Honor Pride Month with a GSA Special Event!

PRIDE month is only a month away! As founders of the Core Collaborative Learning Network, a Queer-owned professional learning education consultancy, my husband (Tony) and I know firsthand about the threats, stress, and pressure LGBTQ+ youth, their families, and educators face. At least 510 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state legislatures across the United States last year — a new record, according to American Civil Liberties Union data. That’s nearly three times the number of such bills introduced in 2022.

Because of these increased threats to our community, we know that positive representation and taking time to build quality connections in the LGBTQ+ community are profoundly important. Representation and creating time for students, families, and teachers to connect is not just about visibility; it’s a lifeline that tells individuals they are not alone, their lives are meaningful, and they too deserve a place at society’s table.

Your GSA Is Invited

This is why we are so excited and honored to celebrate the launch of Pride month with a special screening of the Revry docuseries, Queer As Fundamental (QueerAF) at the LGBTQ Center in Manhattan on May 31. QueerAF is a new Revry docu-series featuring the remarkable, real-life stories of Queer artists across America as they chase down their dreams and endeavor to express how they are uniquely fundamental to the world. Revry is the LGBTQ-first streaming network with the latest in queer movies, series, and music, available anytime and anywhere.

Since there isn’t a lot Queer programming for LGBTQ+ youth and their families, we are thrilled to partner with the show’s developers, Grammy-winning recording artist, Matt Alber, and his brother Bryce (who composed the music for the series). Events like the Queer As Fundamental Screening provide more than just entertainment; they provide a sense of community and belonging that is crucial for LGBTQ+ students, their families, and educators. Matt and Bryce will also perform at the event and then facilitate a discussion with students from across NYC after the screening.

The LGBTQ+ Community is Fundamental

When LGBTQ+ youth see themselves reflected positively in education spaces, books, media, sports, the fine arts, and in different fields, it not only enhances their sense of belonging but also fosters acceptance and understanding within our broader society. For LGBTQ+ youth, seeing successful and openly LGBTQ role models can be life-changing, offering hope, courage, and the strength to embrace their true selves in a world that often marginalizes them.

This event not only celebrates queer identities but also sheds light on the resilience, challenges, and struggles that LGBTQ+ youth face every day including bullying, family rejection, homelessness, and suicide. LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented among young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability and are also disproportionately affected by mental health issues, including depression and suicide. LGBTQ+ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. 1

Show Your Support

By attending the QueerAF Screening with your GSA student club, and showing your support, we’re sending a powerful message that they are not alone, that their voices matter, and that there are people who care deeply about their well-being. Scholarships are available to GSAs across NYC DOE middle and high schools if resources are scarce.

I hope you’ll join me, Tony, Matt, and Bryce at the Queer As Fundamental Screening and help spread the word about this important event. Together, we can make a difference and create a world where all young people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, feel accepted, valued, and loved. Register here.

With love and solidarity,

Dr. Paul Bloomberg, CEO & Founder
Core Collaborative Learning Network

1 The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People found that 41% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including roughly half of transgender and nonbinary youth. LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Johns et al., 2020). The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people (ages 13-24) seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S. — and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.