GSAs offer safety to confused kids

A gay-straight alliance is not a club where you go have a beer but a safe place where kids meet other kids who are going through their gender identity.

Most of the kids will have no support, as their families have no clue how to support them. So, we as a civil society have to make a safe environment where the kids will meet other kids who are going through the same issues and share their experiences. When kids are going through this issue it is very hard for them to concentrate on their education. They are scared and confused.

When I came out to my parents, it was not pretty. Their first concern was how “they” were going to deal with this shame. Who is going to inform the other family members and can they keep it as a secret?

Nobody was concerned about my feelings. How sad and lonely I was

Luckily, I was an adult and left the country where I was born, leaving all my loved ones behind. It was the same story for most of my gay pals.

Let kids learn about themselves before they face their parents. Let them know there is a place where they can go and be themselves and learn about their sexuality in a positive way. Let them know they are not alone and, more importantly, there is no shame in being who they are.

Children are our future. Let us give them the support they deserve and keep politics out. Clarence Kingsley-Pilai, Edmonton