Nicole Horn
Monday marked the inaugural meeting of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at Fort Frances High School.
This is the second year the club has been around. But now sporting a new name, it is ready for a new year.
The meeting was held to see which students would be willing to help promote awareness for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered), as well as to promote diversity in the high school and broader community.
“The first meeting was more brainstorming and planning for the year, looking to do different things,” explained Tamara McLean, one of the teacher representatives for the club.
Some of the events the club hopes to do include a survey to see what the school climate is with the LGBT, as well as to take part in pep rallies at the school to help promote awareness and different ways they can support the students.
“The point of the club is to break down the barriers of the need to label everyone,” said McLean.
Erika Handberg, the other teacher rep, feels the club will help create a place for high school students to go to so they can feel comfortable and be themselves.
She hopes the club will promote diversity and awareness so that the high school can become a comfortable place for all the teens going there.
“In a community the size of Fort [Frances], the kids have the ability to help promote diversity and awareness,” Handberg reasoned.
Working hand-in-hand with the teacher reps are four Grade 12 students who agree strongly with the message that the club is trying to put out into the school and community.
Monty Visser, Alice Johnston, Natalie Hyatt, and Katja Sutherland have stepped forward to help make the club a success.
“By the end of the year, we hope to have people who step up to keep the club going,” said Johnston.
“I hope it becomes more accepted and students become more aware,” she added.
Given all four of the student leaders are in their senior year, they’re concerned no one will step up and take the challenge to help lead the club after they graduate.
Johnston stressed all their hard work from this year will not help towards next year’s group unless students from the younger grades decide to get involved and take part in the different events they have planned out for this school year.
However, with next year still months away, the concern is small since they hope to show the school how much fun it is to be a part of the club and to bring their ideas for awareness to life.
None of the members seem to think there will be a backlash to the club. They know there’s a bit of a negativity towards homosexuality, but so far there have been no major problems.
The club is aware there is that concern but McLean assures they have the support of the community.
“It seems that each generation becomes more and more accepting, so hopefully our generation will be accepting towards everything,” suggested Hyatt.
From hosting pep rallies to building floats, the club is going to have a full year of projects that help promote awareness for the LGBT and also promote diversity in the community.
