About Us

In May of 1990, the San Francisco Unified School District’s Board of Education approved the establishment of a program to provide counseling services to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) high school youth. The program, Support Services for Gay Youth, began in September of 1990 as one of the programs in the Student Support Services Department.

Within two years, services were expanded beyond high schools to include responding to the needs of students, families, and staff at all San Francisco Unified School District sites*.

In 1996, the School Board passed Board Resolution #610-8A6 which recognized the work of Support Services for LGBTQ Youth and mandated a series of changes. These changes include expanding curriculum, increasing educational materials, increasing awareness and implementation of the Anti-Slur Policy, and providing professional development for all staff in meeting the needs of LGBTQ youth. Further board resolutions (#5163) provide added support for transgender staff and students.

Today, LGBTQ Student Services is the only completely integrated school-based program of its size and collaborates with both other SFUSD programs and community-based organizations, to make schools safer for all students, including LGBTQ students.

^{*For more information on the history of the program, read the History and Introduction section from the Support Services for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth Resource Guide  published January 1996)}