Eastipedia: Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)

The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) is a club that provides a safe place for LGBT students and their peers to go. It gives students the opportunity for to support each other, whether escaping a homophobic environment or discussing victories for a more equal world.

Seniors Kaedyn Diaz and Zak Engelken are in charge of GSA, which has taken a turn for the better since they took leadership. The club has skyrocketed in attendance, growing from approximately four students in 2012 to over twenty-five now.

Freshman make up nearly a third of the members, which is inviting for the years to come.

Students sometimes engage in venting sessions, where they can share their thoughts on their sexual preferences and not run the risk of being judged or outed. Many people come to the GSA just to be heard.

“It feels very nice to have that support system when I know when I go home, I don’t have that,” sophomore Daisy Coover* said.

GSA meets on Monday afternoons in room 525. Its sponsor is teacher Meredith Sternberg, and has received a large amount of support from the administration.

“[It’s] to make you feel like you have a place,” said Diaz. “I know out there, it can be kind of scary, if people stare at you, or are judging, but you have to know that you belong anywhere.”

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