GLSEN honors Maine student

Topsham's Danielle Smith was named Student Advocate of the Year.

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) announced May 11 that the organization has named Danielle "Dani" Smith of Topsham, Maine, its Student Advocate of the Year. Smith will receive the award, presented by AT&T, at GLSEN's seventh annual Respect Awards - New York gala May 24.

"We are honored to name Danielle Smith our Student Advocate of the Year," said GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard. "Danielle is an exceptional student whose leadership within her school, community, and state has led to safer and more welcoming schools for all Maine students. From her work as an organizer to serving as a statewide spokesperson, Danielle's commitment to safe schools is an inspiration."

Smith, who is Mt. Ararat High School's valedictorian for the class of 2010, also serves as president of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). As the Jump-start leader for GLSEN's Southern Maine chapter, the straight ally organized a team of GSA presidents in the area and led multiple trainings working with area youth. Smith also helped lead a group of youth to end the sale of an offensive product called "Gay Away" at a local Hallmark store.

Smith has served as a media spokesperson for GLSEN while the organization was working with the Maine Human Rights Commission to issue guidance to schools regarding anti-discrimination policies that stemmed from a 2005 amendment to the Maine Human Rights Act.

"Being surrounded by youth who share similar ideas and share my passion-and feeding off their energy-has been amazing," Smith said in a press release. "This award is a symbolic representation of work that is sometimes invisible because working on school climates is a very slow evolving process and isn't always recognized. I'm incredibly honored and feel very recognized and appreciated."

Betsy Smith, executive director of EqualityMaine lauded Smith's work. "Danielle's work over the years in her school and community have helped advance the rights and protections of LGBT people in Maine," she said. "By sharing with her peers her understanding of the importance of equality, we hope they will treat others with respect and dignity throughout their lives. She is a leader whose desire to create positive change in the world inspires many."

The proud recipient of the award told Bay Windows that the news still hasn't quite sunk in yet. "I'm just a small-town girl from rural Maine," she laughed. "I have to go to New York City next week and stay in a fancy hotel and go to this fancy gala. ...It's all completely fun and strange and crazy awesome to me."

Smith said that she got involved with LGBT rights when she was in eighth grade. "I met someone who was in the Gay-Straight Alliance at my high school and he became a mentor for me and we became really good friends," Smith said. Her friend introduced her to the GSA. "I'm actually not gay myself, but I have gay friends and gay relatives," she said. "I feel really strongly that everyone should have equal rights and feel safe in school."

Smith said that her involvement with her high school's GSA gave her an outlet for a growing passion she plans to continue at Dartmouth College, after a gap year spent in Germany. Dartmouth has "a really strong Gay-Straight Alliance," Smith said. "I've actually met the co-presidents there, because when I visited, it was Pride Week, so it was really cool and I got to meet all sorts of great people."

The Student Advocate of the Year Award is given by GLSEN to honor an exceptional young person who works to ensure that school is a safe place for all students, and serves as a voice of change in their community.

"Through a time of highly polarized debate and frequent statewide ballot measures over civil rights for LGBT people in Maine, Danielle Smith's courageous, peaceful leadership for safe schools has been a light," said Betsy Parsons, co-chair of GLSEN Southern Maine.