Equality for people of all sexualities remains a prevailing issue in the U.S., and in our own community. Although the Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states on June 26, 2015, members of the LGBT+ community still face difficulties in receiving their freedoms and equal rights. There still remain judges in courts nationwide that refuse to marry same-sex couples, and many American citizens who do not view members of the LGBT+ community as equals. At WFS, the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club, led by Myla Brilliant ’17 and William Stanborough ’16, meets and discusses remaining issues for LGBT+ equality, which, as Myla states, is currently “the huge problem in the transgender community that inequality still exists for everyone, especially transgender people of color.” This club offers a place for students to talk about frustrating, real-world issues, and face controversial topics openly with one another in a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental environment.

For those who do not know much about GSA or what they do, here is a description from clerk Myla Brilliant: “In GSA, we create a safe space to open the discussion surrounding current LGBTQIA+ issues. It’s a really awesome place for people to just talk about the things that make them angry, because usually if one person is mad about something going on in the news, everyone in the club is probably thinking the same thing.” As Myla explains, not only can members of GSA open up about current LGBT+ issues, but they are not alone in their frustrations, as they can relate with others in the club. Member Sarah Balick ’17 agrees that “GSA is a really accepting community. There’s no judgment, and people are encouraged to speak their minds. In GSA it’s easy to learn in an environment where no one cares what you do or don’t know. They’re just happy to educate people on topics that mean a lot to them. There is also freedom to be who you are. Expressing your true self can be difficult and intimidating, but the members of GSA are very open and accepting of everyone that joins.” As Myla and Sarah mentioned, the GSA club truly embodies freedom in their group by offering their members freedom of thought, speech, and action through working towards equal rights for members of the LGBT+ community.

In the past, GSA has held a lock-in, as well as the Day of Silence, during which members of the WFS community sign up to wear a rainbow ribbon and remain silent for the entire day to raise awareness for LGBT+ equality. They also offer purple ribbons for those who did not wish to remain silent, but still wish to support the cause. Looking into GSA’s growth since last year, clerk William Stanborough says, “Our club got a lot of out-of-club interest in the lock-in, and this year we have more than 30 members! Even without the success of a gender-neutral bathroom and the Day of Silence, our number jump is enough to show that more and more people are coming to learn and discuss LGBT+ issues and current affairs.” GSA has successfully raised awareness in the WFS community about the prevalence of inequalities among sexualities, and has posed ways to combat these in our own school in the future. We are privileged to have this club and other similar ones, like African American Affinity and Amnesty International, to bring attention to controversial topics and work toward the equality of all members of our community.

Currently, GSA is implementing an open topic jar for anyone to offer current issues for the club to discuss, which is the essence of GSA, as William explains: “Our club doesn’t really work with two people doing everything; we have all sorts of ideas from all of the members! We’re working with Amnesty International to create an ABCD (Atrocities Behind Closed Doors) paper on transphobia, there is an LGBT+ awareness poster being designed to post up around the school, we’re planning a collection and a clothing drive for transgender youth, there’s the usual lock-in and Day of Silence, and we’re going to talk to admissions about advertising our LGBT+ friendly atmosphere as something our school has that others around us don’t.” These are all wonderful ideas that will raise awareness of LGBT+ inequalities and hopefully be achieved in the next few years. In the future, GSA plans to continue to “raise awareness in the school, and hopefully organize some events in the surrounding community,” as Myla adds. She also says that “an important thing to remember about GSA is that everyone is welcome. You do not have to be a member of the LGBTQIA+ community to join.” GSA is a fantastic opportunity for anybody in the Upper School to let loose and simply talk about things that are going on in the world, both inside and outside our school.

Freedom and equality for all has been a problem from the beginning, and will most likely stay with us ’til the end. Thanks to groups like GSA, we are working step by step as a community to raise awareness for the continuing unequal treatment of members of the LGBT+ community, find ways to conquer these issues, and turn these ideas into action to provide everyone with the rights they deserve. As President Obama once said, “Every single American –Gay, Straight, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender– every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society.” This quote captures the discussion topics of our own GSA club, and its future goals for WFS, as well as the community at large.