April was Schoolwide Pride Month, as you may have noticed around campus with colorful hero posters donning the hallways, the morning prayers, and the various events occurring around campus.
The LGBTQ+ affinity space at SI, Safe Space, hosted two panels for Pride Month - an Alumni panel on 4/19 and a student panel on 4/25. In both panels, the challenges that come with being a queer teenager in a heteronormative society, much less a Catholic school, were discussed. This included everything from promposals to a lack of queer narratives in the classroom to combatting everyday subtle (or not so subtle) homophobia from one’s friends or family.
Co- President Mel Hua '23 explained that the panel was created “to share our voices and stories.” “We were just hoping to see some new faces and hopefully meet new allies,” she shared. And the topic of allyship also came up in the student panel; how for many of them it was the support of their nonqueer friends that truly made coming out and owning their identities easier.
More than simply being able to confide and create community in one another, the panelists explored how they experienced joy within their affinity space. Many cited one specific event, the Movie Night in October 2022, when both members and allies crowded into Mr. Geraghty’s room to watch the Netflix hit Heartstopper.
Olivia Leigh '23 is a Vol. 71 Managing Editor