Melanie Willingham-Jaggers

For 35 years, GLSEN has championed and expanded safe, inclusive K-12 environments where children can thrive, and learn free from fear. We are proud of the work we have done, to build acceptance and protection for LGBTQ+ students, and particularly in recent years, to build a sterling organizational reputation among our constituent communities, a committed and strong staff that is unified in its approach and thinking, and a known brand that generates awareness and hundreds of millions of impressions annually throughout the world.

Despite decades of hard-won victories, there is no denying the unprecedented nature of the current political and fundraising landscape. We are experiencing a profound shift in culture and ideology across our nation, and the time has come for us to talk openly about the toll it has taken on the trans community, LGBTQ+ advocacy and education civil rights organizations like GLSEN.

We’ve been here before

Trump’s electoral victory in the 2016 election was met with vocal and well-funded opposition at the time: large corporations, NGOs, and grassroots activists alike doubled-down on their commitments to defending the rights of those who found themselves in the crosshairs of the incoming administration. This time, however, the story is different. Trump is emboldened, unfettered, and installing corrupt weak men all around him. He “plans” to take a wrecking ball to the constitution [birthright citizenship], settled law [gay and interracial marriage]. Atop all that, we have seen some of the most powerful industry leaders in the modern world quickly capitulate to the pressures of the Trump regime and fall in-step with its right wing agenda.

What we are witnessing is the culmination of a coordinated, well-funded right-wing attack. From legislative attacks to funding threats, this new reality demands that all of us adapt and respond with strategic determination.

And while as a nation our heads are spinning from the barrage of illegal and unconstitutional executive actions in the first 2 weeks, GLSEN has been in the eye of this storm for 3 years now. 

GLSEN has been contending with the world like the one we are in now for a few years, which is how we know that when you concede an inch to your opposition you will never get it back and it will not stop their attacks.

We know clearly that backing away from a vision that includes all of us makes that future less likely for every single one of us whether it’s marriage or citizenship, whether it’s trans inclusion, none of us will get what we need by playing small or backing away from our shared values.

In response to the progress we have made on every students’ right to learn curriculum that is true, access all parts of school life, have school be an environment that is free from sexual harassment, the right wing has taken aim at GLSEN and our work with youth in schools. Since 2022, GLSEN has been targeted by name in a number of hate incidents across the country, from being named in the Buffalo shooter’s manifesto and flyers left on doors in an Atlanta suburb [2022], to threatening flyers left on cars in California over a line of Pride merchandise sold at Target [2023].

From Pizza Gate to QAnon, incels, white supremacist, Nazis and homophobes have kept GLSEN in their sights because they saw the march of progress for what it was: creating school communities that celebrate and support every learner, builds the opportunity for a democratic future and prevents their vision of an uneducated, white patriarchal based society from taking hold.

What we learned in this time is that bullies don’t stop until you stop them.

Sadly companies like Amazon, Google and Target continue to secede ground – instead of pushing back, they are backtracking on community commitments, references to DEI initiatives and support for their diverse employees from company policies, and consumers from their marketing strategies. Social media platforms have removed guardrails to limit and combat hate-speech. What we are seeing in realtime is an unsettling realignment ushering the far right into the mainstream, and with it, a stark decrease in funding for GLSEN and LGBTQ+ organizations.

GLSEN, like many of our peer organizations and the communities we serve, is not immune to the widespread and sudden changes moving swiftly over the horizon. What is clear is that GLSEN’s work is more vital now than ever. Because of this, we understand that we need to rebuild our organization for the current moment, with bold strategic action necessary, and that is what we are doing.

Back to our roots — as we tackle new horizons

In order to meet this moment, GLSEN is undergoing an ambitious transition and “right-sizing” that we believe are necessary in order to meet the challenges of this changing landscape. We believe this transformation will not only increase our ability to be agile in response to the present reality, but increases our long-term resilience to such changes, as we dig deep to change the conditions facing the most vulnerable among us from attack. This shift now, ensures we will be around to support students facing attacks in the years and decades to come.

In order to do this, we plan on making three major changes to how our organization is structured and operates, with the goal of a resized, reorganized and more efficient GLSEN ready to launch by mid-2025 – significantly reduce expenses; strategize, rebuild, reimagine and test a leaner, more focused GLSEN; and launch a new GLSEN organization and brand.In the face of what of the world Trump and others want to create, we commit to building a positive vision for the future. That means:

• redoubling our commitment to listen, understand and amplify youth voice [youth organizing and expanding our National Schools Climate Survey],
• building power and safety through organizing and activating our people [Chapters, Educator supports],
• and ensuring our organization is fit for the current moment and beyond by being smart about our operations and nimble so that we can be resilient [retooling our org for the current moment].

We view GLSEN’s rebranding as a vital step in preparing for the challenges ahead; ‘business as usual’ will not suffice in the face of the approaching storm. This relaunch is an opportunity to honor our legacy while embracing a forward-thinking vision, strengthening our impact, and highlighting the importance of these changes in ensuring GLSEN remains resilient during these turbulent times.

Actions taken by the current administration and its allies demonstrate in no uncertain terms that policy wins at the federal level are out of reach for now. Because of this we will focus on power building at the grassroots level – readying communities to take back the levers of power and fire those who refuse to work for all of us.

Rather, we will shift our focus and efforts towards making lasting changes in the lives of queer students in this trying environment by reworking our most tried and true methods: shaping the national conversation on systemic change and education justice (informed by young people themselves), strengthening our national movement by working locally across the country, and equipping youth, families and educators with the necessary support, training, tools, strategies and networks to create change in their communities.

In these difficult times, one truth stands unshaken: our work has never been more essential. GLSEN sees this volatile reality as an opportunity to amplify the voices of grassroots movements, strengthen local communities, and champion the resilience of the underserved. Queer and trans people have always existed and will continue to thrive—together, we will press forward, overcome, and succeed.

Melanie Willingham-Jaggers is the executive director of GLSEN.

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