#joined the gsa club

[nickbutnodick]

ive gotten myself into a fuckin moral dillema and i didnt even DO anything

[blue-eli]

For the last day of pride month: sea salt family!

[mybreadsmybutters]

university friendslessness so chronic when the “do you want to come join our christain club on campus???” people approached me i unironically considered it for like 20 seconds

[rallennox]

calming album save me.... save me calming album...

[gnometa233]

Aside from a few outlying cases I do not understand why people are so insulted by gatekeeping. Either you're encountering a few unreasonable dipshits in which you can ignore them or you're actually trying to force your way into a space that you don't belong in. Either way just find somewhere that includes you. It's not that hard.

[odysseys-blood]

yknow what all the campus lesbians know each other and thats fine im happy for them but wheres the other trans ppl. it cant just be me right. it gets tiring only talking to people that over-apologize for the 500th time and want me to coddle them bc they cant get my pronouns right and i keep it to exclusively they/them bc otherwie their little cis brains would combust

[filenameghost]

I get to partake in a bake sale tomorrow and I am so hexcited :3 it is my first time participating in such an event and although it seems like. not a big deal to most ppl it's a High School Experience I saw in The Movies that I am glad I will get to enjoy :)

[vamptastic]

homeschool kids have a reputation for being poorly specialized but ngl, i think that'd make it easier to form and maintain adult friendships. it's hard making new friends without the public high school schedule in which you're forced to hang out with the same people for at least a half hour a day 5 days a week

[fallstaticexit]

Prev / Next / Beginning / Pillowfort

AN: TW this post contains a homophobic slur.

Transcript under the cut

Professor Munch: Everyone, this is Nancy. She’s one of my favorite students. I am so glad she can join us this evening to observe our weekly GSA meeting.

Nancy: And what is a GSA?

Morgan: It stands for Gay–Straight Alliance. It’s just a safe space for queer kids to hang out and talk about real world issues.

Knox: Yeah, we go out and do stuff off campus. It’s pretty tight.

Nancy: Queer? So...this is a club for homosexuals?

Darling: [sucks teeth]

Knox: [chuckles nervously] I mean, sure I guess? Me and Morgan are bisexual. That means we dig the fellas and the ladies, heh.

Professor Munch: What’s important is that this space is for everyone, from all walks of life. We support each other here, no matter who you love. We keep each other safe. That’s why I invited you to sit in on our session. I figured you could use a friend or two-

Nancy: Ugh! Oh my God? You think I’m- I’m not like that, ok!?

Nancy: I am not a homosexual! What the hell made you think I’d want to be apart of something like this?

Professor Munch: No, dear- I’m not implying you’re like anything! This club welcomes all people. I thought you could use the support. Why, your brother started the very first GSA at this school-

Nancy: Oh, don’t you fucking dare! My brother wasn’t some depraved pervert and I’m not a d****!

Darling: [jumps up, chair scrapes hardwood floor] What the fuck did you just say? You can’t come up in calling people that shit!

Nancy: I-I didn’t! All I’m saying is that I’m not like that! I’m not like you-

Darling: Not like who? Not like a d?****?

Darling: What the fuck is your problem? Munch, who is this bitch?

Professor Munch: Easy, Dee. Calm down-

Darling: Don’t fucking tell me to calm down! You let some straight white girl walk in here and say something we heard screamed at us our whole fucking life! Say it again! I dare you!

Professor Munch: That’s enough! Please! Let me handle this.

Nancy: [between sobs] M’sorry...m’so sorry...

Professor Munch: [sighs] Just, take some time to think about this, Nancy. Look inward.

Nancy Narrates: [Look inward] x3

Nancy: If it’s ok...I’d like to apologize.

Professor Munch: Everyone? Is it alright if Nancy speaks?

Morgan: I don’t mind.

Darling: [sighs] Whatever man.

Nancy: [exhales] When I first heard that word, I was 11 years old. My mother found letters I wrote to my pen pal. She mailed a photo of herself from her birthday party, she wore this really pretty yellow dress with little blue flowers on them.

Nancy: Yellow is my favorite color, so I said she was as pretty as a sunflower. My mother tore up the letter and made me rewrite it. She looked me right in the eyes and said, ‘do you want someone to read this and think you’re a-’

Nancy: She said it again when was 14, a girl from my ballet troupe was only brushing my hair. She pulled me from the class. She said it again two years ago, when she found out that I fell in love with-

Nancy: I know that word hurts because it’s been said to hurt me even though I’m not... It doesn’t matter if I’m not, I shouldn’t have said it. It was a horrible thing to do. I am so incredibly sorry.

Professor Munch: Thank you for sharing your story. This is what GSA is about. Coming together, creating a community, and creating safe spaces. Dee, is there anything you want to say to Nancy? Anything you’d like to speak on or about how you feel?

Darling: Nah...

Nancy Narrates: [I knew that an apology alone wouldn't suffice to mend the situation. When it came to friendships, I didn’t know how to genuinely make amends, but as a Landgraab, I knew that I could leverage my wealth and status to create a meaningful impact]

Morgan: You got us the biggest hall on campus?! Nancy, this is sick as fuck!

Professor Munch: [laughs] I’ll have to agree with Morgan for lack of a better word. This is sick as heck! I don’t know where to begin to thank you for this gift.

Nancy: It’s the least I could do. Now you can stop meeting in that tiny corner in the commons.

Darling: Charity work for your little sorority, huh? What’s with you, yo?

Nancy: What do you mean?

Darling: You’re so rich, you just buy your way through shit?

Nancy: It’s how I was raised.

Darling: I can’t figure you out.

Nancy: I promise, I’m not a bad person.

Darling: We’re not like everyone else on campus. We’ll show you something real. You gotta be real with us too.

Nancy Narrates: [I found myself wanting to do exactly that—to show them the real me, whoever she was]

Siobhan: I’m planning a party for the Thetas Friday night. Perfect opportunity for you to bond with your sisters.

Nancy: I’m a little busy Friday night...maybe next time?

Siobhan: Being apart of a sorority is more than just the cute merch and bragging rights. We’re involved with the community and with this campus. As a pledge, I do expect you to commit to these things.

Nancy: I know and I will. I just need to take care of something.

Siobhan: [sighs] Don’t let me down, sister.

[the group murmurs excitedly]

Professor Munch: You did all this, Nancy?

Nancy: I hope it’s ok I’m here. I figured you could break in your new room with a movie night. Everything is already taken care of, and I bought a ton of movies ranging from comedy to horror and everything in between. They’re all yours to keep! Same with the popcorn machine. I know I’m using money again to impress you but... I guess I’m still trying to figure out what it means to be real. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it all.

Morgan: Yeah, not so fast. Stick around, watch a movie with us!

Nancy: Are you sure?

Knox: Of course we’re sure, squirt.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for being condescending towards an asexual kid in GSA?

🙃🏳️‍🌈 to find later

Long post so buckle up.

I (17, they/it/he) am one of three co-leaders of my school’s GSA, along with R (18, she/her) and N (17, he/him). All three of us are openly bi, and I’m also openly trans and (most importantly) very loudly aromantic. We’re all in 12th grade now but we were leaders last year (in 11th grade) too. The school/GSA is small enough that all four grades (9–12, so around 13–18 years old) are in the same GSA, there’s no separate upper grade and lower grade groups. We also have two advisors, both cis queer teachers; and some younger queer faculty members also join sometimes for formal events. We take turns running events during club time, such as fun crafts or watching music videos. Sometimes we also do educational stuff or documentaries, including having teachers come in to facilitate discussions.

I’ve been planning (since early December) to run a two part series of discussions about asexuality and aromanticism (separate discussions of each). I really just wanted to do one day about aromanticism, but R said that if I did that, people would derail it and just talk about asexuality anyways, which both N and our advisors also agreed made sense. So, it’s two days, and the asexuality one is first so that the aromanticism one can be closer to Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (ASAW).

There’s a girl in GSA, let’s call her A (16, she/her), who’s in 11th grade. She’s very socially awkward and if someone points out that she’s accidentally said something rude or offensive she’ll make a big deal out of not knowing and generally derail the conversation. Also, two years ago A made a ton of “jokes” about me and my little sibling (16MtF) being “secretly dating.” When I asked her (politely at first) to stop, she said she was just joking around, and kept doing it. I asked her again and also asked the theatre teacher and school counselor for help, and eventually she did stop. But A kept following me around and trying to be friends with me, and I was super uncomfortable to the point that I asked the school counselor to facilitate a conversation between A and I so that I could ask her to fucking stop. It somewhat worked. Now she still keeps trying to start conversations with me in the hallways and such, but I just brush her off or ignore her.

The one place I can’t do that is during GSA. Since I’m a leader, I have to be civil to everyone and actually talk to people (R, N, and I set norms at the start of the year during our planning meetings). A is asexual but not aromantic, and today she showed up like 5 minutes into lunch (cafeteria lines are annoying) and loudly asked if she was late. We weren’t doing anything in GSA today, just chilling. At some point during the meeting I announced casually that next week we’d be discussing asexuality, and then the week after that we’d talk about aromanticism, which leads nicely into ASAW during February break. When I said this, A immediately said that she would be extra ace that week [during ASAW]. I was like, “during aromantic spectrum awareness week?!?!” in the same tone of that “during pride month?!?!” meme. She looked like someone had just given her an F on the most important test of the year and said she hadn’t known.

I also made a comment about how there’s way more openly aspec people at our school than at most schools, and N said that maybe the presence of role models is part of that (clear subtext: he was referring to me). I said pretty loudly (more people could hear) that it was kinda funny that I’m the “ace role model” when I’m literally not asexual. A looked super lost and confused at this, and I think she might’ve thought I was ace, even though I’m super open about not being ace, and have told her directly more than once.

Here’s where the potential assholery comes into play. There’s an ad for PrEP that was fairly common on the back covers of theatre playbills in the past year. The ad shows a Black man dressed in ripped leggings with fishnets, shiny knee-length heeled leather boots, and some sort of white leather harness, doing a bridge pose with one leg extended upwards so that the “r” in PrEP is resting on the sole of the boot. The ad has a bright red background and text that says “you cast of PrEP options is changing” along with a small QR code and website link. The pose is somewhat provocative, but not out of place on a playbill for an all-ages show.

During GSA, A was saying that she thought the ad was bad, because of the leather being “fetish gear” and “weird” (basically the same arguments people use to say that gay people shouldn’t be allowed in public). I told A that there’s nothing wrong with someone wearing leather, and she said that “it’s fetish gear and that’s disgusting and degenerate and just bad advertising!”

I explained calmly, like I would to a child (although I probably wouldn’t talk about this topic with a child), that PrEP is a medicine that people take if they anticipate having sex with someone who’s HIV-positive, so it’s okay that the ad is somewhat suggestive. She seemed to accept that, but still said that the leather was weird, and the ad should’ve shown “a diverse group of people getting pills at a pharmacy” instead, because “fetish gear” was too much.

I asked if she thought that all leather clothing was inherently fetishistic, to which A said yes, and then I asked, “do you know that people can’t just choose fetishes?”

She hadn’t known that, but she still said the ad was too sexual. I pointed out that it was a fairly well-targeted advertisement, using theatre references, but maybe A was not part of the target demographic. I also said that sometimes outfits are just hot without there needing to be any fetishes involved, which she didn’t refute, and that even if it was a fetish, that wouldn’t make it inherently “bad” or “degenerate” at all.

A said that she still didn’t like it, and I told her that she was entitled to have whatever feelings she wanted to have, but that doesn’t mean the advertisement itself is a problem.

Another person (17, he/him) called out “[OP], what do you think about kink at pride?” in a sort of nonchalant way, so I walked over while saying “i’m pro–kink at pride.” The conversation eventually moved in other directions, and then club ended and we had to go to our next classes.

TL;DR: given my position of power and responsibility as a GSA leader, AITA for being kinda condescending towards an ace person who’s 2 years younger than me because she was being very sex-negative about an ad for PrEP?

What are these acronyms?

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Advocates fear loss of schools as safe space amid gender pronouns policy

Education advocates are bemoaning the loss of schools as safe spaces for vulnerable kids only weeks after the UCP announced a controversial gender pronouns policy that they say puts a wedge between LGBTQ+ students and teachers. Teachers, parents and academics worry schools are already being enveloped in a culture of fear and mistrust, well before this fall when the policy is implemented, requiring teachers to notify and get consent from parents to alter the name or pronouns of a student under 15 years, and to notify parents of students aged 16 and 17. Even the much-celebrated and protective GSAs (gay-straight alliances) — clubs created by students and led by trusted adults to support LGBTQ+ kids in schools — are at risk of being lost as students question the potential risks now associated with joining them, advocates say.

Continue Reading

Tagging @politicsofcanada @abpoli

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ryan Adamczeski at The Advocate:

Cobalt Sovereign did everything she was supposed to do. The 17-year-old, who identifies as an agender, nonbinary, transgender girl, was using the boys bathroom on May 30, even though her state, Minnesota, protects the right for transgender people to use their preferred restroom. Despite using the facilities that align with her biological sex, and minding her own business, the junior wasn't protected from what would happen next. As Cobalt sat in the stall at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, a male student she had never met before looked over the top, and began berating her with an antigay slur. She decided to leave before she was able to use the bathroom, but the student pursued her still. The boy followed Cobalt out of the bathroom, continuing to spew the slur. When she asked him why he was harassing her, the student punched Cobalt in the face, breaking her jaw in two places, cracking her teeth, and concussing her, according to her family.

"It's been a week now, and it's like one of those weeks where you don't know what time it is and what day it is, because there's so much physical pain," Ashley Sovereign, Cobalt's mother, told The Advocate. School staff did not call an ambulance or contact police after the assault, Sovereign said, but instead called her and her ex-husband, and told them to take her to the dentist. Cobalt's injuries were too severe for the dentist, who sent the family to the emergency room. From the emergency room, she was taken via ambulance to a trauma hospital to undergo surgery. Surgeons did not need to wire Cobalt's jaw shut, but instead put in three titanium plates. Cobalt was sent home from the hospital on Saturday, and the weekend passed without word from the school or district. Sovereign said she only heard from them Tuesday after she directly reached out to the superintendent, who Sovereign said had not yet heard of the incident.

"I don't even think she knew that it hadn't been reported to the police or that an ambulance hadn't been called," Sovereign said, adding that she herself had also "assumed there were police there already. I assumed [Cobalt] had been adequately assessed, too." A spokesperson for the Minnetonka Police Department confirmed to The Advocate that the Sovereign family filed a report with them shortly after the incident Thursday, but that the department does not have any record of Hopkins High School contacting police. [...] Meanwhile, word of the incident spread among the Minnesota community, leaving parents and students with several questions. Sovereign got in contact with local LGBTQ+ groups, who decided to hold a rally at the school to put pressure on the administration. Transforming Families and the Queer Equity Institute led the protest Wednesday morning just outside the school's campus, which was also attended by State Rep. Leigh Finke, Minnesota's first out transgender legislator.

[...] Many students at the high school decided to walk out and join the demonstration despite the warnings. Even students from the nearby middle school came over with their GSA club advisor to show solidarity. Sovereign said that some of her own graduate students also attended, to her surprise.

Trans girl Cobalt Sovereign was harassed by a male student in the men’s bathroom at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota. She was then beaten viciously by the same male who stalked her in the bathroom after Sovereign called him out for using homophobic terms and continued harassment of her.

This is the result of the dangerous anti-trans agenda being pushed by right-wing media pundits and GOP politicians that seek to eradicate the existence of trans people from public existence.

See Also:

LGBTQ Nation: Trans teen attacked in boy’s bathroom left hospitalized with broken jaw

Them: Trans Teen in Minnesota Has a Broken Jaw After Alleged Attack Outside a School Bathroom

[itgetsbetterproject]

Back-to-school tips for LGBTQ+ youth from a QUEER TEACHER!

It's that season, y'all! 🍎✏️ So we asked queer 8th grade English teacher Sarah from Memphis, TN what tips she would share with LGBTQ+ youth going back to school:

Look for supportive adults.

Is there a teacher always sporting a pride pin? Are there safe space posters hung up in their classroom or pride flags displayed? These are strong indicators that adult will affirm and uplift your identity. If you are unsure but want to test the waters, ask an adult what their pronouns are. Judging by their response and if they return the question, something small like this can help you determine if they are a safe person. 

Find a queer-affirming club(s) at your school. 

Does your school have a GSA or diversity club? Consider joining to build a supportive community and form connections with people you can relate to. If your school does not have a pre-existing club, consider finding an adult advisor to help and start your own GSA. Find more tips on how to do so here: https://gsanetwork.org/resources/10-steps-for-starting-a-gsa/

Trust your gut.

If you don’t feel safe in a situation, trust your instincts. If possible, remove yourself from the environment and ask for help; know that it’s ok to not share your identity with everyone, especially if you feel they are not a safe person. Conversely, if someone does make you feel safe and loved, believe that feeling too. You are in charge of who gets to know you.

Check out YA books exploring queer identities.

An amazing way to learn more about queer experiences is to read about them. There are countless young adult novels and graphic novels that can help you better understand yourself and others. Titles like The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, Taproot by Keezy Young, Out of Character by Jenna Miller, and Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker are all great stories to explore. For a more comprehensive list of LGBTQ+ YA books, visit https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/15/books/review/lgbtq-ya-books-authors.html

Seek social support.

What would life be like without friends? Although you may not click with everyone at your school, you are not alone. LGBTQ+ people are everywhere, even if it’s hard to see sometimes. Find friends who support your identity or are a part of the community as well! 

Remember! You have every right to be exactly who you are.

You are the only person who can define your identity. The terms you use to refer to yourself can evolve over time, or can remain the same, but as long as it feels right to you that’s perfect. Believe yourself, and do not doubt your worth. Growing up is a difficult process but remember, it gets better. 

Read it on the blog itgetsbetter.org too!

[gothichorrorshow]

Queer youth autonomy protest!

Are you a queer person in the USA under 25 years old who wants to fight for their rights? Join the protest!

The Basics

This protest is a nation wide protest happening at every state capital and in Washington DC. The date will be March 31st, but there's much to do before then.

The website is queeryouthassemble and the tumblr account is @queeryouthautonomy I am not the official spokesperson or anything like that I just joined the State March Committee and am very passionate :D

If you reblog this post please head over to the official blog and give them a follow and reblog their pinned post! I made it easy for you by tagging them

State Marches

To get information on the locations, times, etc of your local state marches be sure to check this map for changes. Alternatively here's a link to the state march masterpost by the official blog.

While DC and state capitals are the priority, other marches will be held in various places. So hopefully you can find one close to you that you can attend!

DC March

The DC march will be the biggest march and the focus. The goal is to get people from all fifty states to attend. The focus is queer youth, but anyone who cares about queer rights can attend.

If funds are available, hopefully queer youths' trips to DC will be covered for those who can't afford it.

The march path will be mobility aid accessible and the speeches will be accessible for HoH and vision impaired folks!

List Of Demands

The list of demands is now complete! Click here to sign, whether as an individual or for an org.

Committees

The committees are entirely led by queer youth. The committees help organize the protests. There's four committees,

General March Committee: Provides input and suggestions for the general march, helps create a list of demands.

Resources and Guides Committee: Creates resources for safe protests and walkouts, advertises the resources on social media.

Washington DC March Committee: Contacts orgs and politicians to contribute to the DC protest (the biggest protest)

State March Committee: Organizes protests in the state capitals, updates website with state marches information, advertising the state marches.

Here's a direct link to the committee info and sign up!

Walkouts

Along with the protests they're also looking to organize peaceful walkouts at schools nation wide for the goal of having schools become supportive of queer youth.

If you want to organize one at your school, I personally recommend working with your school GSA club (if you have one, if not maybe you'd want to work on organizing one!)

Alternatives to walkouts are available too, there's plenty other ways you can organize an event at your school if walkouts would be too difficult.

Here's a link to further information on alternatives to walkouts and walkout safety.

Donations

Donations are needed to fund the protests! If you've got some spare money and want to support queer youth, please consider donating here!

Organizations

While I doubt I have this kind of reach, especially on tumblr (maybe if enough people reblog idk), if any orgs see this and are interested in supporting the protests,

State orgs: If you'd like to help organize/support a march in your state capital (or other important places) there's a form for you to fill out here.

Nationwide orgs: Your platform is needed for advertising. To find some flyers or pamphlets to use, look here. (I used one for this post)

[jenni41arts]

Drew some adult #sasamiya from #sasakitomiyano. Sasaki's gonna balance your books and Miyano's gonna shelve them.

Sasaki got invited to join a hip up and coming accounting firm. He still does the books for the family bakery and has few other free-lance jobs on the side. MIyano is a highschool librarian.

Sasaki likes to bring Miyano lunch. He also brings the school secretaries coffee and bakery treats so they love him and don't mind that they have to page Miyano Sensei to the office. They eat in Miyano's office.

A small group of LGBT students, who hang out in the library at lunch, have noticed the red haired man that visits their sensei regularly,

their matching rings and bracelets and the fond looks and start speculating about their relationship. Especially, since they are looking for an advisor to start a GSA club. When they ask him to be their advisor, he doesn't answer right away as he is afraid of being outed,

suggests that maybe Sasaki should visit less. When Sasaki asks why, he tells him about the kids and the club and Sasaki tells him to it, joking that if he gets fired, he can be his house wife, which Miyano does not appreciate. But when he talks to a fellow staff

member and learns that he just has to provide a safe space for the GSA to meet he agrees. Well, I got carried away with this caption.

[batcowenraged]

It started because Damian was trying to avoid people. He was aware joining a club seemed counterproductive to that goal, but it made sense with context.

Or Damian Wayne joins Gotham High School's GSA and the gender crisis that follows was a long time coming.