Club of the Month – Gender Sexuality Alliance Club

Pride month might be in June, but at ISB, every month is for celebrating our pride for our differences,  and having a club with a passion towards equally representing everyone is a great strength to our community. Here at PantherNation, we wanted to highlight The Gender Sexuality Alliance club and share with you a little bit about what their purpose is, why you should join and some fun upcoming events they are in the process of planning. 

Firstly, what is GSA all about? Talking to a representative Anna Timchenko from the club, all members are dedicated to creating a safe space for everyone in GSA, but “most importantly [we are] advocating for issues that are often sidelined and not discussed enough.” Some of these issues they’re advocating for include promoting “gender equality, through means such as supporting women’s education in less developed countries, as well as LGBTQIA+ rights.”  They promote inclusion and “creating a voice for those who can’t speak up.” 

Asking Gender Sexuality Alliance what they wanted to share about their club illuminates some of the unfair labels many people often have to deal with. One of the most prominent misconceptions was that they are “the gay club” or that you must be a member of the LGBTQIA+ to join. In reality, a part of their mission statement is to “be a safe space for all, regardless of their gender identity or sexuality.” This means allies and, in reality, anyone, is welcome! They want to highlight that a key part of their mission statement is promoting overall equality. Furthermore, “Ms Hagen’s room smells very nice. And we’re very welcoming!” 

As always Gender Sexuality Alliance club has some incredibly enjoyable events coming up and wanted me to share that their annual Drag show is one not to miss! Mark your schedules for some fun performances from Drag Kings and Queens in April this year.

To end off this GSA club of the month highlight, here are some quotes from members of GSA on what personally they enjoy about being a part of their club. 

Ms Jackie Valenzuela wanted to share how wonderful it is to have a “safe space to talk to others and release stress”. 

Alexandra Schoenicke, a recent addition to the club, highlights the excitement around planning upcoming events as well as the fact it is “an open place for people to be themselves and not have to pretend to someone there’re not.” 

Finally, Anna Timchenko wanted to share how genuinely great it is to “actually be doing something about issues that I am personally very passionate about. I’m happy that the club means we’ve progressed passed just talking about and acknowledging these issues and are now promoting and creating means to rectify them.”

The GSA Club meets weekly in Ms Hagen’s room (3-301) during Panther block. They welcome any who wishes to listen, learn and contribute to a safe space! They hope to see you there.