Story 1
Pleasanton Middle School’s GSA club has done many great things for the school and its’s students. Some of those things include organizing many meaningful events and working to make PMS a better place for everyone. GSA has also created a welcoming atmosphere for LGBTQ+ students! As one of those students, I can tell you how much GSA has made Middle School a much better experience and place for me. PMS’s GSA has boosted my confidence, helped me find supportive friends, and has helped me discover myself.
I’ve known I was anything but straight since the third grade, but I didn’t go any farther than that. I didn’t think it was a big deal, because I didn’t know the difference between it being a big deal and being an essential piece of myself. Notice how I said piece instead of whole. Being apart of the LGBTQ+ community isn’t the only thing that I get to be, but it is apart of myself.
So, when I got to the sixth grade and saw that PMS had a supportive GSA club, I figured that it wouldn’t hurt me to join. When I joined, my best friend had joined, too. My other two friends were in the club, as well. So, just by joining the club, I already had gotten a benefit. I now knew that my best friends were supportive. Their support meant a lot to me.
As I started to feel more comfortable with myself, I had decided that it was time to tell someone. I didn’t need their approval, but I thought it was fair, to be honest with them. So, I had gathered up my confidence and told them. It took a few moments for it all to set in, but they supported me. I had never felt better. Then, for the rest of the year, I enjoyed being in such a supportive group.
Then, the next year hit. I had never questioned myself more. I had assigned labels to myself that didn’t fit, and I had gone through a tough summer. Luckily, the GSA club started meeting up again. They made me feel accepted, and that put a smile on my face. They had also started to work on projects for October, LGBTQ History month, which introduced me to new identities and icons. That doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I identified with some of the newfound identities, and I felt represented and valid seeing LGBTQ+ icons.
So, you probably don’t care about any of this. And, that’s understandable. You probably want to know why this matters and what it means. This matters because LGB youth suicide attempts are about three times as high as heterosexual youth rates. This matters because life is hard as an LGBTQ+ youth. Pleasanton Middle School’s GSA has made it easier for me to feel comfortable with being myself. Pleasanton Middle School’s GSA has made it easier to live with myself. This means that the GSA club is making an impeccable positive difference in LGBTQ+ student’s lives. I can’t speak for everyone, but I would like to say: thank you.
Story 2
GSA is a club to support LGTBQ+ people. It has helped me with many things such as opening up more in class, feeling more confident and making sure that others feel welcome as well. In my opinion, being able to make someone happy is happiness. Wherever you make someone feel better, they smile. And that smile could possibly make your day one of the best days ever. We must keep in mind that some people think that since other people are a bit different or have a different opinion in general, we must disrespect them. Life is already hard as it is and people need support, because one thing that all humans need is love. So making people feel accepted and loved, will not only make you feel better, but possibly change that person’s life! That single person that you gave a compliment, or supported/helped in some way, could think about being happy, and making others happy as well, instead of hiding out to not be looked down on. So, whenever you see someone feeling blue, just smile and support them. It could just make their day.