October is lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered history month and the Gay-Straight Alliance has many events planned throughout this month to educate students.
These events are set to inform people about famous individuals who were activists that pushed the envelope on the topic of gay rights.
The GSA is made up of students from the straight community as well as students from the LGBT community. The goal of the GSA is to get students at Nicholls to accept people no matter their sexual orientation. The GSA promotes people to discover who they really are and not be afraid about what others might think.
LGBT History month is in October to commemorate the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation in 1979. The month of October was also chosen because National Coming Out Day was already nationally recognized during this month.
LGBT History month started in 1994 by Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher. Wilson believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of LGBT history and gathered other teachers and community leaders. It soon became nationally recognized and has been celebrated by people since.
Brandan Yorba, a multinational business and pre law junior from Wa. is the president of the GSA at Nicholls. Yorba said that the GSA is partnering up with the psychology clinic to share stories for National Coming Out Day on Oct. 9.
National Coming Out Day is recognized as a day that reflects on the power if coming out to friends and family and how hard it can be for someone in the LGBT community. According to Yorba, they will have the therapists for the events because coming out stories tend to be extremely emotional, and they are there for moral support for the GSA.
Another big event going on during LGBT History month is Ally Week on Oct. 21-25.
“There will be a pledge that everyone is welcome to sign in the union stating that they will not discriminate against the LGBT community nor will they use derogatory terms against them,” Yorba said.
There will also be a new event going on during this week as well. Yorba explained that the psychology clinic will be giving the GSA a door frame that the they will write their personal secrets on and students can walk through the door to truly get a bigger picture about how tough it is being a part of the LGBT community.
Some time this month, GSA will also hold a social with the GSA of Thibodaux High School to get the chance to talk to them about what it is like to be a part of the LGBT community in college and to lift each other up with encouragement.
“It is so hard being openly gay in high school, and I want these students know that people are here for them,” Yorba said.
This month is inspiring the GSA to push for equality for the LGBT community on campus. According to Yorba, there are two transgender students on campus undergoing hormone therapy. Members of the GSA are trying to convince the housing department to move the two students into dorms of the genders they are currently in the process of becoming. The hormone treatments give the students mood swings and features of the gender they wish to become. It is still undetermined whether this will go through.
In the spring the GSA and the multicultural division of the Student Programming Association will be holding a masquerade ball for international students that didn’t have a prom in their country and for students of the LGBT community that could not bring their significant others to the prom in high school.
“The GSA is doing so many things this year to bring equality for all sexual orientations to Nicholls, and I am so happy that I can be a part of the movement,” Yorba said.
Students are encouraged to participate as much as they can in the events put on by the GSA this month. According to Yorba, it will be a very eye-opening experience for the student body, and hopefully the GSA will get some more students on board to join the movement and become an ally to the LGBT community.