By Kara Hallam
Staff Writer
Offering housing to students in need and hosting a variety of charities even in the rain, the Coppell High School Gay-Straight Alliance is more than just a club; it is a safe haven for students questioning their sexuality during a pivotal point of their lives.
“I think [the GSA] is great because it can have a real, tangible effect on the members’ lives, which is something that in all honesty is not true for most clubs. It is good to be able to see that you are really helping your community in some way,” GSA president senior Katy Li said.
Members of the GSA meet after school on Tuesdays in club adviser Susan Creighton’s room. Here, they share stories and offer advice to students in need. They even discuss major Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer legislation, such as the recent Arizona bill that would have allowed for it to be legal for private businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ customers.
Most recently, the club has been working on a projects to help the club gain more recognition. This past weekend, it hosted a fundraiser at Marble Slab in the rain for the Dallas Resource Center.
Video by Hamin Kim.
“The suicide rate among LGBTQ teens is about five times the rate of other teens, and students need to feel safe in the place where they spend at least 40 hours a week. Being a teenager in high school is in itself stressful, and being different within the school environment is even more difficult. The GSA is a safe place where students can find understanding and acceptance,” Creighton said.
The club was formed after years of asking the administration if students could assemble one. A petition from two years ago with 300 signatures gave students the chance to fulfill their dream of having a GSA at CHS.
“A lot of kids in Coppell would not come out until after they graduated and teachers and students would openly make homophobic jokes. On our petition Facebook page, there were popular kids who would write nasty comments and it was really discouraging to our LBGTQ members. Just the club existing is an active step in an issue we will be battle for the next century,” GSA senior Emaan Majed said.
This year there have been instances in which LGBTQ students were at risk of being kicked out of their houses due to their sexual orientation. Many members jumped at the chance to offer housing to those having problems with coming out to their families.
“My family is strongly Catholic and my parents at dinner one night said: if you are gay, you better have a friend who can provide you with living arrangements. When I feel isolated from my family about being gay I look forward to going to the GSA for emotional support and to see people going through the same thing,” anonymous said.
Others have struggled with confrontation from family members or classmates because they are gay. GSA members provide support group counseling for these students.
“We may have a different preference but we are not different people. People worry we will try to turn them gay but I see more people trying to turn others into homophobes; making it OK to use slurs and making ‘gay’ and ‘queer’ a derogatory word,” anonymous said.
Today, GSA members will be passing out rainbow bow ties for Day of Silence. This is a national holiday which recognizes the bullying and suicides of LGBTQ youth. Although not all students can go a whole school day being silent in respect for the struggle for LBGTQ rights, these bowties can spread awareness for the cause.
“Last year everyone was so eager to try to get me to talk since I had made it clear with my rainbow duct tape I was participating in Day of Silence. But I stayed strong, you have to, because not everyone in the LGBTQ was strong enough to be able to survive their struggle,” GSA sophomore Renee LeGros said.
