With the Supreme Court hearing arguments regarding Proposition 8 on March 26 and set to rule on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act later this year, both of which define marriage as a vow between a man and a woman, optimism resonated within the GSA’s latest meeting March 13.
“Since I was really young, this has always been an issue; I have a lot of family members and very close friends who are part of the LGBT community and, my whole life, we have been very involved in civil rights issues,” said senior GSA president Hannah Selz. “It’s nice to finally see our personal civil rights issue, our personal fight, in the forefront because you know that what you’re doing is creating progress. It’s not just talk or wishful thinking anymore, but actual change being made, and we know that we are part of history.”
Senior GSA member Brianna Burford said she attends GSA meetings partially to discuss current events, including the Supreme Court’s upcoming LGBT rulings, as well as to spend time with friends in the club.
“I go to GSA pretty much every week, where we discuss current events that relate to LGBT rights, such as Prop. 8, or do activities like ‘How to Defend Gay Rights’ logically if you’re in an argument,” Burford said. “Everyone is a friend here, even if we didn’t know each other before GSA, and it’s tons of fun. Everyone is supportive to each other and there aren’t just LGBT people, there are casino online straight people here too; that’s a common misconception about the club. It’s just a really fun club that anyone interested in LGBT rights should join.”
Freshman GSA member Kayden Ortiz said club members make efforts to discuss gay rights with peers, aiming to share the club’s message of tolerance and increase awareness of its nation-wide progress. Ortiz said some of these efforts have paid off exponentially.
“I had a bisexual college friend last night on Twitter, and she was really upset and wanted to kill herself, and I talked to her and kept talking to her and she actually said I saved her life,” Ortiz said. “I’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences with different people outside of GSA, some who support LGBT and some who don’t. I love talking to people about LGBT rights and I’m really adamant and passionate about it. I’m always following the ‘It Gets Better’ project, posting stuff on YouTube and letting kids know ‘it really does get better.’”
Though sophomore GSA member Anna Gaskill said the GSA’s efforts may change to adapt to future Court verdicts on gay marriage, she believes the club’s core platform will remain the same.
Gaskill said, “I think the GSA is going to keep fighting for equality until people feel that they can openly be themselves, because, in the way that racism is still around, there’s still going to be bullying and homophobia, so we’re still going to fight for our rights and to feel safe everywhere.”
