Meghan Limaye ’27
As the school year begins, Queer-Straight Alliance settles back into weekly meetings of inquiry, exploration, and discussion, continuing its long-standing mission of providing a safe space for the LGBTQ+ allied student body to express themself freely, while also providing opportunities to educate the wider community. Constantly searching for new ways to uplift and represent queer voices, QSA meetings range from serious conversations about national issues to casual conversations about personal experiences. As faculty advisor Mx. Newman puts it, students attend for “fun, community, laughs, and because they want to see a better world.” Weekly attendance allows members to unload, feel valued, respected, and heard while also allowing them to learn more about the community, be it on the local, national, or international level.
QSA, as an alliance group, works hard to facilitate both a social and educational environment for all students to feel fully comfortable expressing themselves. Much like the LGBTQ+ community itself, QSA is diverse and multifaceted. Faculty advisor Mx. Newman explains, “QSA creates a space for people to talk about important heavy things, to strategize and plan events here on campus that help increase queer visibility and inclusion, but it also, at the bare minimum, creates a temporary bubble where it’s okay to be who you are. Even if we don’t talk about anything important during that period of time where we meet, it’s still a successful day because people came, they felt seen, they felt comfortable being who they are.” QSA strives to be both a relaxed social space and a catalyst for productive conversation. An anonymous member of QSA states, “[QSA] is a bridge between people who are extremely educated, people who want to learn more, and those who know essentially nothing.” The club stresses that it is open to all, LGBTQ+ students and straight allies alike. No matter how much or how little students may know about the LGBTQ+ community, QSA provides an opportunity to make new connections and foster growth and understanding.
This past LGBTQ+ History Month in October, QSA reflected on queer historical figures and influences. Mx. Newman stresses, “So much of Queer History has been ignored and intentionally revised, and erased. So it’s important that we have both a month to be proud of who we are and another month to respect, recognize, and learn about where we come from.” In honor of this, QSA created a slide deck for Chapel to honor LGBTQ+ history during Prayers of the People. Furthermore, QSA has begun a new weekly newsletter to recap meetings and, more importantly, to keep the student body updated on both positive and negative events occurring throughout the world, enlighten them about long-suppressed history, and further encourage education, all related to the LGBTQ+ community. Receiving praise from faculty, the newsletter continues to be distributed every week to club members and anyone who wishes to receive it.
Along with the creation of new traditions such as the newsletter, QSA has continued to host events this year. Begun in 2024, QSA plans to host its annual “Friendsgiving” celebration on November 17th. A club favorite tradition, the Thanksgiving-themed celebration urges members to bring friends, allies, and faculty to participate in LGBTQ+ trivia with a side of hot chocolate, baked goods, and candy. Friendsgiving embodies both the club’s goals to create a fun social space for students and to educate people about queer history, culture, and terms. The most notable event organized by QSA, though, the Day of Silence, has a wider impact. Mx. Newman comments, “I think it’s just a great day to see support, to be visible, and to maintain silence as a way to recognize the ways that queer people have been silenced in the past.” Every year on the second Friday of April, this year on April 10th, students around the country stay completely silent during the academic day as a demonstration of the hardships the LGBTQ+ community has endured. At EA, the tradition meaningfully brings out support for queer students with a celebratory finish, where students run across the green with a large LGBTQ+ flag and break their silence, symbolizing victory over prejudice.
Queer Straight Alliance operates as a social space to unpack and relax within a community of allies working towards the collective goal of freedom and visibility. Co-Leader of QSA River Timmerman ‘27 states, “I like seeing everyone come to QSA, whether they are queer themselves or just allies. I also like knowing that I can be part of something that can eventually make a difference if we work hard towards it, being one of the people pioneering the change.” QSA emboldens students to express their true selves, discuss, uplift, and recognize queer voices, ultimately working to spark permanent presence within the EA community and the world at large.
