Legal Rights

You have the right to be out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or a straight ally.

You have the right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance.  And you have the right to go to school and not be harassed, bullied, or discriminated against because of who you are.  While we here at GSAFE aren’t lawyers, we have taken it upon ourselves to learn the ins and outs of the laws that protect LGBT-identified students and their allies in our schools.  This page has a few primers to get you started.

Federal Laws

This resource sheet gives short descriptions of four federal laws that protect the rights of LGBT youth and GSAs in public schools.

Know Your Rights – Wisconsin’s Pupil Nondiscrimination Law

The law says that an individual may not “be discriminated against.”  What does that mean?

Sample Harassment Incident Report Form

What do you do if you’re being harassed at school?

Harassment Report Flow Chart

What happens if your school isn’t acting on your complaints?

Frequently Asked Questions about Day of Silence

One of the most common events that Gay-Straight Alliances and similar clubs will organize in their schools is the Day of Silence.

Model Anti-Bullying Policy

In 2010, the Department of Public Instruction created a model anti-bullying policy for schools in Wisconsin