“What does Pride Day mean to you?”

By El Gato News on February 12, 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

by Sasha Ryu

Today, we asked people on campus, “What does Pride Day mean to you?” Here’s what they had to say!

A Straight-Gay Alliance member runs a booth for Pride Day.

“To me, Pride Day is about the LGBT+ students at LGHS exhibiting our joy and our humanity. Especially at a school where I’ve seen people yell horrible slurs at other students, I think it’s really important that we do things like this to create a safe space on campus.”

LGHS 11th grade US History teacher, Tyler McGlashan, poses for a photo with his rainbow bandana.

“I love that we celebrate pride day here at Los Gatos. The progress our society has made on issues of LGBT+ rights has just been so amazing, and I’ve gotten to watch it as a teacher for the 20 years I’ve been teaching. I’ve seen the students go from being intolerant and even vicious towards gay rights to becoming very open and accepting. I think it’s one of the greatest movements our nation has ever seen.”

Rory McKee, an LGHS guidance counselor and lead organizer for Diversity Week, poses in his rainbow get-up.

“For me, the whole week and Pride Day are so important. Especially as a guidance counselor, I want all students to feel like everybody is welcome and included. I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to hide who they are, because everyone’s individuality is what makes this school the best it can be.”

LGHS junior Giovanni Goloti speaks about his experience at LGHS, as member of the LGBT community.

“[As a member of the trans community,] I like to lay low, because for [people like us,] it’s pretty dangerous. So yeah, I try to stay unnoticed to stay safe, because I do know there are a few kids that are pretty intolerant about these things.

For me, Pride Day is a day where kids around school can finally let out their ‘true colors,’ and not be afraid of what other people have to say about their identity — whether it’s gender identity, or sexuality-wise. It’s a great time for students to learn how to be good allies, and for members of the community to know they’re not alone.”

LGHS Physics teacher, Rachel Peters, explains why she chooses to wear a rainbow pin to school every day.

“I’m happy to support my students on Pride Day, today, but I also want to make sure my students feel comfortable here every day. On National Coming Out Day, one of my students gave me this rainbow pin, and I’ve worn it to school every day since then. For me, every day is Pride Day.”

LGHS English teacher, Kay Mount, speaks at a Pride Day panel.

“Fortunately, I just feel like I’ve been surrounded by allies, but I know that’s not everyone’s story. I think what we all want is acceptance. We all want to be acknowledged for who we believe we are. Luckily, my experiences at this school have all been positive. I will say that sometimes I feel like people are a little shy about asking me things about my trans experience, and I think that comes from a really good place — a place of respect… You know, a place of not wanting to cross that imaginary boundary. But, for me, it’s actually quite helpful to be able to talk about it. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to talk about, and as we talk about it and tell our stories, we better understand our journey. So, a very meaningful act of alliance is just to be there and let us tell our stories.”