Editorial: "I joined GSA by accident."
I joined GSA by accident. I'd heard of the club, of course. In three years at Mount Vernon High School it would be hard not to hear about something as controversial as a Gay/Straight Alliance. While I supported the club from a distance I never imagined, when I went to a meeting at the beginning of this year to interview the president, that I'd soon consider the club to be one of my most important activities.
If there is one thing that GSA has made me realize, it is that straight people have to stand up for their gay and lesbian neighbors and friends. There are not enough gay and lesbian Congresspeople and politicians to implement change all on their own. Before joining GSA I was a passive supporter. I never really thought about LGBTQ rights. I supported them but I never actively pursued change. But, as Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel once said, "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim." GSA has taught me to no longer be neutral. It has taught me to no longer accept any sort of discrimination or intolerance. It has taught me to stand up and defend the rights, safety, and privacy of those people whom I love and deeply respect. It is time that the rest of us stand up as well.
I know I am not alone. There is a movement underway in this country to overturn homophobia and bigotry and intolerance. It is exhilarating to be a part of. Every day I read about a new victory for the LGBTQ community. In January the first lesbian mayor of a major city was inaugurated in Houston. On March 9 the first same-sex marriages took place in Washington, D.C. Last fall the House passed legislation that adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of characteristics protected from hate crimes. Legislation to repeal the Military's 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy is currently being debated in Congress. This year the Washington State Senate passed a bill that will enforce schools to abide by anti-discrimination laws that protect gay and lesbian faculty and students.
However, even while great strides are being made, the fight is anything but over. Only five states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage. Many states still lack anti-discrimination laws that protect gays and lesbians. In Mississippi a high school recently shut down its prom rather than allow a lesbian couple to attend the dance, although Mississippi courts found this unconstitutional. The LGBTQ community still faces discrimination, fear, and hatred in all corners of this country.
The first public high school GSA was started at Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts in 1992. However, I think it reflects negatively on MVHS that when I go to the link for Newton South High School's GSA the link is blocked by the MVHS computer. No other student club link is blocked, and it strikes me as disgustingly unfair that when the word "gay" appears, our school censors it. This is a link on a public high school website! How inappropriate can it be?
Still, we have come a long way since 1992. Today high schools all across the country have GSAs. The world is changing. It is changing slowly, unsurely, and hesitantly, yes, but it is still changing. America is changing.
Just recently the MVHS GSA held its third annual Over the Rainbow festival, a two-day event that featured LGBTQ-themed workshops, cakewalks, and even a drag show. On April 16 the GSA will participate in the national Day of Silence in honor of those voices that are silenced by homophobia. Ten years ago this would not have been possible. Today it is. It is through activism that we will shape what tomorrow will bring.
Amelia Furlong
Editor-in-Chief,
Mount Vernon High School newspaper