From Deseret News archives:
Utah ranks 35th in gay-straight clubs
But will new law curb the school 'alliances'?
But it's uncertain whether GSAs will continue cropping up in Utah under a new state law regulating student clubs.
In all, 3,577 GSAs nationwide have registered with Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, including at least one from every state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, reports the national group. California has the most, with 517, followed by New York's 315 and Massachusetts' 242.
On the other end is Puerto Rico, which has one registered GSA, the group reports.
Utah has 17 GSAs registered with the network, outnumbering those in Alaska, Tennessee, Hawaii, Louisiana, South Carolina, Delaware, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, South Dakota and West Virginia, Mississippi, North Dakota and Puerto Rico, according to the report.
That number would rank Utah ahead of 15 other places on the registry.
"Each year, some fall away and some start up ... depending on the support they receive from their schools," said Rachel McNeil, director of youth programs for the Utah Pride Center. "It's hard to keep up on (their status)."
GSAs provide a safe and supportive place for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning and straight students, and those who may have gay parents, to talk about issues they and those close to them face, including bullying and vandalism, supporters say.
"If there's a GSA at the school, and they say, 'Come on in ... how was your day, let's talk about it,' that's good for kids," said Bountiful High social studies teacher Joel Briscoe, who helped advise the now-disbanded GSA. "Every kid in our community has got to be able to go to a public school and be safe there. Period."
But GSAs are controversial in Utah.
In 1995, students' requests to set up a GSA in Salt Lake City's East High School resulted in community uproar, national media attention, an extracurricular clubs ban (since rescinded) and a federal lawsuit.
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