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Speaking OUT is a list of resources for kids in trouble and the people who care about them. The list was assembled by the Rainbow Round Table (RRT) of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ (ALA). The list will be updated as more suggestions are received. Have suggestions? Send them to us at.

Immediate Help

Phone: (866) 488-7386 Text: 678-678
A national 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth. Students can also text and chat with a crisis counselor.

(877) 565-8860
Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers. Call us if you need someone trans to talk to, even if you’re not in crisis or if you’re not sure you’re trans.

Youth Talkline: 800-246-7743
Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning community by providing free and confidential peer-support and local resources. Include hotlines, online peer support, and weekly moderated weekly chatrooms.

Youth are Speaking OUT

College students share their experiences and offer advice on how to end LBGTQ+ bullying.

U.S. Government is Speaking OUT

The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights issued an advisory to educators. It is the federal government's most comprehensive guidance to date on how civil rights law applies to the sort of campus situations that in some cases have led persecuted students to commit suicide.

On January 20, 2021, the President signed an Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation which sets out the Administration's policy that "[a]ll persons should receive equal treatment under the law, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation."

A message from President Obama on Bullying.

StopBullying.gov coordinates closely with the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Steering Committee, an interagency effort co-led by the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services that works to coordinate policy, research, and communications on bullying topics. The Federal Partners include representatives from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, the Interior, and Justice, as well as the Federal Trade Commission and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Everyone is Speaking OUT

ImFromDriftwood.com collects true LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) stories from all over the world--from the smallest towns to the biggest cities--to help gay youth feel not so alone.

The project that started it all. "Hearing about these kids that have committed suicide, the reaction as a gay adult is always, 'God, I wish I could have talked to them for fifteen minutes or five minutes and told them it gets better,'" said gay columnist Dan Savage.

We Are the Youth is a photographic journalism project chronicling the individual stories of queer youth in the United States. The project aims to capture the incredible diversity and uniqueness among LGBTQ youth.

Organizations are Speaking OUT

Based in Calgary, Canada, the Centre for Suicide Preventione has the world's largest English language collection of materials on suicide and suicidal behaviours with more than 37,000 references to print and audiovisual resources on prevention, intervention, and postvention. They have many online resources.

Gender Spectrum provides education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens.

Through research-based interventions, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) provides resources and support for schools to implement effective and age-appropriate anti-bullying programs to improve school climate for all students. While many schools show a willingness to address bullying generally, effective efforts must address the pervasive issue of anti-LGBT bullying as a crucial element of the problem. Listed below are programs and resources to help all members of the school community address bullying in inclusive and effective ways.

The Safe Schools Coalition offers resources as a starting point for educators, parents/guardians and youth.

Resources for students who are transgender, nonbinary, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or intersex. Includes information on students’ rights, what to do if they experience bullying, how to file a complaint, who can help, and additional resources.

A national anti-bullying and cyberbullying program for kids and teens is a signature program of Love Our Children USA who since 1999, has been the national nonprofit leader and ‘Go-To’ prevention organization fighting all forms of violence and neglect against children in the U.S.

MTV's A Thin Line campaign was developed to empower youth to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse. The campaign is built on the understanding that there's a "thin line" between what may begin as a harmless joke and something that could end up having a serious impact on you or someone else.

TYFA empowers children and families by partnering with educators, service providers and communities, to develop supportive environments in which gender may be expressed and respected. We envision a society free of suicide and violence in which ALL children are respected and celebrated.

Welcoming Schools is an LGBT-inclusive approach to addressing family diversity, gender stereotyping and bullying and name-calling in K-5 learning environments. Welcoming Schools provides administrators, educators and parents/guardians with the resources necessary to create learning environments in which all learners are welcomed and respected.

Resources to Help You Speak OUT

This open letter to principals and superintendents explains why it’s illegal under federal law for public schools to ignore anti-LGBT harassment of students.

Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case that Made History, is a documentary film that chronicles one student’s ordeal at the hands of anti-gay bullies and offers an inspiring message of hope to those fighting harassment today. It can become a cornerstone of anti-bullying efforts in middle and high schools.

A documentary on peer-to-peer bullying in schools across America.

Resource guide on starting LGBTQ+ student-led clubs and GSAs (Gender and Sexuality Alliances). Works to create safe and LGBTQ-inclusive schools and to be a place where students can receive support, socialize, and find community together.

Genders & Sexualities Alliances, or GSAs for short, are student-run organizations that unite LGBTQ+ and allied youth to build community and organize around issues impacting them in their schools and communities. GSAs have evolved beyond their traditional role to serve as safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth in middle schools and high schools, and have emerged as vehicles for deep social change related to racial, gender, and educational justice.

"I'm hoping it's just the few people who I see on listserves and the few, better-known gay and pro-gay people out there who think that DADT repeal and same-sex marriage would solve the problem of homophobic bullying in schools. They won't -- gay teen suicides resulting from bullying happen in states from across the spectrum, even in very gay-friendly Massachusetts -- and solutions to this problem are going to have to focus on schools themselves."

PFLAG National and GLSEN have partnered to help you take action against bullying, harassment, or discrimination in school because of sexual orientation or gender identity. This resource provides information on how to file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and what to expect.

Ten steps to make schools safer for students who are, or are perceived to be, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ).

Q Chat Space provides online discussion groups for LGBTQ+ teens ages 13 to 19. Members are verified and trained facilitators guide discussions to help keep Q Chat Space a safe space for all. The “Learn More” section contains several links to additional resources and LGBTQ+ organizations.

Researchers are exploring ways to leverage online social networks to reach at-risk LGB adolescents and young adults. Their article is available online for free. Silenzio, Vincent M. B., et al. 2009. Connecting the invisible dots: Reaching lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents and young adults at risk for suicide through online social networks. Social science & medicine 69, no. 3:469-474.

Research article from Violence Prevention Works by Jane Riese, Licensed Social Worker.

This brief (a collaboration of the Williams Institute in the UCLA Law School and the National Education Policy Center (NEPC)) describes this issue, presents concrete policy recommendations, and then offers model statutory code language to implement many of those recommendations.

David Brian Holt, Electronic Services Reference and Law Librarian at Santa Clara University, maintains Sexual Orientation and the Law: Bullying, a resource guide for his law school students and faculty. The guide lists great resources about bullying.

This fact sheet from the ACLU of California provides information on Zero Tolerance policies, how they may harm LGBTQ+ students, and lists more effective ways to protect LGBTQ+ students.

Updated 02/01/22

Original version