A Safe Place: Plus club is making a welcoming environment for queer students at East

Standing around a table cutting pink and green papers, Plus Club leaders and juniors April Garmon and AJ Williamson set up that week’s club activity in art teacher Emma Chalk’s classroom.

The papers are for club members to write encouraging messages in colorful pens and markers. Freshmen Monty Ahlers and Lucas Ralston, alongside Garmon and Williamson, will put the notes up around the school in order to encourage students at East who may be having a hard time.

Club leaders are working to promote the club in order to get more members to attend the meetings and to help create a better atmosphere for LGBTQ+ students at East. 

Plus club meetings are friendly and welcoming, according to Ahlers. The members smile and laugh as they write encouraging sticky notes and discuss anything from bleaching their hair to which teacher at East is the best — art teacher Jodie Schnakenberg by unanimous agreement.

According to Garmon, on average only two members attend their weekly meetings. At their most recent meeting on Feb. 27 they had five people in attendance, and Garmon hopes they can recruit more members for future meetings. 

“I want to have the club itself be a safe space for people because there’s a lot of not great things about East when it comes to the [way gay students are treated],” Garmon said. 

Garmon and other club members state that there’s a large amount of bullying and homophobia at East, which affects the well-being of queer students.

“I know I’ve gotten made fun of and a lot of people I know have gotten made fun of,” Garmon said. “I’m really hoping to do something to make that not as much the case.” 

Garmon acknowledges that they can’t necessarily change the way people act, but they do hope that they can get more support from the administration in dealing with homophobia. 

The Plus club meets every Tuesday in Room 229, and all are encouraged to attend.