New Gender Sexuality Alliance Club established at Dunkirk

OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Dunkirk High School’s Gender Sexuality Alliance Club is pictured in this screenshot taken from this month’s Dunkirk School Board meeting.
Dunkirk High School has a new Gender Sexuality Alliance Club, and the Dunkirk School Board formally approved it at a recent meeting.
Teacher and club advisor Mary Allaire-Gifford told the board the club has met informally four times and is composed of about 10 students.
“The purpose of the GSA is to create a safe, accepting and welcoming place for LGBTQ+ students and straight students,” Allaire-Gifford said. “It’s a place where they can work on issues that affect them — harassment, discrimination. It’s a place where they can tackle issues both in school and in the community. It’s a place they can feel safe.”
Like any other high school club, the GSA members want to hold bake sales and other fundraisers. At the same time, “they want to be a group that promotes change and promotes acceptance,” Allaire-Gifford said.
The Dunkirk School Board approved the club without comment. The club approval was on a lengthy list of so-called “consensus items” which are passed by a single vote of the board.