Ripon High’s Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) club has been changing, but for the better. The GSA club has grown considerably over the years and is more diverse and accepting than ever.

Señora McPherson is the advisor of GSA and has been all seven years the club has been running. GSA started when her daughter, Alicia McPherson, and one of her friends wanted to start a club, but they couldn’t find an advisor, so they asked McPherson.

“I was ‘forced’ into it because it was my daughter and because she knows it is something I really believe in,” McPherson laughed.

In the beginning, there were no LGBTQ+ students in the club because people were not comfortable saying that they were a member of the community. Then for a while, there were only females in GSA. Now, there are allies, transgender people, pansexuals, bisexuals, asexuals, and more that are a part of the club.

“[…] now we are getting more people and a wider variety of people who are in the community, not just gays and lesbians,” McPherson says.

Senior Laysha Macedo is the president of GSA as well as an ally. When she was a freshman, Macedo knew she wanted to join the club. She felt like her image of the community was limited to what was on television, but when she joined the club, being able to interact with real people from the community helped her widen her view.

“There are different kinds and different types of people and everyone’s amazing,” Macedo expresses.

Macedo and McPherson believe that GSA needs as much support from allies and others as possible because people say that they are accepting, but don’t necessarily show it. When there are homophobic remarks or off-putting comments, there is nothing said to defend the community.

“When you hear something that is hurtful, that is not correct, speak up. Silence is acceptance. When somebody makes or puts down somebody for who they are, you need to just turn around and say, ‘Hey. Not cool. Don’t do that.’” McPherson says.

GSA is helping students feel more included and accepted into RHS. The students can talk about topics they are interested in and passionate about with no judgment and can connect with others. Grace Lewis, the vice president of GSA and a junior, started meeting others from the LGBTQ+ community and having those connections.

“[…] I made really good friends, people that I could relate to, and people that understood me a bit more than others,” Lewis states.

With Ripon being sheltered and far from any big cities, it is important that RHS knows what is happening in the LGBTQ+ community and how to get involved if need be. GSA talks about those big important topics and lets everyone share their opinion on it.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re an ally or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, just to know that there is a place where you can be who you are and can voice opinions that might not be accepted in other places, is a very important thing,” McPherson notes.