The GSA Leadership Committee: Collective Liberation through Community Building in Chicago Public Schools

Authors

Elizabeth A. Jarpe-Ratner, The University of Illinois at ChicagoFollow
Corey M. Blake, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Emilie L. Clark, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Li Lichner, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Meaghan L. Tomasiewicz, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Nora Benomar, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public HealthFollow
Jose Dominguez Magdaleno, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Booker Marshall, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Makayla Boyd, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
D. Little, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-9618-9930

Abstract

Strong evidence links Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) to improved outcomes for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and questioning and other identities) students. Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) is known for being a leader in supporting LGBTQ+ students. Despite this, CPS’ size has made it difficult to support all schools in adopting recommended practices. Therefore, in 2020 CPS launched the GSA Leadership Committee (GSALC), which comprises teachers and other school-based staff leaders throughout the district, to support all schools in adopting practices known to support LGBTQ+ students. This paper draws on four years of interviews with group facilitators and focus groups with GSALC members to describe GSALC’s implementation and early outcomes. GSALC’s implementation during its first four years involved relationship-building, the creation of structures and roles to support key activities, decision-making informed by explicit values, evolving membership to meet evolving needs; and compensation of members. Early outcomes revealed that subcommittee work generated district events and policy inputs and members and facilitators reported improved wellbeing, reduced burnout, and increased student engagement within their GSAs. Notably, members believe this model can have ripple effects on other districts. These findings support the proposition that by investing in teacher leadership and community building, districts can align strong policy at the district level with implementation and affirmation at the school level in their efforts to support LGBTQ+ students.

Methodological Approach

Qualitative

DOI

https://doi.org/10.60808/qdtq-t616

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Jarpe-Ratner, E. A., Blake, C. M., Clark, E. L., Lichner, L., Tomasiewicz, M. L., Benomar, N., Dominguez Magdaleno, J., Marshall, B., Boyd, M., & Little, D. (2026). The GSA Leadership Committee: Collective Liberation through Community Building in Chicago Public Schools. Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.60808/qdtq-t616

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