Worland High School starts GSA Club

WORLAND – For years, Gay-Straight Alliance clubs (GSAs) have been a role in middle schools and high schools to serve as safe spaces for LGBTQ youth. However, in recent years they have evolved from that into vehicles for deep social change related to racial, gender and educational justice.

During the Washakie County School District No. 1 School Board meeting Monday, Oct. 25, a group of students accompanied by Worland High School teacher and sponsor Christy Vickers approached the school board with a request to start a GSA at Worland High School.

The club was given unanimous approval at the Oct. 25 meeting.

According to Vickers, the students approached her last year about the idea for a GSA Club.

“I believe there has been interest in the past, but things have come together for us and we felt like we had a really good shot at getting our club approved,” she said.

The club’s mission statement reads, “The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at Worland High School provides a safe and welcoming space for any student who wants to talk about issues related to sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. Our goal is to create greater awareness about the issues and unique experiences faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning community. Furthermore, we seek to increase social, emotional and educational awareness. We endeavor to create more acceptance for LGBTQ+ people and issues, and we will look to improve our school climate for all students.”

Any student at WHS is invited to join the club. According to Vickers, they are looking to educate themselves, fellow students, educators and the community.

“We have a book study that we’d like to launch and our first set of books has been donated,” she said in a later interview. “We would like to create fundraisers for the Trevor Project and the Human Rights Campaign. We have an abundance of ideas and need to work to focus ourselves because we are a bit excited.”

Both the Trevor Project and the Human Rights Campaign are LGBTQ organizations. The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people. According to their website, they also provide peer support, research, public education and advocacy.

The Human Rights Campaign, according to their website, envisions a world where every member of the LGBTQ family has the freedom to live their truth without fear and with equality under the law. They fight for equality, partnering with people across demographics, industries and governments to provide leadership on how to back up pro-equality statements with real action and create a society where no one is left behind.

Worland High School’s GSA had their first meeting Friday, Oct. 29.