Camas High School (CHS) strives to provide students with a safe and inclusive environment. This year, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club is doing whatever it can to ensure everyone feels welcome. The Leadership Council is very excited about creating a more supportive environment for those in the LGBTQIA+ community.

The start of last school year was quite erratic as everyone was getting used to being back on campus full-time. Only a few people attended club meetings after school for the first few weeks. After the school introduced conference period, GSA had to move into the theater because of how much they had grown, but it was not the most convenient for their meeting plans because it made discussions difficult.

This year, the meetings are held every Friday during conference period in room 107. There is also a new leadership council that plans activities and discussions for the month, so they have more structured meetings than last year. 

“So far, we’ve had a craft day, we made bracelets, held informational and discussion group meetings on queer rights at CHS, representation in the media and a few other topics, and gotten ourselves organized for a successful year to come!” said senior Eric Connelly, one of the Leadership Council members.

During October, GSA worked with the Associated Student Body (ASB) to make the language around the Homecoming court more inclusive, and they want to work with other clubs as well. They would also like to hold events off campus and possibly attend Portland Pride. In addition, multiple members of the school’s student-staff equity council represent LGBTQIA+ students at CHS and have started discussing changes the school could make. Next, will speak with the district about taking a firmer stance on the equity policies they have in place.

“I’d like to see more gender-neutral bathrooms, more training for staff on queer issues and sensitivity, and better enforcement of anti-discrimination policies. There needs to be a clear path to justice for students who have been harassed for their identities and, unfortunately, I don’t think the reporting procedures and action steps to follow are publicized by the school in any meaningful way,” Connelly said.

GSA will continue to bring awareness to the community and advocate for the rights of LGBTQIA+ students, even those who are still in the closet. Everyone is welcome, and anyone can join.