The Gay-Straight Alliance club works to create a safe space for students, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.
Although the club has been around for years, many people don’t know about the meetings and the efforts to help students express themselves and be who they truly are.
The club is organized by the president, sophomore Charlie Cacciola, and the vice president, sophomore Davis Hooker.
“The members fluctuate every single meeting. There are different people that come and there are a few constant members. Anyone is represented who wants to come,” Hooker said.
Hooker participated in the GSA when he was at Crossroads and didn’t realize there was one here at the high school. When his friend told him about the group at the high school, he was all for it and now, as the vice president, he tries to keep the club running strong.
“There’s a low LGBT community at this school. It seemed important to me to be able to have somewhere to go where I was among people like me, people that had the same ideals as me,” Hooker said.
To advertise the club, posters are hanging up around the school. They also talk to students around the school and answer questions asked by peers. This has resulted in greater attendance at the meetings.
“It’s mainly just person to person communication and getting the word out,” Cacciola said.
Cacciola first heard about the GSA from Hooker and has since helped the club make strides to be a dependable and welcoming place for students to go.
“It’s a fun, safe space where we can talk about things we’re passionate about,” Cacciola said.
“It’s without a doubt the best time to be alive, but there’s still terrible things going on. There are still hate crimes, discrimination, and oppression. Sometimes hearing about those events and experiencing them can be overwhelming and overbearing,” Hooker said. “It’s nice to have a place to go where you can clear your head and talk about having a crush on a guy without people giving you a death glare. Above everything else, I think it’s important for you to be you in a space.”
