The LGBTQ+ Experience at HSAS
- Lilly Eyal and Olivia Goldman
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
By Lilly Eyal and Olivia Goldman, Grade 11, Staff Writers
The High School of American Studies has a high percentage of LGBTQ+ students, and according to the student body, it is a safer environment than most. Common Sense interviewed students, and teachers to gain a better understanding of the LGBTQ+ experience at HSAS. Most participants in this article share that HSAS is more accepting compared to other places.
"It's definitely made me feel more open about myself," says Amelia Zihharev (‘28).
She adds, "In my last school…not a lot of people knew I was gay, but in this school I feel free enough to be [open] about my identity."
Samara Mariñez (‘27), believes that HSAS’s small size may contribute to how queer students experience school life: “It feels more disconnected when it's a larger experience, but if these are people you always cross paths with, see on a day-to-day basis, obviously it's more important to make sure that they're comfortable."
But this inclusivity, at least how students at this school have come to describe it, may not have existed just a few years ago.
Abigail Almond (‘26) says, “I was talking with my sister’s friend, and…she graduated in 2020. He went here, and he said he remembered being one of the only gay people in the school… It was really interesting to talk to him about how much the vibe has changed even in just five years.”
When asked about this, Almond brought up the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) as a contributor to this culture shift.
“I think…the existence of a club specifically for queer people, just the fact that it’s allowed to exist and it’s allowed to be…undeniable…is important, because it sets the precedent that these are people who are respected,” shares Abigail. Many others agree that the GSA has been key to fostering an accepting school environment. The GSA’s stated goal is to provide a community for and spread awareness about LGBTQ+. The community the club facilitates was mentioned across multiple interviews.
Mariñez, who is a member of the GSA, told Common Sense that it "bridges gaps across grades, a bunch of different kinds of backgrounds, you know, people that wouldn't usually come together in one space do… It does a lot to bring people together in general, and I feel like that…is what makes kids a lot safer."
Given the club’s importance to the queer community of HSAS, the leadership of the GSA feel they have a responsibility to make the school a safer space for everyone.
Jonathan Rosen, a junior and the club's secretary, has this to say: “I'd say I have a role in making sure that [the GSA] is safe for everyone there and I'm happy that I'm able to act as a voice of sorts for the community through my position.”
Mr. DiGruccio, the advisor of the GSA, feels similarly, drawing on his lived experience as a queer person to meet the needs of the school’s LGBTQ+ community.
He closed his interview with: “You know, you’re not going to win over everybody, you can’t; that’s the nature of the world… But that’s all the more reason to keep doing the work, right?… Because for me, when I was young, I didn’t have GSA in my high school. It wasn’t accepted as much as it is today, to be gay, or part of that community… So I didn’t have adults that I could go to in high school. And so for me as an adult now, it’s important that I am that person, you know what I mean? I want to be the person that I didn’t have.”
Comments