LGBTQ High School Alumni Group?
August 21, 2013 4:48 PM Subscribe
A fellow alumnus of my Catholic high school has expressed interest in forming an LGBTQ alumni group. This is a very nebulous concept at the moment, but the current idea is to be visible and, where possible, provide outreach to students. Do you have experience with this or guidance to help us solidify this concept?
I will happily admit I am way out of my depth here. Are there other high school alumni groups doing this sort of thing (Google didn't kick out much, but my search queries may have sucked)? Is there any guidance for the sort of outreach one can do with high school kids? I imagine there's a host of issues that come with out reach to minors. My gut tells me we should start small rather than going grand vision with this, but I'd really like to have an idea of what small and effective looks like.
Given that it's a Catholic high school, we can safely count on active opposition from the administration.
The hive is smart and compassionate and resourceful. Hope me.
I will happily admit I am way out of my depth here. Are there other high school alumni groups doing this sort of thing (Google didn't kick out much, but my search queries may have sucked)? Is there any guidance for the sort of outreach one can do with high school kids? I imagine there's a host of issues that come with out reach to minors. My gut tells me we should start small rather than going grand vision with this, but I'd really like to have an idea of what small and effective looks like.
Given that it's a Catholic high school, we can safely count on active opposition from the administration.
The hive is smart and compassionate and resourceful. Hope me.
I would tread very carefully. I can think of few other things more likely to roust the pitchfork-wielders among parents than to propose that gay adults offer "outreach" to high school students.
posted by yclipse at 5:04 PM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by yclipse at 5:04 PM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think you want visibility more than anything. If there are no local resources for youth, just being visible is going to go a long way. (And if there are local resources, it's perhaps debatable whether you'd do better.) Being out at my high school was unthinkable, pretty much, and I didn't meet an out gay person until I was 18. This was nearly ten years ago and I think the dam broke as it were quite soon after I left and there are now out students.
There's a slim chance a local parish has a LGBT group, but it depends heavily on the local area and the archdiocese. Anyway, if they exist, maybe they could be persuaded to help organise an event that coincides with a reunion weekend (and be able to advertise in their church bulletin--which is how involving them comes in).
There are GSAs at Catholic high schools. Here's one in San Francisco. (Admittedly, no other school I found on lists of GSAs that I checked had it listed on their website, but they in theory exist.) It's probably worth trying to contact them and LGBT organisations at Catholic universities to see what they think you could do. (Georgetown has LGBT groups. Notre Dame is allegedly getting one this year.) Catholic universities are going to have a lot of people who went to Catholic schools, though some more than others.
posted by hoyland at 5:52 PM on August 21, 2013
There's a slim chance a local parish has a LGBT group, but it depends heavily on the local area and the archdiocese. Anyway, if they exist, maybe they could be persuaded to help organise an event that coincides with a reunion weekend (and be able to advertise in their church bulletin--which is how involving them comes in).
There are GSAs at Catholic high schools. Here's one in San Francisco. (Admittedly, no other school I found on lists of GSAs that I checked had it listed on their website, but they in theory exist.) It's probably worth trying to contact them and LGBT organisations at Catholic universities to see what they think you could do. (Georgetown has LGBT groups. Notre Dame is allegedly getting one this year.) Catholic universities are going to have a lot of people who went to Catholic schools, though some more than others.
posted by hoyland at 5:52 PM on August 21, 2013
As a Catholic school attendee for 12 years I wouldn't leap to the assumption that you'll have major roadblocks (besides the usual idea that regardless of what you think there will always be someone who disagrees with you). Adding fuel to your list of resources my alma mater U. of Dayton has a GSA.
posted by mmascolino at 8:58 PM on August 21, 2013
posted by mmascolino at 8:58 PM on August 21, 2013
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1. Start a public Facebook group and a leadership-only secret Facebook group. The secret group is the place you can bitch about numbers and trolls, share strategy and success.
2. Write an opinion piece or a feature article with group picture for the local newspaper or news blog that you know parents, alumni and current students will be reading. I don't know if it will be a problem getting it published but offer the local newspaper first refusal before going anywhere else.
3. be clear what it is that you want to happen. I.e., you want the school to embrace Pope Francis' call for acceptance of gays and lesbians.
good luck!
posted by parmanparman at 4:58 PM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]