Since the first Gay-Straight Alliance in North Carolina began at Chapel Hill High School, GSAs in this state have been multiplying at an astounding rate. In 2002, there were just four GSAs in Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill. Today we estimate that in the Triangle alone there are hundreds of students participating in GSAs. In May of 2005, several students from different schools decided to form a GSA youth leadership board in the Triangle for the coming school year, and the following fall they organized a day-long educational retreat, a dance party for youth of all sexual orientations, and an awesome statewide rally and march at the North Carolina capitol building to petition for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in school non-discrimination policies.

In the spring of 2006, with adult support, the students founded iNSIDEoUT to provide their activism with the organizational backing it needed. We are committed to improving conditions for LGBTQ-A youth in high schools through education, activism, outreach and social events. Soon after founding iNSIDEoUT, driven by a vision of youth-led social change, we brought together students from nineteen schools and together designed our own mission statement and goals. After an interest meeting, we hosted a banquet honoring the hard work of youth activists in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area during the 05-06 school year. We took over Randy's Pizza in Durham, raised our twenty foot rainbow flag, and celebrated a year of unprecedented youth activism in our state. The event drew roughly 60 students in addition to parents and other supportive adults in the community. A new student board was confirmed at the beginning of the 06-07 school year, and, after a weekend-long retreat in the woods, soon began planning new monthly activities. As we continue to mature and students become more independent and actively involved, things can only get better. Come be a part of the iNSIDEoUT revolution!