Being apart of something at school is always a great thing to have because it shows you a sense of who you could potentially be. That's why I joined the marching band in high school and realized I was not good at sports but I was really good at color guard, I still am because I do drum corps. I also joined the GSA at my high school at one point before everything in my life came crashing down on me. If you don't know what a GSA is, it is a Gay Straight Alliance, and it is a club or organization that talks about and celebrates LGBTQIA+ students. Here at Penn State Harrisburg we have a club on campus called Purple Hand Society and it is open for all allies and LGBTQIA+ students.
It is important to be apart of a club that celebrates this because we live in a generation where sexuality and gender is spoken about a lot. We are probably the most accepting generation when it comes to sexuality and people coming out. We are the future of the world which why we need to start normalizing sexuality and make it easier to talk about. I understand that it can be a touchy or triggering thing to talk about to some but it needs to be educated on. Especially sexual education in schools. I cannot tell you how many times I sat in health class wondering what was wrong with me because I identify as Demisexual. So including the LBGTQIA+ community in class would greatly improve our education as a whole.
Another reason why it is important to have on a campus or in a school is because many kids are not comfortable coming out to their parents, friends, teachers, etc. So they need a group of people who can relate to them and make them more comfortable to eventually come out. However, now that we live in the age of Trump as president this may take a while to work out. These kinds of clubs and groups can be a safe place for kids who are questioning who they might be. I myself am still educating myself on the different sexualities and the discrimination that comes with it so that I can help educate and protect my community.
When I first came to Penn State Harrisburg the first thing I wanted to do was join a club to get involved with my school. I joined the cheerleading team here and it has been great and I am so happy to be a Penn State cheerleader but I was also missing something. I was missing that feeling of being able to relate to someone because I am the biggest girl on the team and I also do not identify as being straight, so I still feel like an outcast. Then, luckily this year I found out the Purple Hand Society was up and running again. So I joined, and now I am the secretary of the club for next semester and I feel like I actually belong somewhere and have made a whole new group of friends.
So if you're skeptical about if you should join that Gay Straight Alliance, do some research first. Get comfortable with the terminology that could be spoken about because Gay straight alliances are not just for gay or straight people its for the whole community. Go to a meeting or two and make a difference for the LGBTQIA+ community.
