Students in Leonardtown High School have and make many friends. They talk about their day, mention stressful tests, or just hang out. But some are shy to make friends in school. If students are willing to be friends with a diverse group of people yet feel shy, where should they go for friendship and feel comfortable? The best club for that is the Gay-Straight Alliance, where any student (gay or straight) can join this club.

The GSA club is all about promoting acceptance for all students/people, discussing and debating controversial issues, and most importantly having fun and laughing. Snacks are provided as well as games and movies. In this club, they never expect students to reveal personal information about ideology or sexual orientation unless he or she wants to and is comfortable doing so.  One of the sponsors of the club, Mrs. Rauh, has agreed to answers a few questions about why students would be interested in joining this club, how it can make a difference in the school, and what the club’s next activities are in the near future.

“I think it’s for a variety of reasons.” Mrs. Rauh explains, “Students who are not actually gay join this club, they’re just accepting various lifestyles. One of the things we’ve done to let students know that teachers  are accepting LGBT students and being supportive are the safe space stickers. We try to protect students from the negative impacts of others such as harassing and name calling. We are handing out a survey to find out what students are interested in, to promote joining GSA. We never ask specific questions. We just talk about generalities and protect people’s privacy.”
This club made me realize how important GSA is to LHS. Mrs. Rauh told me about a man named Alan who killed himself after a year of government-mandated hormonal therapy in 1954. Learning about how people years ago were treated like outcasts just for being different and who wanted to kill themselves for that makes my heart feel heavy. Never hate what or who you are just because others said so. Be proud of who you really are. Students who are interested in joining the club can go to Ms. Musser’s room, C-29.  Meetings are on every Wednesday from 2:50 pm-3:30 pm. Ask a parent for a ride back home.