Carlmont is a very diverse school that encompasses many different sexualities and genders in its student population. To promote this diversity, Carlmont’s ASB and the Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) put on Ally Week every October.
This year, Ally Week lasted from Oct. 9 to Oct. 12.
The goal of this week is to let students who are ridiculed or scared because they are LGBTQ+ know that they have a safe space at Carlmont and with GSA while promoting the support of straight people as well.
“Ally Week helps straight people realize they can be involved,” Sophia Krackov, a junior in GSA, said. “It’s pretty important because otherwise there would be separation and LGBTQ+ people would be separated from straight people but everyone should be together.”
Each day, excluding Wednesday, had a different activity in the quad for all students to participate in.
On Tuesday, there was a hand mural that people could help paint at lunch. This mural was later used as a backdrop for a photo booth on Friday.
Students were encouraged to sign the Ally Pledge on Thursday to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. Some students also took the rainbow ribbon pins that were at the pledge signing.
To end the week off strong, GSA sold t-shirts that said “Love is Love” on Friday to help spread the word that a safe and inclusive community exists at Carlmont for everyone.
Even though some students did not join GSA during the week, they still showed their support for the LGBTQ+ community by letting others know that they should not and will not be judged and ridiculed, especially at Carlmont.
“We want people to be aware that LGBTQ+ students are out there in Carlmont,” Cameron Garcia Brown, a senior in GSA, said. Both Garcia Brown and Krackov encouraged other students to participate in the week’s activities and especially to sign the Ally Pledge.
By the end, there were many that did.
