The Gay Straight Alliance, one of many clubs which are highly important to the students of Skyline, provides the Trojan student an environment to which they feel welcomed, important, and noticed.

Last Wednesday, Oct.9,2013, Skyline’s very own GSA held an event on campus organized by Richard Porter with the GSA president, Jordan . This club is important because it promotes “tolerance, educate[s] students, and even faculty about what it’s sort of like to be gay and having to actually come out and just making it a fun experience because coming out can be usually a very stressful, a very hard time for a person’s life,” said Ledbetter.

This group may be important for a closeted individual because when asked whether it is better to come out during college than in high school. “In high school, you’re still trying to fit in with everybody and just kind of go with the flow and everything,” Ledbetter said, “but then in college that’s when you really start to develop your identity and really find yourself, so [coming out in college] is a little bit easier”.

The reason being is also because “a lot of times if you go away to college you can make your own friends and be away from any stressful environment that you were in before'” Ledbetter said, “and so you can really discover yourself with your friends and come out a lot easier”. Being able to control that portion of your life is beneficial because one can feel total control and freedom of their own life.

What helped this event become more symbolic was the prop that was used. The prop was a door which symbolized a closet door and helped to promote the idea of coming out. On this door were multiple pieces of paper stating “I’m coming out as…” leaving anyone who wanted to come out as anything come out as how they actually are by writing what they wanted to come out as.

Richard Porter said that he “didn’t know the door would be effective enough as one item, but actually it’s very effective because it’s a great prop right in the pathway… It brings people to the event. And also think about it”.

With this in mind, it caused “awareness”. To have individuals who come from a heterosexual background, who’s opinions may be based on religious views, to actually view gay individuals as humans. For this event Porter wanted to “educate, celebrate and entertain” individuals with knowledge and awareness, and with this event he did. For a welcoming event, for someone who wants to come out as anything they please. The best to place to go is the GSA.