This year, Carlmont’s Gay-Straight Alliance is changing its name to Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA), but what does this change represent?
The club’s main goal is to provide a supporting and nurturing environment for LGBT+ (lesbian-gay-bisexual-trans) youth and their allies.
Club Secretary, junior Alyssa Feigelson said, “I think it’s really important for LGBT+ people to know that there are places they can feel safe and accepted even without being ‘out,’ especially if they live in a toxic home.”
Though not everyone who checks out the club becomes a member, the club does leave a lasting impression on visitors.
Senior Melika Nejad said, “Though I was only in the club for one semester in freshman year, the atmosphere was nice. [The advisers were] from what I remember.”
Though the club was originally named “Gay-Straight Alliance,” it was created to support LGBT+ youth and to create a environment for those in support of gay rights to join together.
Although some view the term “queer” as offensive, club officers are changing the name of the club to make it more inclusive, and to more accurately match the group’s current goal and description.
Feigelson said, “The terminology of ‘Gay-Straight Alliance’ excludes many [other] orientations and identities. I am actually in favor of renaming [the club to] the ‘Queer-Student Alliance,’ to show more solidarity within the queer community. And a friendly reminder, if you are not yourself queer, please don’t call someone queer!”
The LGBT+ community has been fighting for acceptance and equal rights for many decades, and in recent years, it has become a large movement, especially with the Supreme Court’s recent recognition of gay marriage as constitutional.
Carlmont’s QSA is another sign of support for the LGBT+ community, and the steps toward future equality.
