In the Challenge, facilitators distribute buttons displaying a pink triangle. They ask volunteers to wear this gay pride symbol during the training session and throughout their daily routine. This often helps volunteers further empathize with how LGBT students feel. Facilitators can encourage students to reflect on the Challenge by drawing parallels to the LGBT panel discussions or any scripts about coming out experiences. Safe Zone programs can help your campus combat the isolation many LGBT students feel.
All prejudice stems from ignorance.
When we got this topic out in the open and people heard about it, they opened their minds, listened, and got educated. By using the awareness, information and action model, campus volunteers often feel not only educated about LGBT issues, but also empowered to advocate for change. Because sexual orientation is not a visible identity, the true impact of Safe Zone programs may never be truly measured. However, during the national media attention garnered by the Safe Zone program at Brookfield High School, McCaffrey received a phone call from a parent whose son committed suicide because he was gay. The father told McCaffrey that if a Safe Zone program had existed in his son's high school, he believed that his son might still be alive.