Written by Allison Goguen|
Photos by Allison Goguen|
On Friday, March 17, Morgan’s GSA along with Peer Advocate volunteers headed to the UConn campus in Storrs, CT to attend the True Colors Conference. True Colors is an annual convention that celebrates diversity, in particular, diversity in gender and sexuality. Spanish Teacher Susan Peterson, the advisor of the GSA , took anyone, in the GSA or not, to Storrs to learn more about diversity and the world we live in.
Running from eight to five on Friday, True Colors had countless sessions to attend covering numerous topics anywhere from finances to the history of LGBT+. There were conferences on healthy relationships and safe sex, as well as being transgender and supporting minorities. Freshman Lexie Arnoldi said, “I experienced a lot of different people, I was able to see the point of view of other people and see their problems.” There were hundreds of people in attendance. The huge UConn auditorium was full of those who are LGBT+, as well as just straight allies there to support. Freshman Leo Woods said, “I didn’t expect so many people.” Freshman Emma Lehn said,
“It was a pleasant surprise.”
Those who went on the trip with Mrs. Peterson were Emma Lehn, Kerryanne Longyear, Lexie Arnoldi, Vicky Hu, Leo Woods, Taylor Warner, Gabby Bussiere, and leader of the GSA, Juliana Ragonese. Including me, there were ten attendees in total. Mrs. Peterson was glad to have them all in attendance. She said, “I feel like everyone has their own little niche, and I really wanted these kids to have a niche to identify with.”
The theme this year was ‘Imagine a World’ meaning imagine a world where everyone is accepted, where equality is a right, not a privilege; it is for everyone. At True Colors, those there learned how to be as accepting as they can be, to support and to love, no matter where someone came from, who they love, what gender they identify as or who they want to be. The conference on Friday was followed by even more attendance on its second day, Saturday the 18th, which went until midnight.
True Colors offers a chance for Morgan students to experience and learn diversity to bring back and share with fellow students. The GSA is an important club that nearly every school in Connecticut has and many students rely on to feel welcome in the world. As difficult as it is to be a teenager, it’s even harder to be different. Morgan’s GSA is a place where everyone is welcome. The only requirement is to be welcoming in return.
