We're NOT a GSA!!

Laura Secord has had a Gay/Straight Alliance for a number of years. This club has waxed and waned for various reasons, but the main reason is that students are still afraid to belong to a club that will "out" them to their parents. This year, the students decided they want to reach out to the local chapter of PFLAG to learn how they might help their families come to terms with having a GLBTQ2SI child. They hope to learn strategies for coming out and how to make safe and wise decisions about coming out.

Update (March 3, 2014)

Students at Laura Secord Secondary School identified a problem that needed to be addressed. How can glbtq2si students who are not out to their parents attend events/field trips/functions that have a glbt focus? For some, it is unsafe to tell their parents that they are gay or lesbian or trans-identified. Many students opt out of going to events because permission slips would disclose the details of a glbtq focused event. This year, students decided that they would give their club a different, more social-justice-centred name so that they could attend field trips. Also, they planned a mock PFLAG (parents and friends of gays and lesbians) event to help educate parents about how to support their glbtq youth. This event will be held March 25th. The hope is that the parents of "out" students will help other, less comfortable parents with coming to terms with having a gay, lesbian or transgender child.

Update (May 3, 2014)

Laura Secord students collaborated with their local branch of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) to develop a deeper understanding of the issues that glbtq students face both within our schools and community. Many of our students do not attend school functions, field trips and other events aimed at providing positive glbtq experiences because they face discrimination in their own homes. In an effort to combat this stigma and isolation, caring adults from the community rallied to provide the support that students still need. This event helped to increase support in the community by building upon PFLAG's momentum. Twenty six caring adults made commitments to provide support for the glbtq youth of Niagara on this day.