By James Liu
The GSA, or Gay-Straight Alliance/Gender & Sexuality Alliance, is a place for LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) students and allies to meet after schools on Fridays in room 214. GSA is a place for any student who is LGBTQIA or an ally to meet up and have fun. Recent activities have included a movie night with pizza and popcorn, a speech from special guest Mahlia Lowell, and making and hanging up posters in celebration of LGBTQIA history month. Anyone is free to join and hang out. Mia Miller, a member of the club, says that the “GSA is a great way to bring people together in WEHS. Not all schools have something like this, so it’s great that we have something like GSA that allows connections and feeling more accepted at school.” Another member, Alexis Schuler, says more concisely, “Sometimes we have food.” When asked to elaborate, she responded that she had nothing else to say. As an ally to the club, it was interesting hearing everyone’s experiences with coming out on the week of National Coming Out Day, and I’ve certainly had fun at other events. The movie night was enjoyable with all sorts of snacks and drinks, Mahlia Lowell’s visit and discussion of LGBTQ mental health awareness was engaging, and learning about LGBT history and making posters was fun with friends. If you want a place to hang out with friends and support the LGBT community, the GSA is the perfect place for you.
