Founded | 2010 |
---|---|
Founder | Claudia White |
Type | Educational Charity |
Focus | Education, LGBTQ, respect, bullying and homophobia |
Location |
|
Area served | Global with focus on the US and UK |
Method | Popular education and social media awareness campaigns |
Website | www |
GRIN Campaign, Global Respect in Education, is a transatlantic non-profit organisation and advocacy group which campaigns primarily for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) people's social and political equality in education. [1] [2] [3] It seeks to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in all educational institutes with an underlying message that "being different was 'cool'". [4] It is one of the first campaigns of its kind to originate outside the United States, be run by students and intentionally international. [5] [6] [7]
The campaign supports both direct action and a viral photographic protest, known as “RESPECT” to help "make respecting people in school a cool idea" and ignorance to be “uncool”. [1] [6] The photographs show people in front of a white backdrop wearing block rainbow colors with “RESPECT” painted on their face in the colors of the gay pride flag. [8] The campaign was created on October 29, 2010, by Bedales School student Claudia White. [1] The RESPECT photographs are featured on the campaign's website, as well as Facebook and Flickr. The campaign also had over 1000 followers on Twitter within a week of its website going live. [9] [ unreliable source? ]
GRIN Campaign was initiated in response to a rash of widely publicized bullying-related suicides of juvenile, particularly, LGBTQ youth, including that of Tyler Clementi. [2] [10] It was established as a UK and US alternative to other, older LGBT civil rights advocacy organizations, which did not place as much emphasis on education, and focused only on the United States. [6] The campaign hopes to build awareness in the same spirit as the Day of Silence, It Gets Better Project, No on 8 campaigns and efforts to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell. [11]
The campaign coordinated with Spirit Day (October 20) when people are encouraged to wear purple symbolic of spirit from the rainbow flag. [2]
In 2011 the campaign worked to add "amendments to the UK’s Educational White Paper, started developing anti-bullying and LGBT rights lesson plans, and wrote letters to corporations in the UK that they believed were being homophobic or transphobic." [6] In the summer of 2012 the campaign received a grant to travel to San Francisco in the United States to teach their lesson plans about discrimination based bullying and utilize the RESPECT photographic campaign. [6]
In 2013 the campaign started a petition to add the word 'transphobia' to the Oxford English Dictionary and the dictionary lexicon of Microsoft Office. The petition was hosted on the website Change.org and gained nearly 10,000 signatures. By June, both Microsoft and the Oxford English Dictionary had added the word 'transphobia' to their dictionary lexicons. [12] [13] [14]
Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social gender roles. Transphobia is a type of prejudice and discrimination, similar to racism, sexism, or ableism, and it is closely associated with homophobia. Transgender people of color can experience many different forms of discrimination simultaneously.
GLSEN is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression and to prompt LGBT cultural inclusion and awareness in K-12 schools. Founded in 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts, the organization is now headquartered in New York City and has an office of public policy based in Washington, D.C.
Stonewall Equality Limited, trading as Stonewall, is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights charity in the United Kingdom. It is the largest LGBT rights organisation in Europe.
Egale Canada is an advocacy organization founded in 1986 by Les McAfee to advance equality for Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and their families, across Canada.
The Queer Youth Network (QYN) was a national non-profit-making organisation that was run by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people and is based in the United Kingdom. It had an aim to represent the needs and views of younger LGBT people by campaigning for greater visibility and equal rights, as well as providing general support and information to those who are just coming out or who are experiencing homophobia.
Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH) is a charity based in the United Kingdom which "affirms the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people and reduces discrimination experienced because of sexual orientation or gender identity." Since 2003, EACH has delivered training and consultancy services on sexuality and gender identity matters across the statutory, voluntary and private sectors. It also provides support to those affected by homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying through its nationwide, freephone helpline.
The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) is observed on May 17 and aims to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBT rights work worldwide. By 2016 the commemorations had taken place in over 130 countries.
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, may be based on irrational fear and may sometimes be attributed to religious beliefs.
The Declaration of Montreal on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Human Rights is a document adopted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on July 29, 2006, by the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights which formed part of the first World Outgames. The Declaration outlines a number of rights and freedoms pertaining to LGBT and intersex people that it is proposed be universally guaranteed. It encompasses all aspects of human rights, from the guarantee of fundamental freedoms to the prevention of discrimination against LGBT people in healthcare, education and immigration. The Declaration also addresses various issues that impinge on the global promotion of LGBT rights and intersex human rights. Intended as a starting point in listing the demands of the international LGBT movement, it will ultimately be submitted to the United Nations.
Louis-Georges Tin is a French academic, gay rights campaigner, and anti-racist activist. Tin is noted for initiating the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, now marked in over 130 countries across the world, and co-founding the Representative Council of Black Associations (CRAN).
Historically speaking, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have not been given equal treatment and rights by both governmental actions and society's general opinion. Much of the intolerance for LGBT individuals come from lack of education around the LGBT community, and contributes to the stigma that results in same-sex marriage being legal in few countries (31) and persistence of discrimination, such as in the workplace.
Ditch the Label is a global charity organization, dedicated to helping young people through a range of issues such as mental well-being, bullying, identity, relationships and digital literacy.
Liam Hackett is an activist, entrepreneur and author best known as the founder and CEO of the global youth charity Ditch the Label. Hackett is also known as one of the stars of Huffington Post's reality series, 'The New Activists' also appearing in MTV's Geordie OG's series one.
The Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) is a charitable organization whose programming works to stop bullying, discrimination and homophobia in schools and communities in Canada, and abroad. Through workshops, presentations, training conferences, and by supporting youth initiatives, they engage youth in celebrating diversity of gender identity, gender expression, and romantic orientation and/or sexual orientation.
Transgender Equality Network of Ireland (TENI) is an Irish nonprofit organisation founded in 2006, which seeks to improve conditions and rights for transgender people and their families in Ireland.
Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) is a charity and which has a stated aim of addressing prejudice and bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people with education in Scotland’s schools. The charity is overseen by a Board, chaired by Rhiannon Spear and Tiffany Kane, and delivers services in schools across Scotland.
Education sector responses to LGBT violence addresses the ways in which education systems work to create safe learning environments for LGBT students. Overall, education sector responses tend to focus on homophobia and violence linked to sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, and less on transphobia. Most responses focus in some way on diverse expressions of gender and support students to understand that gender may be expressed in a different way from binary models. Responses vary greatly in their scope ; duration ; and level of support that they enjoy.
The LGB Alliance is a British nonprofit advocacy group founded in 2019, in opposition to the policies of LGBT rights charity Stonewall on transgender issues. Its founders are Bev Jackson, Kate Harris, Allison Bailey, Malcolm Clark and Ann Sinnott. The organisation has said that lesbians are facing "extinction" because of the "disproportionate" focus on transgender identities in schools.
Bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) people, particularly LGBT youth, involves intentional actions toward the victim, repeated negative actions by one or more people against another person, and an imbalance of physical or psychological power.