Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA), formerly known as Bearclusivity, is a club aimed for students who identify as LGBTQ+ or are supporters of the community.
“I have been able to talk freely about things and learn new stuff that school wouldn’t teach you,” said sophomore Hellen Jamrock-Echague.  

Last year, the club was supervised by another adviser. The name was changed because new adviser Christine Valish thought bearclusivity “felt like an umbrella term for all things diversity.” Under this name, the club is more specialized towards the LGBTQ+ community. 

GSA is used for students to talk about issues relating to the LGBTQ+ community. It gives a voice to students who want to combat “the discrimination that we see out in the world,” according to Valish. 

“I think it is pretty amazing that we can have GSA in Omaha Public Schools,” Valish said.  

During meetings, the main goal is to teach members about lesser-known history. So far, members have learned about the National Day of Silence, a student movement. During this day, people “speak out” by staying silent to stand against discrimination. They have also learned about prominent figures in the community who have done something revolutionary or life changing. 

“I feel very happy that I get to be in it,” said senior Skyler McQueen. “It’s a fun place to meet new people to have fun. Everybody’s so cool.” 

Anyone interested in joining can attend meetings every Thursday after school in room 133.