No more Gay-Straight Alliance

[colinian]

So sad! There's no more Gay-Straight Alliance.

It's been renamed as the clumsy (in my opinion) "Genders and Sexualities Alliance". The website is still www.gsanetwork.org. The website lists the following as, perhaps, the rationale for the name change (though it isn't stated as such on their website):

"GSA Network is a next-generation LGBTQ racial and gender justice organization that empowers and trains queer, trans and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize, and mobilize an intersectional movement for safer schools and healthier communities."

I discovered this change while writing a new story and checked a reference to a school's GSA and discovered it was gone. I then read through the list of clubs and found the Genders and Sexualities Alliance. Then I went to gsanetwork.org and found that it was, really, in fact, renamed. Then I searched Google for 'when was gsa renamed as the Genders and Sexualities Alliance' and found it was in April, 2016.

So now we know.

A recommendation: Don't go back and change anything in your existing stories. In new stories I'm going to refer to it as the "GSA Network" which they also use on their website. Others can use whatever they prefer.

BTW, the Canadian GSA organization (https://egale.ca/portfolio/mygsa/) is still listed as the Gay-Straight Alliance. Yay! Way to go, 'eh?

Colin 

[Merkin]

Shades of Cyril Northcote Parkinson and his famous analysis of the growth of bureaucracy in organizations.  Among his observations is the notion that bureaucracies cannot be content unless they fiddle with what has gone before and invent new ways to make what may have been sensible into something more difficult.  His book was one of the greater delights of the 1950s, and should not be forgotten.  Check it out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson's_law

[Ivor Slipper]

I discovered this change of identity a coupe of months ago when checking facts for one of my stories.

Like Colin I consider the new name is not as good as the old one, but at least we authors can still refer to it as a GSA.   

[Cole Parker]

I'm acquainted with a college professor through my writing who happens to be the adviser for his school's LGBT group, which is what they call it.  That still seems to be an acceptable name for such a group that we can use.

C

[ChrisR]

5 hours ago, Ivor Slipper said:

...but at least we authors can still refer to it as a GSA.   

Can't say I've read many stories here about the Girl Scouts of America! ? 

[Ivor Slipper]

18 hours ago, ChrisR said:

Can't say I've read many stories here about the Girl Scouts of America! ? 

Just be prepared!

[JamesSavik]

Humph! We were social justice warriors before it was cool. Now that it's what the cool kids do, I'll have to find something new and anti-social to occupy my angst.

[colinian]

I'm ready, James. Let me know what you find!

Colin