Founded in 1990 as the Gay and Lesbian Independent School Teachers Network (GLISTN), the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) became a national organization in 1995. Kevin Jennings was GLISTN's founder and has served as GLSEN's executive director since 1995.

First, GLISTN and then GLSEN focused on improving conditions for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual/transgendered (LGBT) students attending primarily American public schools. In addition, GSLEN publishes national surveys on the climate of public schools for LGBT youth. GLSEN also advocates for local, state, and national educational policies that help public schools to be free of the kind of anti-LGBT harassment and bullying reflected in a 2005 poll conducted by Harris Poll Interactive with GLSEN.

GLSEN is best known for providing support for gay-straight alliances (GSAs). GSAs ...