BUFFALO — Niagara Wheatfield was the host of the Second Gay/Straight Alliance-Diversity Club Conference. On January 21 the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) of Niagara Wheatfield High School in Niagara County played host to 100 high school students from around Niagara Erie Counties.
The students came from 18 different Erie and Niagara county high schools. Gay and Lesbian Youth Services of Western New York (GLYS) provided resources and assistance to the event including bus transportation to enable GSA members from Buffalo Cheektowaga, Amherst and Lockport schools to attend the gay youth after school confab.
Kenmore West High School teacher Darcy France and three students facilitated an interactive session on how to respond to anti-gay bullying. The KWHS peer educators also presented at the first GSA/diversity club conference held last April at Ken West, which was attended by 64 students from 10 schools.
David Cantaffa of UB's graduate school of education, Gateway Longview social worker Michelle Recchin, author Lyndsey D'Arcangelo, a Niagara University student and a GLYS Drop-in Center member made up a panel that addressed coming out issues. The shared their experiences ranging from being out in high school, coming out after marriage, and coming out to family as a lifetime experience.
Members of the Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus also took part in the conference. Prior to sharing a song that they performed for the first time after 9/11, all ten men shared parts of their stories with the students. Chorus member Flip Taporca and his partner, Bruce, got a big hand when he announced that they have been together for 24 years.
Hearing the experiences of panelists and Chorus member was a highlight for the young people at the conference.
Some recognized that the environment is much improved while others were buoyed by knowing that there can be happiness, relationships and meaningful careers on the other side of high school.
The 2009 Ken West event, the first of its kind in WNY, gave other clubs the freedom to host other activities.
Coming up in March is a reading by D'Arcangelo, a graduate of Frontier High School, that will be hosted by the FHS. The Sweet Home GSA has rescheduled a snowed out December dinner and movie night for April. Two other schools are considering organizing activities for members of all WNY GSAs and diversity clubs.
On Tuesday, April 27th, GLYS will sponsor a bus to take interested students to Albany for the 2010 Equality & Justice Day. For more information about glbt youth activities in Western New York visit www.glyswny.org
—Staff
