by Marshall Newton and Merriah Dubios
The Gay-Straight Alliance Club (GSA) has been keeping active this year, adapting their plans for the year to now include virtual meetings every Monday at 10:00 a.m. and school-wide email updates on the LGBTQ+ community, entitled "Pride Points-A Publication For All Parties." These weekly emails have brought more awareness of the club while also addressing issues that surround LGBTQ+ students. Club president and senior Jaxx Gorans explained, "Kids, no matter how they identify, need a place to express themselves and internalize what thoughts they have without a negative response."
Chemistry teacher Eduardo Rubio feels confident about the email publications the Minarets GSA has been sending out. He said it is important to “make people that identify under the LGBTQ+ spectrum feel comfortable with who they are and let them know that there’s a whole community outside your little world.” The latest email sent out by the club discussed the “Importance of Pronouns.” Rubio said from this email specifically, he learned a lot about how people feel towards the subject, as well as two new pronouns for gender non-conforming peoples, Ze and Hir.
Gorans is working to expand the club's presence on campus by increasing its social media presence, increasing fundraising, and planning events which will include guest speakers.
GSA is open to all students and plays a big role on and off campus. It continues to be an asset to the school’s community and part of Mustang pride.