White House Honors GLSEN

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network has been honored as a Champion of Change by the Obama administration.

The honor recognizes GLSEN's work to combat fight anti-LGBT bullying, violence and stigma in school settings and its contributions to efforts to prevent suicide among at-risk youth.

GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard (pictured, left) and public policy manager Alison Gill (right), along with eight other award recipient representatives, met Thursday with representatives from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration at the White House to discuss their initiatives and to share best practices from their work. The Trevor Project was also among the honorees.

"This White House honor recognizes the amazing work that the staff, volunteers, and student leaders of GLSEN have done for more than two decades to alert the nation to the ways that anti-LGBT bias in our schools is a serious barrier to both educational excellence and individual well-being," Byard said. "I and my colleagues are dedicated to identifying and implementing solutions to the problem that work for schools and for students, instilling hope and staving off despair. It is so gratifying to gain this kind of recognition for our efforts to create better, safer schools for all."

GLSEN, like the Trevor Project, is featured on the White House's Champions of Change Web site.