MISSION:
To assist in the development of safe and responsive communities throughout the Borderlands region for persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
VISION STATEMENT:
The Borderlands Alliance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Research serves as an education, research, and professional development collaborative bringing together educators, researchers, and other interested persons committed to creating and maintaining safe and responsive communities for people at various points on the sexual orientation and gender continua.
INTENDED OUTCOME:
Schools and other community organizations in need of assistance in addressing the various needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons will be provided with the latest, cutting-edge educational, research-oriented, and professional development consulting services to create and maintain welcoming, safe, and responsive communities for this oft-overlooked and marginalized population.
RATIONALE:
Heterosexism and sexism are pervasive and widely-accepted phenomena in the United States, devastating not only for the targeted population of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, but for all members of the general community, as well. Their negative effects impact LGBT youths and they are magnified by numerous physical, cognitive, and emotional changes characteristic of child and adolescent development. Schools, as particular microcosms of the larger culture, replicate and perpetuate the heterosexism and sexism prominent in U.S. society. The Borderlands region presents unique and interesting challenges in addressing LGBT issues in educational environments, given the cultural influences specific to this area of the country. The professionals associated with the alliance outlined here recognize these distinctive cultural influences and they are committed to helping schools and communities address issues of sexual orientation and gender discrimination as they pertain to institutions of learning and the community at-large.
