"Every year I’m like ‘I should join the GSA!’ and every year I’m like ‘but there’s no point cramming it into my already nonstop busy schedule because they NEVER DO ANYTHING.’ What do I do?"
- Question submitted by Anonymous
Dannielle Says:
-______-
Join the GSA and do stuff… THAT WAS EASY.
But seriously you guys. At the very first meeting (usually the most popular) raise your hand and give them some suggestions. No one is gonna be mad at you for having good ideas. Literally sit there let them say all the stupid-boring-not-doin-anything-stuff they’re gonna say and raise your hand and say ‘i had some ideas for things that we could do this year, should i just say them now?’ and they’ll be like ‘uuhhh okay’ and then you give them this list:
1. Ice Cream Social
2. Bring Everyone is Gay here to do a school-wide event
3. Fundraiser
4. Skate party
5. Pizza Party
6. Movie Nights
7. Everyone is Gay webcast marathons
8. School-wide GSA T-Shirt design contest
9. GSA Alum come back and talk about college experiences
10. Everyone High Five at the end of every meeting.
Kristin Says:
Oh snap SHE TOLD YOU.
Here’s a thing, y’all: Shit ain’t ever gonna get done if Y’ALL DON’T DO IT.
I get that you are busy, I know how jam-packed a schedule can get, and you certainly shouldn’t overload yourself to the point of exhaustion. However, if you want to join the GSA, and you are bummed because ‘they’ never do anything, then just like Dannielle said DO. SOMETHING.
See that list up there? Maybe you are too busy for nine out of ten of those items. Pick one. Literally just pick one. Say, “I would like to set a goal for us this year and I have decided that it will be _______________.” Work toward that goal with the others in the GSA, and work together so that you all have different tasks. Make a list. Check it twice. NOW YOU’RE SANTA. BOOM.
Seriously, everyone. Making change doesn’t have to mean you give forty hours a week to running a non-profit organization. It doesn’t have to mean that you spend ten hours a week organizing a community wide protest of Chik-Fil-A. It can literally mean that you help the others in your GSA gather around a list of things, and that you work toward having an ice cream social in June that raises funds for a charity. It can mean that you meet each week and tell each other a story of how you were kind to another student that week and why that kindness is important. It can mean that you decide to put up signs on the school bulletin boards that encourage people to volunteer.
Decide on it. Commit to it. Do it.
It’s that easy.
"Hey guys! So I’m a senior in high school, and the torch of leading the GSA has been handed down to me. I want to do awesome things, but I’m not really sure what. If you could go back and lead a high school GSA, what sort of things would you do?"
- Question submitted by Anonymous
Dannielle Says:
I HAVE WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR A REASON TO SAY THE FOLLOWING:
ICE. CREAM. SOCIAL. ICECREAMSOCIAL.
Ok, now that that’s out of the way. I would do stuff that isn’t all about being ‘gay’ and ‘out and proud’ bc I PERSONALLY think the people who need a GSA the most, are the people who are scared shitless to be seen in a GSA meeting. SO MAKE THAT SHIT ALL INCLUSIVE. It’s like, the point of the GSA isn’t to tell each other facts about gay kids or to give coming out stories, you know? That all can be very beneficial, but I stand behind the idea that GSA is a place to feel safe and comfortable.
AND ALSO, I think if you had a meeting where you played “Miss Congeniality” on the giant projector screen and you had another meeting where you played your own version of ‘real world road rules challenge’ (i.e. mash up gross food and eat it, stand on one foot for the longest, partners do ‘miss mary mack’ for the longest) and whoever wins gets to come up with the next meeting activity….THAT KIND OF SHIT IS SO FUN.
And you guys, I know, growing up and not knowing who you are is THE WORST, but what makes it better is getting together with a huge group of kids who YOU KNOW don’t care who you like and just having a blast. Informative GSA meetings are cool and definitely should exist, but don’t think every meeting has to be like that. Make your number one rule this: 1. Always have a blast together.
aaaaand then have an ice cream social.
Kristin Says:
I just got really jealous of your GSA meetings. CAN YOU PLEASE INVITE US TO THE ICE CREAM SOCIAL***?! (What’s hilarious about how excited Dannielle is about that event is that she doesn’t even like ice cream…meaning, I will have her portion as well. Thank you.)
I want to elaborate on one of the things Dannielle said up there, add two more, and then say a few things for fun:
elaboration: A GSA is absolutely, one million percent a place for y’all to feel safe, comfortable and welcome. Last night we had a chat with two lovely humans from UVA and they were telling us all about how their Queer Union prides itself on making a space where students can get together and not have to be all, “I AM SO GAY, CHECK ME OUT!” …That is actually not at all what they said, but what they did say was that they had a lot of members who are not out and who can feel comfortable being a part of their community – regardless of how open they are about who they like to bone. Get me? That is important.
other thing one: Involve. Other. Groups. Here is what I want for all of you GSAs out there. I want for you to think outside the GSA and find ways to collaborate with other departments in your school. Sponsor a school-wide event (LIKE A PIZZA PARTY) where ALL students can come and grab a slice during lunch and find out about who you are, what you have planned for the year, and that you are open to ALL of them, again, regardless of who they like to bone.
other thing two: Make at least some of your meetings focused around organizing events for awareness; this doesn’t have to be every week, it can be planning for two events for the whole school year. Check out GLSEN for really helpful tools in this department. They are pretty great.
for fun: Ice Skating Outing (nothing makes people feel closer to one another then having abslolutely no ability to remain standing); Coloring Book Party (whoever had the idea that coloring is for little kids is a total moron); Hula-Hooping contest (I will always beat you); ‘My Grandma is Better Than Your Grandma’ Game (this isn’t actually a game, so, just run with the title).
***Do you happen to be at a high school in the Charleston, SC area?! BECAUSE. We will be in town in October so like, maybe we can visit for a real ice cream social…if you are, email us at tour [at] everyoneisgay [dot] com!! Boop!
“So there is a school board meeting being held at a high school in my area about the addition of a GSA (which that school has been fighting and suppressing for forever). A friend of mine wants me to go, and I totally want to go and support their GSA, but is it okay to go to this meeting if I'm not from the same school and/or if the school I come from is also the exact opposite of accepting?”
- Question submitted by Anonymous
Dannielle Says:
DUUUUDE. The fact that you DON’T go to that school and your school ALSO isn’t accepting is 10,000 times more powerful! Get a fucking group together and go support the shit out of them.
This is the exact thing Kristin and I are talking about when we tell you guys it’s important to get involved. Protesting a chik-fil-a is couter-productive, but going to your friends school board with 15-20 kids who have the same opinion as you and saying ‘this is our generation, this is what we want, we are fighting for a better society’ is powerful as fuck.
Do it. Absoultely do it. Get friends together, get parents together, go by yourself, it doesn’t matter. Your voice is important, powerful and effective and you not only deserve to be heard, but you deserve to make a change and you will.
I’m proud of you. it’s like…fuck yea, you guys!
Kristin Says:
Oh HELLLLL yeah, you should definitely go. Walk into that room like you OWN that shit, throw your shoulders back and imagine that Dannielle and I are walking behind you with a giant flat screen TV hoisted above our heads which is loudly playing the final dance number from Dirty Dancing where Patrick Swayze lifts Baby up above his head…OR WHATEVER GETS YOU GOING.
As far as I know, school board meetings are open to friends and family of students who attend that school, but if for some reason they only allow students of that school inside the doors, you just sit tight and wait outside the doors until the meeting is over. Hug your friend when the meeting is over and let the other students in the (hopefully-soon-to-be) GSA know that you came out because it means a lot to you.
We all know how much it can mean to know that we have the support of the people we care about. Going out of your way to be supportive, especially when coming from a community where you are also being made to feel less-than, can quite literally shake the walls with strength and solidarity.
Whether you are twelve, fifteen, twenty-four or seventy-three, when you stand together with others to take action, shit starts to actually HAPPEN. Go to it. One school board meeting at a time let’s rock this shit.
“My friend and I have started a GSA in our school and we've made it mostly so we could chill with people who believe in similar thing as us. The thing is we have no idea how to introduce this idea to oncoming freshmen or just students in general next year, we also wanted to have club activities but we're stuck on what to do, do you ladies have anything to suggest?”
-Question submitted by Anonymous
Dannielle Says:
Oh man, that totally rules. I’m so proud of you and wish there had been someone like you at my school! ANYWAY. The main thing you should do is sponsor a fun event at the beginning of the school year, not necessarily gay related, so that your name gets out there. Maybe you throw a dance or something and one of you hosts it, and says ‘this is sponsored by the gay straight alliance, thanks for coming, our meetings are Fridays at 2pm if you want to help us put together events like this one!”
You can do really simple things, like show movies, have old alumni from your school come talk, do a fund raiser for LGBTQ, hold discussions about homophobia. Involve some teachers, pass out Human Eqaulity stickers.
Also, try contacting your community. Throw a pizza party, or an Ice Cream party, see if anyone wants to donate food or drink or anything so you guys can involve more people to raise awareness! The possibilities are endless!!!!!!
Also, invite me + kristin to come eat your free pizza and ice cream.
Kristin Says:
I love that Dannielle capitalized “Ice Cream” unintentionally. WE LOVE ICE CREAM.
Okay, so…I think you should do something totally different and awesome and fun, something that will make people be like, “Holy Shit, you guys. I used to always love going to Homecoming, but now that this GSA is here, I love the gays and want a rainbow dress to wear to the Tegan and Sara concert!” Since the only thing I am doing right now is eating a chocolate bar in my bed, I have the time to really think about what that fun and amazing thing might be…
{insert thinking time}
OKAY OKAY I’VE GOT IT. I think that you should throw a roller skating party. Back in the Middle Ages when I went to school, we would have giant roller skating parties where the music would highlight Salt ‘n’ Pepa and TLC’s greatest hits annnnd everyone would totally stress about who to hold hands with during “Couple’s Skate.” I mean, roller skating parties are pretty much the best memories I have from 1988-1998. If there is still a roller skating rink in your community, contact them immediately and invite your entire school…pretty much anyone worth anything will fall in love with your GSA if you throw a roller skating party. ELLEN PAGE DID IT AND SO CAN YOU.
There are so many other things that you can do, even if you don’t want to strap four wheels onto your feet: Plan a movie night in the auditorium of your school and make microwave popcorn for everyone…Reserve a bunch of bowling lanes and make people get crazy competitive by offering a prize to the highest scoring bowler…HAVE A TALENT SHOW…
Seriously, I know I am super gay, but people love this shit. Trust me.
In all honesty, I think you should just appoint me as “Official Event Planner” to your GSA and then rent me an apartment in your city so I can just run the show.
OKAY?!
