LGBTQ+ education nonprofit GLSEN lays off 60% of staff in major relaunch

Author: Christopher Wiggins

GLSEN, the national nonprofit dedicated to fostering safe and inclusive schools for LGBTQ+ students, has laid off 60 percent of its workforce. The organization’s leader says that the business decision was painful and necessary in response to mounting financial pressures and coordinated right-wing attacks.

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Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, GLSEN’s executive director, confirmed to The Advocate that 18 employees—more than half of the organization’s staff—were let go on Monday as part of a restructuring effort the organization says is aimed at ensuring the group’s survival and long-term impact. The decision, Willingham-Jaggers noted, was driven by a steep decline in revenue and a broader effort to “right-size” the organization for the challenges ahead.

Related: Here’s why GLSEN plans to transform and relaunch amid attacks on LGBTQ+ youth

“We are not an injured version of the GLSEN we were before Monday. We are a new organization,” they said. “Right-sizing is bringing attention to the conditions, responding to the conditions, and being humble enough to do what is possible for us to survive, for us to be impactful, and for us to be sustainable.”

Difficult decisions in a critical moment

Willingham-Jaggers told The Advocate that layoffs affected every department at GLSEN, with no area spared. They said that board chair Wilson Cruz, the actor and activist, supported the difficult decision and personally thanked each departing staff member. The firings came one day before the Human Rights Campaign announced it was laying off about 20 percent of its staff, underlining the broader financial strain facing LGBTQ+ advocacy groups amid a shifting political and philanthropic landscape.

Since 2022, GLSEN has been the target of far-right misinformation campaigns and hate incidents, including being named in the Buffalo mass shooter’s manifesto and referenced in propaganda from white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ+ groups.

GLSEN has faced attacks from conservative media outlets and right-wing activists who falsely portray the organization’s work as an effort to indoctrinate students. A Fox News report published in 2023 falsely claimed that GLSEN was advocating for schools to hide gender transitions from parents and integrate “gender ideology” into every aspect of school curricula. The report—filled with misleading and provocative rhetoric—echoed the broader conservative strategy of vilifying LGBTQ+ organizations to push an anti-LGBTQ+ agenda.

Related: Human Rights Campaign to lay off 20% of staff as LGBTQ+ organization restructures (exclusive)

Willingham-Jaggers, the first Black and nonbinary person to lead the organization, has been with GLSEN since 2019. They emphasized that these attacks have had tangible financial consequences as major corporate donors back away from diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments in response to political pressure.

“In the desire to grow our way out of problems of scale, we hit a ceiling—and then our revenue hit a cliff because of right-wing attacks,” Willingham-Jaggers said. “They saw Target back off, and then they came for us even harder.” In 2024, the retailer pulled back on its longtime support for Pride Month by taking some LGBTQ-themed merchandise off shelves after conservative outrage. Now, President Donald Trump has rolled back all DEI efforts across the federal government and targeted trans and nonbinary students by dictating policies that exclude and dehumanize them. On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order barring transgender students from playing sports through withholding federal funding for programs that violate the dictate.

Willingham-Jaggers said that the organization provided as much support for the affected staff members as possible throughout the process. They declined to share details about severance packages other than to say that all terminated employees received the same arrangement.

“Even in this moment of financial hardship for us, we put together the most generous separation package that we could afford,” Willingham-Jaggers said. “And I also feel like it is not enough.”

Financial challenges and strategic shifts

Willingham-Jaggers acknowledged that expenses had outpaced revenue as GLSEN made strategic investments in staffing and advocacy ahead of an expected hostile political environment.

“You’ll see that total revenue is down,” they said of the soon-to-be-released 2023 financials. “You’ll see that there is a big change in expenses, and that big change is an increase in staffing and increase in consultant expenses.”

GLSEN’s 2021 IRS Form 990, the most recent publicly available Internal Revenue Service filing, reported total revenue of roughly $8.02 million, while expenses totaled approximately $8.06 million, resulting in a slight deficit of around $48,773. At the time, GLSEN’s total assets stood at about $15.02 million, with net assets or fund balances around $13.55 million. The filing also reported that Willingham-Jaggers, who was named executive director in 2021, earned a total compensation of $242,900 that year.

GLSEN, like other national LGBTQ+ organizations, has faced dwindling philanthropic support, with donors shifting focus or scaling back commitments. “This is not a flush time for anybody,” Willingham-Jaggers said, pointing to the misconception that “Gay Inc.,” the groups that advocate for LGBTQ+ people, have exceptional funding.

Despite the cuts, Willingham-Jaggers insisted that GLSEN’s core mission remains unchanged. “We’re not doing the work of 42 people with 17 people,” they said. “We’re doing the critical work of 17 people in a way that is most humane, most sustainable, and most impactful.”

What’s next for GLSEN

In an op-ed published earlier this week in The Advocate, Willingham-Jaggers outlined GLSEN’s strategic shift and the need for a fundamental transformation in response to these challenges.

“What we are witnessing is the culmination of a coordinated, well-funded right-wing attack,” they wrote. “From legislative attacks to funding threats, this new reality demands that all of us adapt and respond with strategic determination.”

The op-ed described GLSEN’s new approach, which includes strengthening grassroots organizing efforts, supporting educators and students in local communities, amplifying youth voices, and ensuring the organization’s operations are more efficient and resilient. “We cannot afford to play small or back away from our shared values,” they wrote. “Bullies don’t stop until you stop them.”

GLSEN is now focused on streamlining its efforts and reconfiguring its work to ensure long-term sustainability. Willingham-Jaggers said the organization is shifting to a business plan reflecting its new reality while maintaining its advocacy.

Despite the staffing reductions, Willingham-Jaggers was clear that this was not the end of GLSEN’s work but rather a moment of recalibration.

“This gives us the most runway for us to get small, reconfigure, and then build back a stronger, more resilient organization,” they said. “We need to be light on our feet so that we can ‘float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,’” invoking legend boxer Muhammad Ali’s philosophy on beating opponents of any size.

They called on donors—both individual and institutional—to step up their support, noting that LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations face an uphill battle against well-funded opponents. “They need to fund us like they want us to win,” Willingham-Jaggers said. “Our opposition has endless money; they get to try things, fail, and keep going. Meanwhile, organizations like GLSEN are forced to make impossible choices.”

Willingham-Jaggers said those who were let go are welcome back if financial conditions improve. “If and when the dollars allow, you are invited to consider whatever role we have here,” they said.

GLSEN’s restructuring will unfold over the next several months, with a relaunch of the organization set for mid-2025.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Christopher Wiggins