GSA message transcends continental borders

Members of Samo’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) got the chance to communicate with a panel of South American non-profit leaders spoke about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) issues on Fed. 12.According to Ruhi Bhalla (’14), GSA president, the panel contacted GSA and requested a meeting.“We got a call from the group asking if they could come speak,” Bhalla said. “They had previously heard of our GSA because of the work we do and were interested in meeting.”The South American speakers were not part of any particular organization, but instead were a group of LGBTQ non-profit leaders visiting different high schools around America, Bhalla said.“There were various speakers from different countries in South America,” Bhalla said. “[They] came to share their experiences with activism and their own non-profits.”According to Bhalla, the speakers communicated with the students in their native languages through interpreters. Peru, Costa Rica, Argentina and Mexico were among the countries represented.According to Bhalla, GSA and the panel talked about the LGBTQ movement and how to make it safer for the youth.“Lots of countries in South America have wonderful laws that protect LGBTQ people. If not, they are working on getting them.” Bhalla said. “What they’re lacking are laws that protect the LGBTQ Youth.”In addition to sharing their experiences with GSA, the leaders on the panel asked club members about how they deal with LGBTQ youth, according to Bhalla“These activists are working on creating groups like GSA’s and creating laws that protect their youth,” Bhalla said. “[GSA] plans to work with these different people and organizations to give them any support we can.”osherman@thesamohi.com