The Gay-Straight Alliance Club, also known as Harmony, aims to spread awareness and create a safe and supportive environment for queers on Carlmont’s campus.
Junior Sierra Segal, Harmony Co-President, said, “The Gay-Straight Alliance Club is an activist club. We are about creating a supportive environment for the queers and for our straight allies, who are very important. Anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA is welcome here.”
“We’re trying to create awareness and a safe space for these kids. Acceptance and a sense of community is really what we are striving for in this club,” said Segal.
GSA’s teacher adviser Joseph Hill said, “We want Carlmont to be a place where every student, including LGBTQIA students to not only survive, we want them to thrive and flourish.”
Homophobia is a major issue in our modern day society, and is a controversial topic that is debated frequently all throughout the world.
“Even in a liberal area like the Bay Area, I still hear homophobic slurs all the time. There’s a deeply ingrained prejudice in society towards homosexuality that needs to be removed in order to have equality,” said Segal. “The easiest way to get rid of homophobia and trans-phobia is to stop making it such a big deal.”
Sophomore Emily Wong said, “I think that it’s less of a problem in this area, since we have a pretty open environment. However, there is still a lot of oppression in other areas of the world that can be fixed through further acceptance, since being gay or straight or any other part of the spectrum shouldn’t define you or change you’re seen by others.”
Fortunately Carlmont’s GSA Club is a group of enthusiastic kids who try their best to support other LGBTQIA students and create a safe environment for them at Carlmont.
“I’m astonished with this group. They are beyond enthusiastic and do so much good work for the club. Truly, when you bring those kids together they’re a force of nature. It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen or hoped for, honestly,” said Hill.
The GSA Club plans to do collaborations with other GSA clubs and conduct fundraisers to raise awareness and money to donate to a good cause.
Carlmont’s GSA Club meets at A-4 every Wednesday.
