By Elizabeth Li
On Wednesday Feb. 15, South’s Gay-Straight Alliance hosted its first “Wear Purple Day” to stand up against homophobia. Students and faculty members wore purple to promote awareness towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
“This day was extremely important for me because it really opened opportunities not only for me but for other students in the gay community as well,” said GSA president junior Meher Zaman, who is also an openly gay student. “Many trustworthy relationships between students who are openly gay and who are straight were formed, which is one of the main goals of GSA.”
Teachers also participated in the event. “Seeing the faculty being supportive and being actively cooperative with ‘Wear Purple Day’ really showed that anyone can make an impact and take a stand against homophobia,” said Zaman.
In order to promote greater awareness, the club sold sweatshirts for $15 and handed purple out wristbands that sported slogans such as “Love is Love” and ‘”Day Against Homophobia.”
Student support continued after the event. Zaman said, “Seeing students still wearing the sweatshirts and wristbands really proved that this event did make an impact and will continue to do so in the future.”
Members of GSA also went to health classes to discuss the dangers of homophobia and to give advice on how to handle situations related to the subject.
Despite the positive participation within the school, some students did not participate. According to Zaman, some refused to accept the wristbands, and some just bluntly stated that they were not interested.
Even though the main goal was to get everyone involved, Zaman says she understands that some events do have opposition, and she respects everyone’s decision.
“Overall, this event was about reaching out to people and educating them about issues related to the gay community, and that is what we [GSA members] did. There will definitely be another ‘Wear Purple Day’ next year, and we will continue to inspire both students and teachers,” said Zaman.