The first-ever Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Club at Eaton was held on Oct. 9 led by founder Kacey Korgan (19), club sponsor, Merri Kirby, and club administrator, Rick Kaufman. Eaton joined the nearly 60 other GSA clubs in Colorado and over 1,000 schools nationwide, according to GSA Clubs. At the first meeting, the club’s leaders shared why the club is necessary and is important.
Group enforces the importance of support
Kirby said Korgan’s whole point in forming the club was to have people befriending one another. Furthermore, Korgan reinforced the importance of the support a GSA will provide at Eaton because “the GSA community doesn’t always get the support, especially in a conservative spot, like here. It’s kind of needed especially after gay marriage has been legalized in America and I feel like it’s kind of necessary in that aspect.” Also, Korgan said, “Some people might not be out of the closet, or they might just be allies, but you don’t know. [GSA] is just a place for people to know that there’s support, and to know that they have places to go other than just the counselors, which people may have a hard time going to.” According to statistics, about 9 out of 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school within the past year because of their sexual orientation. As a freshman, Korgan said she was not exactly sure how to start a club; she said she had to “test the waters.” Korgan initially asked Kirby to be the club sponsor, and Kirby accepted.
Kirby speaks out against hatred
Kirby supports Korgan and the GSA Club because “I don’t want my students to feel like they don’t have somewhere where they can go and know that there are people there who support them, and accept them exactly the way they are.” Kirby advocated that the main mission of the club is to increase tolerance and eliminate hate. “It’s a beautiful thing the way times have changed…the whole idea is to support alliance and people being tolerant of one another,” she said. Moreover, Kirby emphasized the idea that “people should never hate one another, especially for something you can’t change and something that’s not harming other people. There’s no malicious intent.” According to statistics, “gay and lesbian teens are two to three times as more likely to commit teen suicide than other youths. About 30 percent of all completed suicides have been related to sexual identity crisis.”
Kaufman focuses on integrity
Kaufman is the administrator of GSA but he will also be assisting with the club. His main goal is to support the students and support the club. Kaufman told the club that their challenge moving forward is to “do everything with integrity,” regardless of what others do or say.
Parents show support
Korgan’s dad, Dwayne Korgan, was also present at the first meeting to support his daughter. When Kacey approached him about starting a GSA at Eaton, he cautioned her at first because he grew up in the area. However, he said, “[Kacey] pushed really hard to get it started. I’m really proud of her for doing so. She’s done this on her own…she found the sponsors and people to help her along the way.” More than anything, Dwayne is proud of Kacey for being a caring person. He said GSA is “definitely a passion of hers. She’s always been caring for everybody, not just gays or straights. She’s always cared about everybody and she cares about the cause.” As far as the impact of the GSA Club on Eaton, Dwayne hopes “it will give people a safe place to come, whether they’re gay or straight. Some people may even need [GSA] because they have family members that are gay. It gives them that support.”
Students weigh in
Andrew Nelson (12) is also an advocate of the club, “since the world is revolutionizing, Eaton should too.” He feels the club is important because “it is not a club just for one certain set of people. It’s a club for everyone in the school. It doesn’t matter who you are. You could be one of the jocks, or one of the nerds, gay or straight or bi or anything. It’s just for everyone. It helps our community grow in general because it makes us all accepted and helps us all accept each other. It makes everybody feel welcome.”
Club faces resistance
The GSA Club has already met some resistance at Eaton. Initially, 35 posters were hung for advertisement. Within several days, all of the posters had been taken down. Kirby said to the club, “I know we are going to face struggles. The fact that multiple people were taking flyers down does show that it is something important and something that is needed. Whatever resistance we meet as we carry on with this group, meet it with patience, and resilience, and keep being positive. The whole idea is to be a positive influence on the school.”
Club says everyone is welcome
Overall, Kacey Korgan’s message to the school is “GSA is a place for anybody, allies, straight, gay, and anywhere in between on the GSA spectrum. It’s welcome for everyone.” According to the statistics, “GSAs are student clubs that work to improve school climate for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.” GSA Club will meet on the second Friday of each month in Kirby’s classroom. Some of the club’s first goals/activities include wearing purple on Oct. 15 to support the fight against the bullying of LGBTs (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) and doing community service.
