Jaiden Leary

Advisor Kara Marlin leads a discussion during a GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) meeting as students listen in May 7. GSA provides a space for queer students to build community and talk about their experiences in school.

In the current educational landscape, conversations surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community have become increasingly prominent. This situation has queer students at the forefront, feeling the direct impact and weight of conversations. Kara Marlin, both an English teacher and non-traditional academy teacher who also serves as the GSA (Gender, Sexuality Alliance) advisor, said they have seen effects at the national level come down to Park.

“Immediately after the election, there was a lot of fear in a lot of my students that general hostility towards queer students would increase,” Marlin said. “There was a lot of general wondering (such as) ‘what was the school going to do to put out into the space that queer students are safe here?’ Overall, I would just say that it’s been fairly fear filled.”

Senior GSA member Adam Bendickson said he has seen general hostility emerge in recent months from people who feel that their opinion is the majority.

“A lot of people were really bolstered, feeling like they were the majority, that their hateful voice kind of won out, so I think a lot of people feel very proud to be hateful now,” Bendickson said. “I’ve definitely seen an increase in slurs being thrown around, which was really disheartening to see amongst students.”

Junior GSA member Adin Lindell said they have seen people in the school be supportive towards queer students in recent times.

“There’s definitely groups in both the students and the faculty that are supportive, I think that there are also groups that are not supportive, but there are definitely groups that are very supportive and helpful in looking out for me,” Lindell said.

Marlin said they’ve seen Park’s administration putting in effort to make sure that they and queer students feel both respected and heard by the district.

“I will say that I have felt very supported by Principal Paddock (and) by our assistant principals. Anytime that there has been an issue, they responded, were incredibly attentive and showed a deep level of care for me,” Marlin said. “Our school admin also has been very proactive in reaching out since the election to ask me, ‘what can we do to make your GSA students feel safe?’ There’s a lot of effort there. (regarding if) I think it’s effective, I think that it’s a start,” Marlin said.

Bendickson said any student who is struggling should join the GSA and try to find allies among the student and faculty body to support them.

“I definitely feel like SLP is the place to be at. Come to the GSA or stick to people who you are comfortable with. Talking to friends is a really good way to deal with that internal conflict and also kind of protects you from others,” Bendickson said. “I know a lot of people will correct people who misgender students, specifically other students, which has been a pretty recurring problem. I know a lot of allies are in the school.”

Lindell said the future for queer students might be tumultuous, noting that they are worried that some of the issues faced in other parts of the United States might come to Park.

“The outlook is scary (right now), there’s a lot of legislation being passed with what we can and can’t do, a lot of the rhetoric, a lot of the things that people are saying, are scary for us here in Minnesota,” Lindell said. “The effects haven’t been as strong for us because we’re in a blue state, but nationally, even here the time is coming. It’s definitely scary to think of what could be taken away.”