Mount Vernon Middle School’s Gay-Straight Alliance was named Gay-Straight Alliance of the year last month from Iowa Safe Schools.
The program — which is in its third year — was honored for displaying outstanding initiative and leadership. During the 2022-23 school year, the group raised more than $2,000 for its members to attend the Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth.
“The GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) leadership's initiative along with the strong turnout of members to the conference shows dedication to fostering growth and learning, exceptional organizational skills, and demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity by ensuring financial barriers do not impede access to valuable experiences,” said Damian Thompson, director of external affairs for Iowa Safe Schools.
Iowa Safe Schools provides safe, supportive and nurturing learning environments and communities for LGBTQ and allied youth through education, outreach, advocacy, and direct services.
The Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth is an annual event created in 2005 as a safe space youth in the Midwest to gather, show their pride and learn about ways to advocate for their communities. The conference has grown to be the largest LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) youth conference in the United States and has featured celebrity guest speakers.
Mount Vernon Middle School’s Gay-Straight Alliance has shown “perseverance in tackling difficult subjects,” Thompson said. The group creates open dialogue based on mutual respect between students and has set the bar for clubs across the state, he said.
The GSA of the Year award is an open application and the winner is chosen by Iowa Safe Schools board of directors, staff and executive director.
Mount Vernon Middle School (The Gazette)
Aida Jones, 13, an eighth-grader at Mount Vernon Middle School, is one of the founders and president of the Gay-Straight Alliance. When Aida was a sixth-grader at Mount Vernon Middle School, she saw the need to create a safe space for students.
The group meets weekly after school and focus on “education, awareness and fun,” Aida said. They talk about proposed or new laws, famous queer people and throw seasonal parties, she said.
The group doesn’t allow phones when they meet — not only because it can be a distraction — but to maintain members’ confidentiality, Aida said.
At the end of last school year in May, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Senate File 496, banning classroom discussion that touch on LGBTQ+ topics in grades K-6. This means Mount Vernon’s GSA can no longer advertise themselves throughout the school.
Because of this the club can’t hang any posters advertising the club or make announcements to the whole school, Aida said. It does have posters up in eighth-grade classrooms where there aren’t any fifth- or sixth-graders.
That also meant that when the group learned it won GSA of the Year, it couldn’t make an announcement to the rest of the school, Mount Vernon Middle School Principal Bob Haugse said.
“New laws came out and Aida has been able to roll with it, keep things going for our seventh- and eighth-graders,” Haugse said. “She’s done a great job, fighting and doing it the right way, within the rules and regulations.”
Aida said she wonders what will happen next. There were laws last year she thought “there was no way they were going to pass, and then they did.”
“This year, it’s looking at it in a new light. They can and will pass any one of these,” Aida said.
Aida’s mother, Megan Jones, said laws that target LGBTQ youth are an “extra barrier” to families like hers.
“We are just a family like any other family that has kids that go to school, that are in Scouts. We go to church every Sunday,” Jones said. “I do not believe this is what Iowa values, I think it’s a setback for Iowa. As far as parental rights or civil rights, we are actively getting ours taken away.
“There’s many families I’ve spoken with that have talked about leaving Iowa, which is heartbreaking,” Jones said. “This is our home, and Aida belongs here. My family belongs here. I’ve lived in Iowa my entire life. Moving has certainly been something we’ve discussed, but Aida says we stay and fight, so we stay and fight.”
www.thegazette.com
The program — which is in its third year — was honored for displaying outstanding initiative and leadership. During the 2022-23 school year, the group raised more than $2,000 for its members to attend the Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth.
“The GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) leadership's initiative along with the strong turnout of members to the conference shows dedication to fostering growth and learning, exceptional organizational skills, and demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity by ensuring financial barriers do not impede access to valuable experiences,” said Damian Thompson, director of external affairs for Iowa Safe Schools.
Iowa Safe Schools provides safe, supportive and nurturing learning environments and communities for LGBTQ and allied youth through education, outreach, advocacy, and direct services.
The Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth is an annual event created in 2005 as a safe space youth in the Midwest to gather, show their pride and learn about ways to advocate for their communities. The conference has grown to be the largest LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) youth conference in the United States and has featured celebrity guest speakers.
Mount Vernon Middle School’s Gay-Straight Alliance has shown “perseverance in tackling difficult subjects,” Thompson said. The group creates open dialogue based on mutual respect between students and has set the bar for clubs across the state, he said.
The GSA of the Year award is an open application and the winner is chosen by Iowa Safe Schools board of directors, staff and executive director.
Mount Vernon Middle School (The Gazette)
Aida Jones, 13, an eighth-grader at Mount Vernon Middle School, is one of the founders and president of the Gay-Straight Alliance. When Aida was a sixth-grader at Mount Vernon Middle School, she saw the need to create a safe space for students.
The group meets weekly after school and focus on “education, awareness and fun,” Aida said. They talk about proposed or new laws, famous queer people and throw seasonal parties, she said.
The group doesn’t allow phones when they meet — not only because it can be a distraction — but to maintain members’ confidentiality, Aida said.
At the end of last school year in May, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Senate File 496, banning classroom discussion that touch on LGBTQ+ topics in grades K-6. This means Mount Vernon’s GSA can no longer advertise themselves throughout the school.
Because of this the club can’t hang any posters advertising the club or make announcements to the whole school, Aida said. It does have posters up in eighth-grade classrooms where there aren’t any fifth- or sixth-graders.
That also meant that when the group learned it won GSA of the Year, it couldn’t make an announcement to the rest of the school, Mount Vernon Middle School Principal Bob Haugse said.
“New laws came out and Aida has been able to roll with it, keep things going for our seventh- and eighth-graders,” Haugse said. “She’s done a great job, fighting and doing it the right way, within the rules and regulations.”
Aida said she wonders what will happen next. There were laws last year she thought “there was no way they were going to pass, and then they did.”
“This year, it’s looking at it in a new light. They can and will pass any one of these,” Aida said.
Aida’s mother, Megan Jones, said laws that target LGBTQ youth are an “extra barrier” to families like hers.
“We are just a family like any other family that has kids that go to school, that are in Scouts. We go to church every Sunday,” Jones said. “I do not believe this is what Iowa values, I think it’s a setback for Iowa. As far as parental rights or civil rights, we are actively getting ours taken away.
“There’s many families I’ve spoken with that have talked about leaving Iowa, which is heartbreaking,” Jones said. “This is our home, and Aida belongs here. My family belongs here. I’ve lived in Iowa my entire life. Moving has certainly been something we’ve discussed, but Aida says we stay and fight, so we stay and fight.”
Mount Vernon Middle School’s Gay-Straight Alliance ‘GSA of the Year’
President of the group Aida Jones, 13, leading the group students through changes to Iowa laws that target LGBTQ youth
www.thegazette.com
