I recently realized that not many students at North Hills know we have a GSA(gender and sexuality association) and even fewer know what the club does. Most just think of it as just the “gay club”, when i reality it is more than that. To spread awareness of the club and answer the question of “what do they even do?” I have asked some club officers to answer a few questions. 

Coriander Boil(she/they), the club’s president, had said that the club also wishes to make the queer community at North Hills more visible. She has said that, for her, the reason the club exists is because “we are here,we always have been here and we never will not be here.” When asked how they plan to educate student and staff alike, they said she intended to initiate dialogue to make the topic less taboo and make the concept of queerness more of a commonplace concept among the student body and staff. She specifically stated that they wanted to “get our fellow students to know we are more than just a word, we are more than just gay or trans, we are people.”  UponApoun being asked how the school could better help queer youth she said they need to improve restrooms. She then cited that “bathrooms are places trans people most often victimized.” 

  Sadie Helper(any pronouns), the club’s secretary, has said that, to her, the club’s mission is to give everyone a safe space for them to be themselves.  When asked why she is committed to the club, she said “I really do just like giving people a place to belong and be.” In response to being asked how the school would better help the queer youth here, he said that we need to talk about queerness and the lgbtq+ community more. If we make the topic less of an uncomfortable topic, lgbtq+ students would be much more comfortable, and safer. They also mentioned the school needs to educate the more teachers so they can be more supportive to student who are lgbtq+. He has stated “You’re the teachers, you’re the adults, you need to be a bit more mature about it,” in reference to poor responses from several teachers in regard to her mentioning their own identity. 

The club as a whole has always been about giving a safe space for people to be themselves. The people I have met through it are the nicest, kindest, most colorful people I’ve ever met. All of them just want to be themselves without fear and extend that to others. The school is truly lucky to have a club of people who just want the world to be a kinder,safer, better place. I think Coriander sums it up best when she said that her main motivator is the prospect that, due to her actions, others can have a better, easier time here.