Power in pride: This Brooklyn student wants to reclaim queer activism in NYC schools

A screenshot of a high school student with short dark hair and wearing a hoodie sitting at a wooden desk with an office view in the background.
A screenshot of Mher Melikyan reporting on the Miseducation podcast by The Bell last school year when he was a sophomore. (Screenshot of Miseducation by The Bell Youtube)

This originally aired on The Bell’s Miseducation podcast.

At my school, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, or GSA, feels more like a social club than a space for activism. And I’m not alone in feeling that way.

In this episode, I look at how GSAs in New York City have drifted from their original purpose: organizing for change and uplifting queer voices. Once at the front lines of student activism, many GSAs now avoid political conversations and lack diversity, even as queer youth face mounting attacks across the United States.

It’s time for a GSA rebrand. To recenter activism and ensure every queer student feels seen and supported, GSAs must be spaces that are bold, inclusive, and purposeful.

Queer youth have played a key role in leading social movements, and history shows that when we organize, we create change. It’s time for GSAs to reflect that legacy and reclaim their role.


This is a video-first episode. You can watch it now on YouTube.

Miseducation is The Bell’s flagship podcast, which gives New York City public high school students the tools to report on inequities in the nation’s largest school system.

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