data that informed Research Question Three. I found that all
middle school GSA advisors cared immensely for the students that they worked with and
believed that GSA clubs in middle schools have value. During the interviews, I discovered that
all the GSA club advisors were eager to speak about their experiences and were committed to
being stewards to LGBTQ students.
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GSA Advisor Leadership
Each middle school GSA advisor agreed that the experiences of students within the GSA
club should be organic and built off experiences that students within the club want. By offering
these authentic experiences, students are able openly question their respective identities and
explore who they truly are (Mayo, 2004). GSA Advisor 2 explained how she meets with the
GSA club leadership once a week and also the entire club once a week,
I meet with those [GSA club] leaders on Tuesdays at lunch to help them come up with …
[a] sort of like lesson plan of what our meetings are going to be and then our meetings are
on Wednesdays at lunch. So I spend two lunches a week with the GSA kids. I give them
like options of like, “Hey we could do this, we could to that. You want to talk about
this?” We look at the GLSEN calendar of awareness days and things like that and try and
use that as an inspiration for club activities.
GSA Advisor 5 also has student GSA club leadership and reflected on the advisor’s role by
saying,
I think that I initially didn’t know what my role was. I very much like the students who
wanted to be the “so-called” President and Vice-President. I asked them, “Hey, can you
make sure that you said safe guidelines for the classroom in terms of what you believe
your community needs and ask that if someone’s in the room during our meeting, that
they can agree to those standards and expectations.”
In explaining the GSA advisor role further, GSA Advisor 5 explained, “My role was to honor
that space as a safe space for the students. So a lot of times I felt like my role was just to be
visible and to be a quiet leader. I did not plan activities.” Both GSA Advisor 2 and GSA
Advisor 5 utilized student leadership within their clubs to help build student-led experiences.
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While GSA Advisor 2 mentioned having separate leadership meetings, GSA Advisor 5 did not.
They both agreed that students should lead the meetings. The other GSA advisors agreed that
clubs should be based off student wants and needs but did not mention leadership roles within
the club.
While the other middle school GSA advisors did not speak about student leadership, they
did discuss their own role as adult leaders in GSA clubs. GSA Advisor 3 stated, “I think for me
the role has been moderating.” GSA Advisor 3 further explained the role by stating, “My role is
making this a safe place and a nurturing place for these kids to feel comfortable being themselves
and also moderating that, you know, what we’re doing is age appropriate.” GSA Advisor 4 also
discussed the role of being a leader who moderates discussions,
I consider ourselves more of a safe space because a lot of times they’ll [GSA middle
school member students] get on topics of different things in there. They are young and
they kind of don’t have fully formed thoughts yet and they don’t understand fully the
issues at stake with this community. And so, they’ll say things like, “Everybody you
know who is religious hates gays,’ and we’re [adult GSA club leaders] like, “No way …
the counselor and I go church and we are accepting and we are affirming.”
Each GSA advisor reiterated their leadership role in terms of being a moderator who wanted to
create safe experiences where LGBTQ students did not feel the pressure of their minority status
within the middle schools (Meyer, 2003). Additionally, because of students being of middle
school age, the advisors also saw themselves as moderators to make sure that topics stayed
relevant to making sure that GSA clubs were safe for everyone to attend. Advisors worked with
GSA club members to create activities that were relevant to student interest.

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Club Awareness on Campus
I found that GSA advisors agreed that word of mouth was the most common way to
which students found out about GSA clubs. Additionally, all of the GSA clubs were able to
promote themselves on campus in various ways. Each GSA advisor agreed that their school
administration was supportive of GSA clubs, which fell in line with the Graybill et al. (2015)
research that looked at how GSA club advisors may face barriers or facilitators to their success.
GSA Advisor 1 related, “[Students found out by] word of mouth, word of mouth, and we did
advertise. We have a club rush in October and everyone’s out there with their clubs.” GSA
Advisor 3 also discussed a middle school club rush event, “Last year, when we did club rush, the
GSA had like the most kids come to their booth.” GSA Advisor 3 further explained the club rush
when asked by me how the club rush went,
Well, so that girl who is the president of the club she went all out. She went, you know,
she asked her parents if she could use some of her money and bought some like stickers
and flags. And so, you know, the kids were handing out like flyers and they were
handing out stickers and, you know, LGBTQ flags. I think it was really good because it
kind of helps. They’d be handing out flags and be like, “Do you know what this flag
stands for?”
The use of word of mouth and club rushes were not the only ways that students were made aware
of GSA clubs.
Utilizing existing school resources was another way that GSA advisors helped GSA clubs
gain awareness on campus. GSA Advisor 2 explained, “Under normal circumstances
[referencing distance learning under COVID-19 restrictions], we are in the [school’s] daily
bulletin of when we have our club meetings. The kids have an Instagram account that they use
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sporadically, which I don’t really have anything to do with, but I’m aware that it exists.” GSA
Advisor 4 discussed the use of flyers around the school to advertise the club, “We’ll have a
design the flyer [contest], and we’ll have a little contest to design flyers and, you know, they
[GSA club members] all vote on it, and I make copies for them and then just distribute it to the
kids, and they can hang it up, and then they tell their friends.” Likewise, GSA Advisor 3 also
stressed the use of flyers on campus by stating, “The kids have made posters and flyers, and
they’ve hung them up. They’ve handed out flyers as well.” While school bulletins, flyers, and
posters were discussed, I found that word of mouth was the most utilized way for students to find
out about GSA clubs overall from the GSA advisors. Since all GSA advisors in this study agreed
that middle school GSA clubs should be student-led, it does make sense that word of mouth from
student to student is the most common way that students find out about GSA clubs.
Middle School GSA Club School Involvement and Activities
The Watson et al. (2010) ecological systems framework for GSAs revolves around the
relationship of sociocultural, school-based, and individual factors towards the success of GSA
clubs. Each GSA advisor interviewed had different stories and anecdotes regarding GSA club
activities and involvement. What remained common between all of the advisors was the support
that GSA clubs were able to give to students because of support from school administration,
students, and other school staff as mentioned previously. I found that although support for GSA
clubs was widespread, how often GSA clubs were involved in middle school activities outside
the clubs varied by facilitators and barriers, by student comfort level, and/or community feelings
towards GSA clubs and the LGBTQ community. GSA Advisor 4 explained, “They’ll [the GSA
club members] invite their friends to our parties that we have. You know, we have a donation
box, and they can donate for, you know, pizza parties or anything they want to do like that.”
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Further explaining the differences between a party that club is putting on and the regular GSA
club meeting, GSA Advisor 4 stated, “They [GSA club members] won’t really invite them
[friends outside the club] to the general club unless they feel safe with that friend.” GSA
Advisor 3 discussed a potential schoolwide activity before COVID-19 shut down schools in
March 2020, “The kids were very excited about June because we decided that we would try and
do a little bit of like a pride theme during the last week of May or early June. They had plans to
kind of be more inclusive in, you know, the school community.” GSA Advisor 2 also remarked
concerning a schoolwide activity,
So, the big one is Ally Week, which is usually in September, and we coordinate it with
our local high school . . . and because our whole middle school feeds into that high
school, it makes it this sort of community-wide event. We do something pretty simple,
but it’s kind of intense. It’s called “The Ally Pledge,” and we use our PBIS-like
acronyms, and we make it about being an Ally to the LGBT community.
The facilitation of cooperation between the middle school and high school community is one key
to why Ally Week works for GSA Advisor 2’s GSA club. Other middle school GSA advisors
expressed more barriers regarding outreach to school communities.
Some barriers that GSA advisors dealt with concerned cultural concerns beyond the
scope of the school community and/or concerns from the GSA advisor. GSA Advisor 1, who
works in a socially conservative geographic region, explained, “We have the Mexican
machismo, you know, it’s not cool to be gay. We have, you know, church, religion, and those
things. So it makes it really difficult for our kids. So we’ve been kind of trying to find the best
way to make it inclusive for everybody.” GSA Advisor 5 explained, “We were not really active
in the community. And I think that there probably were many barriers for that, and I don’t think
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that’s because they didn’t want to be. I think that I could have as a leader. I probably could have
brought them [GSA club members] opportunities.” GSA Advisor 5 further explained support for
GSA related events outside of the school,
However, we did have a Google Classroom that I could post certain things on. So, you
you know, I want to say February was maybe Pride Month and there were a lot of things
that came out of Hollywood and West Hollywood where there were virtual events
starting, and they [GSA club members] were actively in. Those type of things and the
Trevor Project, they were interested in learning about that but really nothing on campus.
While all GSA clubs had a presence on their campuses, I found that some clubs were more active
in the school community than others.
Challenges in Being a GSA Club Advisor
GSA advisors take on an extremely important role in working with students who may be
socially vulnerable based on students’ minority status. As previously mentioned, GSA advisors
may face facilitators and barriers to their role based on their individual characteristics, school
community characteristics (students, school personnel), and/or sociocultural characteristics
(parents, cultural norms) (Graybill et al., 2015). I found that the challenges faced by GSA
advisors interviewed mainly concerned school and sociocultural factors. One’s individual factors
presented challenges were also presented. GSA Advisor 3 explained, “I think GSA is a little bit
harder in middle school. We’ve had kids, you know, we’ve put posters to bring more kids in to
the club, and the next day, the kids [GSA club members] would see that their posters have been
ripped down.” GSA Advisor 2 described how some colleagues at the middle school reacted to
the club starting,
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I mean the first year was kind of rough. I mean we had some staff members that were
vocally opposed to the club and one who decided to show up to one of our club meetings,
which was, he didn’t say anything when he was there. He said he was just there to watch.
So we kind of had a little conversation about that and made him just uncomfortable
enough that he left without making a big deal about it.
While there were a couple GSA advisors who spoke of school community barriers, other GSA
advisors spoke of sociocultural challenges.
When discussing sociocultural barriers, I found that GSA advisors faced issues
concerning cultural norms and/or parents of students. GSA Advisor 1 referenced some students’
parents in the GSA club, “A couple of kids don’t want their parents to know, and so we have to
be mindful of that . . . I think there was only one student [in the club] whose father was very
supportive. Everybody else’s parents struggled in some way or another. So that is the biggest
challenge.” Some parents were also challenging to GSA Advisor 2, “We’ve had parents every
year who are upset that we’re doing Ally Week or keep their kids home on the Day of Silence . .
. I will say that my administrators all along the way have done a really good job of protecting me
from the phone calls.” GSA Advisor 4 also touched on phone calls received to the middle school
from parents regarding the GSA club, “I know the school has gotten several phone calls . . . ‘I
want you to watch my son and not let him go to that club,’ so things like that. I haven’t
personally had any e-mails or phone calls like that, but the counselors and the principals have, I
think.” I found that while sociocultural challenges may occur it is the support of the school
community overall (school administration and counselors mainly) that helped keep barriers from
hurting middle school GSA clubs. One GSA advisor reported no challenges, “I never had like a
colleague or anyone . . . like ask me personally about it. So I don’t feel like it was ever an
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uncomfortable situation.” I found that the challenges GSA advisors faced (all except one advisor)
were very similar in scope. None of the GSA advisors reported that the challenges they faced
stopped them from being advisors.
Discussion Research Question 3
As Watson et al. (2010) described, sociocultural and school-based factors serve as
facilitators or barriers to GSA club advisors. Through the interview analysis, it is evident that
while middle school GSA advisors are valued on their middle school campuses for running GSA
clubs, there are sociocultural challenges that impact their ability to assist LGBTQ students.
Furthermore, the role of the middle school GSA advisor is highly influenced by the middle
school culture, the culture of the school’s community, and how school administration works with
middle school GSA clubs.
Findings Research Question 4
The idea that GSA clubs exist on middle school campuses is an evolution itself, as GSA
clubs started on high school campuses in K-12 education. At the beginning of the 21
st
century,
Griffin and Ouellet (2003) referenced how most LGBTQ research at the K-12 level occurred at
the high school level up to that point. Within California, the GSA Network has over 100
registered middle school GSA clubs and 30 in Los Angeles County (C. Covington, personal
communication, February 12, 2020). With the number of middle school GSA clubs rising, there
is a possibility for greater evolution within these seemingly and relatively new school clubs.
Another aspect of evolution is looking at the intersectionality of Queer Theory and
Minority Stress Theory. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (2018) stressed the need to
utilize an “intersectional approach” with LGBTQ students of color. In using this approach, adults
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are able to better recognize the social and societal stresses created by being a person of color and
a member of the LGBTQ community.
I found that when asked about the evolution of GSA clubs on middle school campuses,
GSA advisors spoke about their particular GSA clubs. Each club advisor spoke to some level of
evolution concerning their clubs as being more student-led and having more overall support for
their clubs. When presented with the question regarding intersectionality, GSA advisors reflected
on the racial make-up of their middle school GSA clubs. Most noted not having reflected too
much on intersectionality within their clubs before, although one GSA advisor spoke in detail
concerning race and sexuality.
Evolution of Middle School GSA Clubs
As previously noted, middle school GSA clubs are relatively new in all middle schools
when compared to high schools. When asked about the evolution of middle school GSA clubs,
some GSA advisors spoke about their students in the club while others spoke about cultural
evolution within their school community. GSA Advisor 3 spoke to the middle school GSA club
going from adults planning to students planning activities, “I think the way you can transition it
from being staff-led to student-led is kids were really passionate . . . The girl who was the
president last year, she was very passionate about it . . . She came up with an idea every week of
what we’re going to discuss.” GSA Advisor 4 also spoke to GSA club evolution in terms of the
middle school aged child, “I didn’t expect it [students wanting to start a GSA] because it’s not
something you see a lot in middle school, kids want to embrace themselves and embrace, you
know, who they think they might be.” I found that just starting a GSA club in a middle school
seemed to be an evolution itself whether initiated by staff or students.
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Starting a middle school GSA club brought about fear from those involved in the school
community as to whether the club would be accepted according to one GSA advisor. GSA
Advisor 5 remarked
There was a lot of fear to overcome in a lot of different ways. The kids were scared that
they were going to be targeted. The administrators were scared. Of course, we [the GSA
club] were nervous because we didn’t know what was going to happen, and now it’s like
kind of no big thing. I have a giant rainbow flag in my classroom and every year the
[GSA] leaders sign it . . . Whereas five years ago, it didn’t feel okay, and so there’s
definitely a culture change at the school of greater acceptance.
While all GSA advisors agreed that there was evolution to one degree or another, a different type
of evolution was revealed to the me concerning intersectionality.
Intersectionality
When asked about the intersection of race with middle school GSA club membership,
GSA advisors all had responses pertaining to their GSA clubs. All the GSA advisors had
responses to the role that intersectionality played in their middle school GSA clubs to various
degrees. When first answering the question concerning race and intersectionality, GSA Advisor 5
stated, “I have had students who with maybe Asian heritage where it’s not common to talk about
their struggles . . . and so taking that [LGBTQ issues] to their family is never going to be an
acceptable option.” GSA Advisor 2 spoke directly concerning intersectionality before being
asked by me, “[We] try and bring in the diversity, not just being LGBT, but of you know, the
intersectionality that comes along with that.” Further explaining intersectionality within the
middle school GSA club, GSA Advisor 2 stated, “And so we did a lot of sort of like queer
history kind of stuff, and it was fun to like tie that in with Black History Month.” The roles of
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race and ethnicity played a huge part in GSA Advisor 1’s GSA club, “One of the things that
many of my students in the club struggled with is coming out with their family because we are in
a Hispanic Community, many of them are first generation [in the United States].” GSA clubs,
even at the middle school level serve as places where students from various backgrounds can
freely and safely express themselves in a way. Taking an “intersectional approach” as a GSA
advisor is something that I found that all GSA advisors were aware of (The Human Rights
Campaign Foundation, 2018). The evolution of middle school GSA clubs is still in process as the
clubs are not only young but also continuing to work with various levels of intersectionality.
Discussion Research Question 4
The data from middle school GSA advisors revealed that middle school GSA clubs are
not only relatively new but are also continuously evolving. GSA advisors remarked that club
evolution mainly came in the form of clubs going from adult-led to student-led. Additionally,
intersectionality plays a role in middle school GSA club evolution as some GSA advisors
discussed how race and LGBTQ status intersects within GSA clubs.
Summary
This chapter presented the findings of this qualitative study with the intention to
understand and answer the research questions. Interviewing middle school principals and middle
school GSA club advisors informed how GSA clubs were started at middle schools, how
principals helped to create and sustain middle school GSA clubs, the role of the advisor in GSA
clubs, and how middle school GSA clubs have evolved. Five middle school principals were
interviewed as well as five middle school GSA club advisors from five different middle schools
in Los Angeles County. The interview data was looked at meticulously to uncover overarching
subcategories and themes.
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In terms of informing Research Question One, the data collected revealed two
overarching themes concerning the creation of middle school GSA clubs. Some GSA clubs were
formed by school staff while other GSA clubs were formed out of requests from students. It was
revealed through the data that even if a student or students wanted to start a GSA club, they
would need a supportive adult to be an advisor. This could be a potential barrier for middle
school students who are not supported by GSA clubs and are not sure if supportive adults are
available to serve as potential advisors. Whereupon a middle school established a GSA club
before requests were made by students, the club existed already before students needed to
investigate how to start a club. In terms of informing Research Question Two, the data collected
revealed that middle school principals fall into two categories regarding their involvement with
middle school GSA clubs. Some middle school principals let GSA clubs run autonomously with
little administrative influence to show support while other middle school principals were actively
involved with the GSA clubs. All principals reported their support for middle school GSA clubs
regardless of their level of involvement. The experiences of middle school GSA advisors
informed Research Question Three. The data gathered showed that middle school GSA advisors
act as club leaders, guiding GSA clubs from being adult-led to student-led, making sure the GSA
student members have the resources to advertise GSA clubs, and helping to lead GSA club
activities (within the club and outside the club). Additionally, each GSA advisor addressed some
level of challenges that they have faced in being a middle school GSA club advisor. The data that
informed Research Question Four centered on the evolution of middle school GSA clubs. The
advisors of the middle school GSA clubs come from clubs that are at most six years old. Much of
the evolution discussed focused on how to assist students to lead clubs. The other theme that
came out of club evolution revolved around how intersectionality played a role in GSA clubs.
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For the most part, club advisors recognized the role of intersectionality to various degrees,
focusing mainly on the intersection of race and LGBTQ status.
The findings gathered from this study revealed how the dynamics play out between
middle school GSA clubs, advisors, school administrators, school culture, and socio-cultural
variables outside middle schools. Every middle school principal interviewed demonstrated
effusive support for middle school GSA clubs, as did each middle school GSA club advisor. It
was made clear through the research process that the ecological systems framework presented by
Watson et al. (2010) demonstrated the tools needed for middle school GSA clubs to be
successful. The evolution beyond Watson et al. (2010) is to look at how intersectionality plays a
role in middle school GSA clubs (The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 2018) and how
middle schools can support LGBTQ students and their allies in other ways outside of GSA clubs.
Chapter Five includes a summarization of research, practice, and recommendations.
Recommendations are provided for middle school principals, middle school GSA club advisors,
and in how middle school GSA clubs are created. In chapter Five, there will also be a brief
discussion of limitations and recommendations for further study.

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Chapter Five: Discussion
Middle school GSA clubs offer one potential way for LGBTQ middle school students,
staff, and their allies to have a safe place to gather within middle schools. While students face
more ridicule regarding LGBTQ status in middle school from peers than high school, there are
still fewer middle school GSA clubs than high school ones (Kosciw et al., 2018). Research has
shown that GSA clubs are a positive influence on LGBTQ youth regarding better school
connectiveness and more positive school relationships (Graybill et al., 2015; Hand, 2012; Human
Rights Campaign Foundation, 2018; Kosciw et al., 2018; Poteat et al., 2012; Seelman et al.,
2015).
The work involved in creating successful middle school GSA clubs happens because of
relationships between middle school administration, the GSA club advisor, school staff, students,
and the school community (Graybill et al., 2015; Kosciw et al., 2018; Watson et al., 2010). The
significance of this study is to further support the body of literature on the positive effects of
GSA clubs, specifically at the middle school grade levels, and to explore the facilitators and
barriers that middle school GSA clubs continue to face within the public-school system.
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study was to provide insight into how middle school GSA clubs in
Los Angeles County operate and how relationships between a GSA club and a middle school
stay active.
The following research questions were used to guide this study:
1. How were middle school GSA clubs established at middle schools?
2. What practices, strategies, and resources do principals use to create/sustain middle
school GSAs?
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3. What is the role of the middle school GSA advisor in leading the club?
4. How have middle school GSA clubs evolved over time?
Methodology
For this study, qualitative data was gathered. Qualitative data was collected through
interviews with five middle school principals and five middle school GSA club advisors working
at public middle schools in Los Angeles County. At least two middle school head principals ((if
possible) in each public-school district in Los Angeles County (except for Burbank Unified
School District and Los Angeles Unified School District) were e-mailed to be part of this study.
Five middle school principals responded and subsequently each of their GSA club advisors also
participated. A semi-structured protocol was utilized during the interviews. Middle school
principals were asked eight questions and middle school GSA club advisors were asked 11
questions.
Findings
The findings in this study were based on the data that was collected and analyzed by the
me. The section will interpret the results of the qualitative data and link the findings back to the
literature.
Research Question One
Student Club Creation
The major theme that appeared concerning student club creation was the support of
middle school site administration and/or another staff member on campus who students felt
comfortable speaking to regarding starting a GSA club. GLSEN gives suggestions to students
regarding the process of starting a GSA club on campus with advice such as finding a faculty
member to serve as the club advisor, informing school administration, and following school
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guidelines regarding how to start a club (10 Steps, 2019). While students are able to start middle
school GSA clubs, they are unable to do so without an adult advisor or knowing the individual
steps each school has in how to start an official school club. While none of the middle school
administrators spoke of administrative resistance to starting GSA clubs, there are resources
available to students who encounter barriers. The ACLU also provides resources to students who
may face problems from school administration in creating a GSA club (How to Start, 2020).
School Staff Club Creation
Supportive school staff play an integral role in the creation of GSA clubs. The major
theme that occurred regarding school staff club creation was that while students may inquire
about the need for a GSA club, it is members of the school administration and staff that make the
club a reality. Griffin et al. (2004) identified three ways that school staff may support GSA clubs:
support and counseling for students, a safe space for students, and education and awareness at
school. While students may identify the need for a GSA club, it is from the support of adults at a
school that is needed when faced with questions from parents, public policy, cultural norms, and
the availability of community resources to students (Griffin et al., 2004).
Research Question Two
GSA Club Autonomy
The major theme that appeared for middle school GSA clubs was the autonomy that
middle school principals looked to give GSA clubs. Part of this autonomy is because that is how
all clubs operate at middle schools, while another part came from some middle school principals
not having the same knowledge as GSA club advisors in how to run GSA clubs. The Human
Rights Campaign Foundation (2018) stated “that many educator preparation programs provide
little to no cultural competency instruction on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender
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expression.” This becomes compounded on middle school campuses where students report that
LGBTQ resources are less abundant than what high school students report on their campuses
(Kosciw et al., 2018). While school administration are part of the mechanism for clubs to exist
on middle school campuses, the expertise from GSA club advisors gives direction.
Sustaining Club Membership
When looking at sustaining GSA club membership, the major overall theme was that
middle school principals support GSA clubs on their campuses. Principals all agreed that GSA
clubs serve as safe places for LGBTQ students and are needed at middle schools. A study by
Quasha et al. (2014) reported that LGBTQ middle school students who attended middle schools
with GSA clubs are more likely to feel supported by school administration and staff.
Furthermore, middle school principals can play a supportive role to GSA clubs as the Watson et
al. (2010) study noted, “The presence of supportive school personnel reportedly facilitated
advisors as advocates.” Middle school principals play an integral role in sustaining GSA club
membership through their club support.
Principal Goals for GSA Clubs
While each principal wanted their GSA club to be successful, the more involved a
principal was with their GSA club, the more specific their goals were for the club and its
members. The idea of students feeling a sense of “school belonging” was important to all middle
school principals (Toomey & Russell, 2011). Middle school principals are often also the first line
of defense for GSA clubs, handling parent phone calls regarding GSA clubs and questions about
the clubs themselves (Watson et al., 2010). All principals stressed the importance of continued
success for GSA clubs on their campuses.

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Research Question Three
GSA Advisor Leadership
A critical theme that appeared concerning the role of middle school GSA advisors as
leaders was that GSA clubs should organically build off of the needs and desires of the students
within the clubs. Mayo (2004) stated that students are able to openly question their respective
identities in clubs that offer authentic experiences. Another theme that emerged regarding GSA
advisor leadership was the want to make sure that the GSA club served as a safe space for
students to be themselves in. Meyer (2003) explored minority stress within the LGB youth
community and found that “social stressors are associated with mental health outcomes in LGB
people, supporting formulations of minority stress.” GSA club leaders saw themselves as
builders of safe communities for LGBTQ middle school students and their allies.
Club Awareness on Campus
One common theme that emerged regarding GSA club awareness on middle school
campuses was that administrator support was given to all GSA clubs and word of mouth was the
most common way students found out about clubs and met in them. Graybill et al. (2015)
described how school administrators play a part in either being facilitators or barriers to the
success of GSA clubs. Kosciw et al. (2018) reported that “schools often limited the inclusion of
LGBTQ topics or ideas in extracurricular activities.” The middle school advisors interviewed in
this study did not exhibit the limiting of LGBTQ topics or advertising of their clubs on campuses
by middle school principals. The support given by middle school principals led the GSA clubs to
help sustain success.
Middle School GSA Club School Involvement and Activities
There was not an emergent theme when it came to how middle schools were involved
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within the school community outside of the GSA club. Watson et al. (2010) pointed to various
mechanisms that play a role in how GSA clubs operate: socio-cultural, school-based, and
individual factors either hinder or benefit GSA clubs. The interviewed middle school GSA club
advisors noted that if their efforts to take club activities and integrate within the broader school
culture were hindered it was by socio-cultural factors having to do with the nature of the
community the school was in politically or culturally. One advisor noted how more could be
done to integrate the club within the school but noted many opportunities for activities outside
the school. Many of the GSA advisors stressed that their clubs were part of “club rush” weeks or
other activities where all clubs advertised on campus.
Challenges in Being a GSA Club Advisor
Graybill et al. (2015) explained that challenges in being a GSA club advisor stemmed
from one’s own individual characteristics, school community characteristics, and/or sociocultural
characteristics. A common theme presented was that while there were challenges at times with
certain school staff members (a small minority) or some parents in the community, the middle
school administrations and counselors supported GSA clubs. None of the advisors reported any
challenges as deterring them from wanting to be GSA club advisors.
Research Question Four
Evolution of Middle School GSA Clubs
Griffin and Ouellet (2003) noted that most K-12 research on LGBTQ issues until the
beginning of the 21
st
century focused mostly on high schools. When looking at the number of
registered GSA clubs within middle schools in Los Angeles County, the GSA network has just
30 registered middle school GSA clubs (C. Covington, personal communication, February 12,
2020). The major theme regarding the evolution of middle school GSA clubs is that they were
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still being created and are in the beginnings of being researched to the degree that high school
GSA clubs have been researched.
Intersectionality
A major theme regarding intersectionality amongst middle school GSA clubs had to do
with the role that race and culture played with LGBTQ status amongst middle school students.
While some GSA club advisors spoke on the difficulties of some students who came from
socially conservative cultures and traditions regarding LGBTQ status, one advisor spoke about
intertwining queer culture with Black History Month. Kosciw et al. (2018) has advised utilizing
an “intersectional approach” to address how “LGBTQ youth of color often experience additional
stress and adverse effects to their health and well-being as a result of bias related to their
multiple intersecting identities.”
Implications for Practice
This study contributes to research regarding how GSA clubs are able to successfully
navigate being created and sustained on middle school campuses. Findings from this study
aligned with the research concerning GSA clubs in general and further suggest implications for
practice that will support knowledge of middle school GSA clubs and increasing them.
Creating and Sustaining Middle School GSA Clubs
In order to create and sustain middle school GSA clubs, broad support is needed from a
number of school stakeholders. Watson et al. (2010) found in their research that sociocultural
factors, school-based factors, and individual factors are either facilitators or barriers to successful
GSA clubs and club advisors. Although multiple federal and California state laws exist to
support GSA clubs, advisors found that communities who had supportive resources for LGBTQ
students created safer school climates (Watson et al., 2010). The importance of sociocultural
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factors of a community cannot be stressed enough in creating a sustaining middle school GSA
club.
The Poteat et al. (2018) study found positive associations between students involved in
GSA clubs and building civic engagement amongst students. GSA clubs in middle schools may
help counter the hostile experiences that middle school LGBTQ students have reported in greater
numbers than high school LGBTQ students (Kosciw et al., 2018). It is important that middle
school GSA clubs do not just exist but that they are supported.
Looking to the Future
The LGBTQ student community is made up of students from various backgrounds, races,
and cultures. Kosciw et al. (2018) noted that White LGBTQ students were less likely to be
victimized or feel unsafe than other ethnic/racial groups. Middle school GSA advisors need to be
cognizant of the integral role they have in protecting all LGBTQ students. Having an awareness
that students from marginalized communities may be facing simultaneous and multiple forms of
oppression is integral for GSA advisors to understand (Human Rights Campaign Foundation,
2018).
Intersectionality is going to be part of the evolution of every single middle school GSA
club. School administrators and GSA club advisors need to work together with their school
communities to understand the next steps needs to support LGBTQ students of color. It is
important that recommendations from key studies are utilized and trainings are offered and
accepted for all school staff regarding students from marginalized communities. While GSA
advisors work directly with students in GSA clubs, all school staff members need to understand
what intersectionality is and how students are affected by intersecting and marginalized
identities.
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Future Research
This study interviewed five middle school principals and five GSA club advisors in Los
Angeles County, California. Findings from this study revealed additional areas that need to be
further explored. The following are recommendations for future research:
• Interview more middle school GSA advisors and their principals in California to find out
how GSA clubs are either successful or not at middle schools.
• Specifically expand the research on middle school GSA clubs.
• Investigate the role intersectionality plays on middle school GSA club students.
• Further research how community plays a factor in the success of middle school GSA
clubs.
• Study the idea of whether middle school GSA clubs should just exist or come into
existence based on a student or students requesting the need for one.
• Look at middle schools where school administration is not supportive of GSA clubs.
Conclusions
This study has demonstrated that even though middle school GSA clubs in Los Angeles
County do exist, the number of middle school GSA clubs is still quite small relative to high
school GSA clubs. Throughout this study, middle school principals and middle school GSA club
advisors expressed their views on creating and sustaining GSA clubs, the role of the school
community and the GSA club, and exactly what the roles of middle school principals and GSA
club advisors are to middle school GSA clubs.
Some of the key lessons learned from the five middle school principals and five GSA
club advisors interviewed were that it is important for middle school GSA clubs to build
organically based on student need and that middle school GSA clubs are integral in providing
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safe places for students. All middle school GSA advisors felt a true calling to be a GSA advisor
and expressed a tremendous care for the students that they worked with. The support of middle
school principals also shown through in each interview conducted. A positive relationship
between school administration and the GSA club is integral to a club’s success. While there is no
mechanism in place to require middle schools to have GSA clubs, it is apparent that the trend for
more middle school GSA clubs to be created will continue based on high school GSA club
growth since the early 2000s (Kosciw et al., 2018).
Middle school GSAs have the ability to positively transform the lives of LGBTQ
students. Even if no one at a middle school is calling for the creation of a GSA club, there might
be just one student who needs a safe space in navigating their identity. In time, there may not
need to be studies concerning the number of GSA clubs in K-12 at all or the call for more clubs
to be created, as our society may change to realize the need for all students to feel safe in who
they are.

68

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Appendix A: General Recruitment Email Cover Letter
Hello,
My name is Sean McCallon; I am a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Southern
California’s Rossier School of Education in the Educational Leadership program. I am
conducting research for my dissertation: Middle School Gay Straight Alliance Clubs: An
Analysis of Strategies Used in Los Angeles County Middle Schools. I am conducting a qualitative
study examining how GSA clubs have been established at middle schools and how they sustain
membership through the leadership of the school principal and the adult GSA club advisor. I will
be using semi-structured interviews as my instrument.
This study has been approved by the University of Southern California’s Institutional Review
Board (attached). Based on your involvement and experience in this realm of work, I am inviting
you to participate in my study. Your participation is voluntary. Your contributions will add to the
growing and developing literature regarding Gay Straight Alliance clubs at the middle school
level.
If you are willing to participate, please respond to this email and I follow up with you regarding
the completion of the Informed Consent Form (attached).
You may contact me at mccallon@usc.edu. Thank you in advance for your consideration in
participating in my study.
Respectfully,
Sean McCallon
University of Southern California Doctoral Candidate

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Appendix B: Interview Cover Sheet – Middle School Principals
Interview Cover Sheet – Middle School Principals
Name of Researcher:
Date of Interview:
Name of Interviewee:
City:
Authorizer’s Phone Number:
Authorizer’s Email Address:
Interview start time:
Interview end time:
Middle School Principal Interview Questions
1.) How did the GSA club become established at this middle school?
2.) What was the process involved for the GSA club to operate on campus?
3.) In what ways does the GSA club support the middle school?
4.) How does the school administration support the GSA club?
5.) As a school principal, what strategies do you use in order to sustain student membership the
GSA club on campus?
6.) What goals do you have for this middle school’s GSA club?
7.) How has the GSA club on your campus changed/evolved over time?
8.) Have you seen outside inhibitors trying to restrict what your GSA is able to accomplish? If
so, what are these situations and how have they been handled?

75

Appendix C: Interview Cover Sheet – Middle School GSA Advisors
Interview Cover Sheet – Middle School GSA Advisors
Name of Researcher:
Date of Interview:
Name of Interviewee:
City:
Authorizer’s Phone Number:
Authorizer’s Email Address:
Interview start time:
Interview end time:
Middle School GSA Advisor Interview Questions
1.) How was the GSA club established at this middle school?
2.) Who were some of the stakeholders that started the GSA club?
3.) As the GSA club advisor, what is your role?
4.) How has your role as GSA club advisor changed over time?
5.) How does the GSA club involve itself with the school community actively?
6.) What are some of the challenges faced in being a GSA club advisor?
7.) How do students find out about the GSA club?
8.) When and how often are GSA club meetings?
9.) How are meetings structured?
10.) In what ways have GSA clubs in middle schools evolved over time?
11.) How has race/culture played a role in the GSA club?

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Gay Straight Alliances in middle schools do not exist in the numbers that they do in high schools. With this in mind, LGBTQ middles school students face more instances of hostile environments, biased language, and victimization based on their LGBTQ status (Kosciw et al., 2018). ❧ This study explored how middle school GSA clubs in Los Angeles County were created, how they have sustained membership, and how the relationships between middle school principals, middle school GSA club advisors, and the school community can either hinder or benefit GSA clubs. ❧ The research questions used to guide the study were: How were middle school GSA clubs established at middle schools?

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Asset Metadata

Creator McCallon, Sean (author)

Core Title Middle school GSAs: an analysis of strategies used in Los Angeles County

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 03/25/2021

Defense Date 02/03/2021

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag bisexual,Gay,Gay Straight Alliance,gender,GSA,lesbian,LGBTQ,middle school,OAI-PMH Harvest,Questioning,transgender

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Cash, David (committee chair), Castruita, Rudy (committee member), Hinga, Briana (committee member)

Creator Email mccallon@usc.edu,sean.mccallon@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-431223

Unique identifier UC11668064

Identifier etd-McCallonSe-9352.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-431223 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-McCallonSe-9352.pdf

Dmrecord 431223

Document Type Dissertation

Rights McCallon, Sean

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA