The school’s GSA (Gender & Sexuality Awareness) Club is a student union club that celebrates the culture and history of the queer community that informs its members and the general public of the struggles faced by that community. Many people have heard of the GSA, yet not too many attend. Most of our meetings have fewer than 10 attendees, and at least a quarter of those are board members. The Google Classroom page for GSA has over 60 members, but its reputation as a low-commitment club means many people never attend meetings frequently. It is a low-commitment club; we only meet once a month for most of the year (exceptions apply when necessary for event planning and important discussions), but this makes that one meeting vital for club productivity!
Most student unions form around marginalized identities that are otherwise disregarded in the standard school curriculum. Queer history especially is rarely discussed by teachers in any meaningful way, a problem caused and increasingly worsened by political campaigns demanding strict penalties for teachers caught even mentioning the topic. This makes Queer students feel like outcasts for bringing up their own history in the middle of history class, and can lead to teachers acting overly anxious around the subject- especially the ones who are queer themselves. This is why the GSA is so necessary. It is a safe space for the Queer community who are continuously discriminated against, even within the very design of school curriculum. But it may be in danger.
The main cause of this is pretty easy to uncover if you have mentioned the topic of the GSA in an average classroom. When talking about the GSA with non-members, two prominent opinions tend to show themselves. Neither is based in homophobia, at least not completely, but instead has to do with the image of the club in the greater school community.
One opinion comes from cisgender, heterosexual (or cishet) identifying students who feel no need to enter a Queer space. This makes sense and is a valid feeling to have, but it can also rob people of an opportunity to learn more about the Queer community. The GSA encourages all students to attend meetings as long as they are respectful to other members. Cishet students interested in learning more about Queer culture could help bridge a gap that is only becoming more prevalent within the political landscape of the world, and this bridge could increase feelings of community between difficult cliques.
A second opinion, one that I think can be more damaging to the club, is from Queer identifying students who have certain beliefs about the environment of a GSA Club. Of course, no one should be expected to join a club merely based on their sexuality, but most of these people would actively enjoy the GSA’s activities if it were not for their hangups. These students may have formed these misconceptions either from hearing others’ opinions on social media or from participating in the GSA at their middle school. Whichever is the case, the idea that is formed is that the GSA is only for a certain type of Gay person, one who is loud and stereotypical and “makes it their whole personality,” a gross oversimplification of the organization. The people coming from the middle school, at least, are conflating middle schooler behavior with GSA behavior. Would some high school GSA members identify with the description of a very loud and extroverted person? Sure. But it is most definitely not all, or an overwhelming percentage. The high school GSA is much more mellow than its younger counterpart, and actively works more towards genuine positive change for the school and local community.
A typical after-school meeting for the GSA consists of a short slideshow covering current topics relating to the Queer community. Then we discuss changes that could be made to the school or township that would make life better and increase equality for Gay and Transgender people while also planning future club events. We may then do arts and crafts or work on kindness posters until the meeting ends at 4:00 pm. As you can see, the club offers a very low-commitment and “chill” time, but with the real possibility of helping people in the community.
The current happenings in the GSA are the Philly AIDS Thrift clothing drive from March 24th to April 18th, the Wax Museum focusing on important LGBTQIA+ figures, and the inclusion of more accessible gender neutral bathrooms in the school. The club’s board and specifically YuLee Murphy- the club president- work tirelessly, putting up with the school’s irritating bureaucracy and the low attendance rate of meetings to keep the GSA afloat. If this club sounds interesting to you, the Google Classroom code is usoe25f and the meetings are typically every month on the last Wednesday, but there may be increased meetings going forward. Remember, if you wouldn’t want to go to a school with no GSA, you might want to consider getting more involved in the GSA you have!
