Gay-Straight Alliance hopes to break barriers
After working on it for a year, the people of Pocatello held the first meeting of Pocatello’s All-School Gay-Straight Alliance on June 26, 2012.
The GSA’s goal is to bring together teenagers of all sexual orientations and provide thema place to connect and feel welcome.
For Rowan Smith, 13, GSA’s potential is a welcomed sight.
Middle school hasn’t always been easy for her. She said she’s been teased and harassed. A boy even screamed in her face, just feet away from a teacher who didn’t do anything to stop it.
“That’s part of the thing with bullying, that it’s a rite of passage for kids in middle school and high school, but it’s not,” said Smith. “It’s horrible.”
Even though Smith is only in middle school, she identifies herself as bi-sexual.
“I just don’t want anything to stop me from finding someone who really loves me for me,” said Smith.
Although her parents are supportive, Smith wants to help bring other people together to show them it’s okay to be who they are.
For Julie Zicha, who started working on getting the GSA started a year ago, that’s the point.
“Kids that are members of the LBGT community, are far more likely to make it through the Jr. high, high school experience if they have a Gay-Straight Alliance they can participate in,” said Zicha.
Zicha knows that reality first hand. Her son, Ryan, didn’t have that kind of support at Highland High School, and was bullied for being gay. Ryan committed suicide after his family moved to Pocatello from Spokane.
Zicha started Ryan’s Rainbow Connection, the organization that supports the GSA. She says she hopes the GSA will eventually expand to including kids from Idaho Falls and Blackfoot.
“Giving people that are straight and in the gay community to get to know each other, just as people,” said Zicha.
It’s why Smith brought her friends, Ridge and Conner. The two boys are both straight but wanted to send a message.
“I have a lot of friends that have made the choice to be lesbian, bisexual or gay, and I felt like I need to support them,” said GSA member Ridge Marchand. “It’s really important to me.”
For Smith, the support means everything.
“The rite of passage should be feeling safe and getting to know who you are,” said Smith.
The Gay-Straight Alliance meets every Tuesday at 4 pm in the First Congregational Church of Christ at 309 North Garfield in Pocatello and hosts support groups, every Thursday at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the same location.
Ryan’s Rainbow Connection is selling t-shirts as a fundraiser for the GSA. They are $25 each.
