Safe Schools works hard every day on behalf of our LGBTQ youth community. Usually, we toil in the dirt and mud. But on a rare occasion like Friday, May 19th, karma reaches out and rewards our work. In a brief two-hour period, here’s a summary of what we accomplished that day:

  • 12:33 pm – Organizers of the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride parade agree that youth under 18 will be allowed to march at their June event. As a parade entrant, we insisted on this point.  Said parade organizers in a response email to us, youth “are our future.”
  • 12:49 pm – We received an email from the Miami Foundation informing us of a significant financial gift. “We stand in awe” of your work, they emailed us. The gift comes from the Miami Foundation, Our Fund, and The National LGBTQ Task Force via their LGBTQ+ Equity Fund.
  • 1:31 pm – Richard Blanco, a nationally beloved poet (and Miami native) who spoke at President Obama’s inauguration, tweeted his 10K followers suggesting they donate to us.
  • 2:00 pm – We agreed in principle to conduct a trans-youth event alongside the Hard Rock.  The event will happen this summer. Funds raised will go toward our scholarship program.
  • 2:30 pm – Our Executive Director had lunch with actor and dancer Jason Rodriguez, who starred in the hit FX TV show, “Pose.” We made plans to conduct more LGBTQ outreach events during 2023.

Obviously, most days aren’t this eventful. But these events are the result of the hard work we put in on behalf of our LGBTQ youth. We could make other announcements, but they didn’t transpire within Friday’s two-hour windfall. We’ll let you know about those soon.

To our donors, volunteers, teachers, board, and staff: THANK YOU!

Scott Galvin
Executive Director

We encourage you to share this information with friends, fellow teachers, and allies and join us in bringing awareness to our efforts. Your support is essential for our ongoing work to create safe spaces for all students, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or expression. Please consider donating to Safe Schools so that we can continue advocating for inclusivity and diversity within the education system.