ABSTRACT
In spite of a climate in Canada that is increasingly lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) positive (Schneider and Dimito, 2008) homophobic bullying in schools is still endemic. There are many approaches to preventing bullying, but ultimately we believe that the most effective are those that change the school climate. We propose that Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) can be an effective way of addressing homophobic bullying. In this chapter we offer a description of how GSAs function in a large school system in Ontario, Canada and discuss how their unique context contributes to their effectiveness.
Canadian school system: brief overview
