May '24 Shout Outs!

A monthly update on GSAs & the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance

Dear school leaders, GSA advisors, teachers, families, and students

Thanks for reading the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance's Shout Outs Newsletter. This issue features some amazing upcoming events! Scroll down farther to see videos of three incredible students speaking at the Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus spring performance .You'll also find the LGBTQ Alliance's year-at-a-glance calendar, helpful glossaries of terms, updates on GSA clubs across the district, a staff resource library, and more!

🌈PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance

📧 lgbtq@psusd.us

Harvey Milk Breakfast

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The Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast is back for another wonderful year of celebrating diversity and the LGTBQ+ community!

Event Details:

Thursday, May 9, 2024, 8:30-11:00 am
Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs, CA

Pride Prom: Grease

Safe Schools Desert Cities' Pride Prom is May 10 at the Palm Springs Air Museum! Tickets can be purcahased online or at the door, but signing up ahead of time is required. Tickets are $20.

Pride Prom Tickets and Registration

Leadershp and Empowerment Camp

Safe Schools Desert Cities is hosting a summer Leadershp and Empowerment Camp in the San Bernardino Mountains, June 13-16. It is free for students, and busing is available. This event is open to all high schoolers, including current seniors. 8th graders may also attend, pending recommendations from advisors/teachers.

Leadership and Empowerment Camp Registration

Out and About Across the District!

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Cabot Yerxa Elementary School

The CYES Rainbow Club got their new flags! They loved getting to practice at our most recent meeting. Also, Rainbow Club member Juliet Baez gave a phenomenal speech at the Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus spring performance, thanking them for the grant which covered the flags and the upcoming end -of-year party.

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Mt. San Jacinto Unity Club (EWEC)

The president and vice-president of the Unity GSA Club attended the PSGMC Defying Gravity performance with advisor Dr. Mantz. Saige Stewart and Amira Crawford, the president and vice-president spoke in front of the entire audience at the show on how the club is using the grant from the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus!

Additionally, the Unity Club at MSJ on the EWEC campus is sponsoring a Unity Festival on Wednesday, May 8th from 2-4 pm. They will have swag, food, face painting and other activities and competitions to spread Unity and acceptance across the campus! There are even prizes! This is sponsored by the grant from the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus.

We want to celebrate YOU!!

If you would like your school featured in the next newsletter,

send updates and pictures to Annie Axsom at aaxsom@psusd.us!

2023-2024 Year at a Glance

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Click the image to view the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance 2023-2024 Year at a Glance! Here you'll find training opportunities, GSA meeting dates, community events, and more.

If you would like your school's event or GSA meeting dates added to the calendar, email the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance at lgbtq@psusd.us.

Brave Spaces Parents

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Brave Spaces Parents is hosted by the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert. Meetings are the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Brave Spaces is a support group for adult family members and allies of transgender, non-binary and gender-expansive tweens and young teens. The mission of this group is to create a safe/brave peer community where adults can support each other and find helpful tools on the parenting journey. One-on-one parent support/education meetings are also available for parents seeking additional resources.

LGBTQ PAC

All are welcome to attend the LGBTQ+ Parent Advisory Committee meetings to offer input and learn about supports and services offered in PSUSD. Please share these flyers with families at your school!

Here is the link to register: https://bit.ly/psusdlgbtq

And here is a link to the LGBTQ PAC Newsletter: https://bit.ly/lgbtqpsusd

Resources for School Leaders

Staff Resource Library

Click here for a Google Drive folder of ready-made lessons, information about laws, resources to share with families, and more compiled by the PSUSD LGBTQ Alliance.

The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert

Visit this page for excellent local resources for students and families.

The original source for supporting LGBTQ+ students

GLSEN is an educators' network founded in 1990. They offer a comprehensive set of resources for building an LGBTQ+ inclusive school community.

Thinking about school climate?

This guide from Learning for Justice will take you through the steps to building the kind of school climate that's safe for our most vulnerable students.

LGBTQ+ Glossary

Click here for a helpful glossary of terms relating to LGBTQ+ topics.

LGBTQ+ Glossary in Spanish

Click here for a helpful Spanish language glossary of terms relating to LGBTQ+ topics.

Elementary Level Glossary

Click here for a resource from Welcoming Schools that shares elementary level definitions for LGBTQ+ terms.

Toolkit for "Being There for Nonbinary Youth"

This toolkit synthesizes the key tips and takeaways from “Being There for Nonbinary Youth” and offers online resources for supporting transgender students.

learningforjustice.org