LGBTQ+ students are often the targets of bullying. However, schools with the necessary support systems for these students see a large number feeling safer.

One such support system at Dallastown, formerly known as Gay-Straight Alliance, will have been a part of the school community for 10 years.

The name was recently changed to  Gender and Sexualiy club because it is inclusive to a wider range of students.

Science teacher Mrs. Riddle and math teacher Mrs. Boyd have attempted to use the club a means to implement a safe space for every student at Dallastown.

Riddle began GSA in 2009 after a student wrote an article in the school newspaper the previous year. Student Tiffany Savercool believed that Dallastown needed a club for LGBTQ+ students, but couldn’t find an adviser.

Riddle stepped in. The club started small with a few advisors and even fewer students.

Throughout the years, the club has expanded. Now, there are closer to 50 students on the roster.

The club meets every Day 6 during wildcat period, along with the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. after school.

“It’s a very accepting group where anyone can be whatever they want and not have to worry about being hated or judged,” sophomore Gabrielle Wilson said.

During these meetings, students are encouraged to have discussions on topics that affect them daily.

Although the club name has been broadened to accommodate many different sexualities, everyone, no matter what they identify as, is invited to come to meetings.

That is the one misconception that club members hope to dispel. 

“It’s not just for gay people. It’s for all people to educate themselves,” senior David Shird said.

Meetings are a place for LGBTQ+ students to make allies in school and the community.

“We all go through hardships, but this group makes mine and many others’ burdens easier to bare,” senior Dakota Hardy said.  

Dallastown GSA has changed the lives of many LGBTQ+ students who have felt ostracized in today’s society.

Events such as the Ally Week mixer and the GSA Leadership Summit at Dickinson College in April give these students opportunities to meet others who share the same struggles and those who support them.

This club continues to provide a safe space for all students no matter their identity.