Laura Valdez is Interim Executive Director for Gay-Straight Alliance Network, a national youth leadership organization that empowers youth activists to fight homophobia and transphobia in schools by training student leaders and supporting student-led Gay-Straight Alliance clubs throughout the country. Last October, GSA Network founded the Make It Better Project to address bullying and suicide by giving youth and adults the concrete tools they need to make it better for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth right now. In California alone, GSA Network has brought GSA clubs to 56 percent of public high schools, impacting more than 1.1 million students at 850 schools. GSA Network's youth advocates have played a key role in changing laws and policies that impact youth at the local and state level. GSA Network operates the National Association of GSA Networks, which unites more than 30 statewide networks of GSA clubs throughout the country.

Follow Laura on Twitter at @makeitbettergsa and @gsanetwork.

Show full bio

Hide full bio