Kevin Jennings

Kevin Jennings has spearheaded GLBTQ youth issues. He has worked to insure equal opportunity in education for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, teachers, and families.

In 1990, he founded the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which brings together teachers, parents, students, and community members who are working to end anti-gay bias in K-12 schools. In 1993, Jennings and GLSEN's work led to Massachusetts being the first state to outlaw sexual orientation discrimination against public school students and to establish a state-wide program called "Safe Schools for Gay and Lesbian Students" to combat anti-gay bias in its schools.

Jennings became GLSEN's first Executive Director in 1995. Today, GLSEN is the fourth-largest LGBT civil rights organization in America. Jennings has traveled to 43 states on GLSEN's behalf. Newsweek recognized Jennings' leadership by naming him to its "Century Club" as one of "100 people to watch in the new century." Jennings was chosen by the White House to be a participant in The White House Conference on School Safety and The White House Conference on Hate Crimes. He is a frequent commentator in the national media.

Jennings is the author of several books, including Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay & Lesbian History for High School and College Students; One Teacher in Ten: Gay and Lesbian Educators Tell Their Stories; and Telling Tales Out of School: Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People Remember Their School Years, winner of the 1998 Lambda Literary Award. Jennings wrote and produced the historical documentary Out of the Past, which won the 1998 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary.