Becoming An
Activist
Our Goal
It oftentimes can feel really overwhelming to be an activist or encourage activism in a vacuum. Bringing about political or social reform can be a daunting task—even for those who are markedly involved. We all want to do things for the betterment of our friends, our family, our peers, our community, and our society, but we don't really know where to start.
Fortunately, at Brookwood's Gay-Straight Alliance, we're dedicated to mitigating these misgivings.
What you first need to understand is that activism isn't always standing outside problematic establishments with signs and microphones or riling up a vociferous protest. It surely involves proactive efforts to campaign for and catalyze reformation, but it can vary in scale.
Secondly, it's imperative to know that in the United States LGBTQ+ history in primary and secondary education is almost invariably neglected or considered auxiliary. In the classroom, discussions can be dissatisfying or even dishonest, relegating the most outstanding queer periods, figures, and media to individual pursuit or research.
Considering these two things, at GSA, we want to regard them, experiment with them, and bolster an improved system to restore them.
Seminar Group
At Brookwood's GSA, you can join our seminar group to explore the depth of queer history, literature, film, music, media, politics, etc. without the academic inhibition of grades, assignments or deadlines. Together, we engage in casual and lighthearted but also structured and guided conversation, one that starts in the club and continues outside.
You will never be expected to say anything insightful or profound. Even if you aren't looking to participate all that much, you can still sit back, listen, and enjoy the talk. No matter the form, we want you to feel excited about queer history and theory, and that will only happen if you're there.
Always expect the conversation to careen from one subject to another. It's fun that way. An Activist Board Member will be present to introduce and guide discussion topics as we go.
Subjects
As a group we will be covering an assorted variety of topics. If you would like to browse a few of the subjects, including short stories, poems, books, films, songs, and general topics, click on the Subjects Spreadsheet button below. Note that the lists are not all-encompassing, and are completely tentative. We will always announce the basic subject of our discussion and any suggested readings/viewings before the meeting on the home page.
If you can't access the spreadsheet, make sure your on your student email account to access it. Otherwise, please contact an Activist Board Member on the Contact page.
If you would like to suggest a subject, please complete the Google Form linked in the Subject Suggestion button below or contact an Activist Board Member on the Contact page.
Off-Campus Meetups
Many of our conversations will extend outside the club. If the majority see it fit, we may schedule a time to gather casually at a park, cafe, arcade, etc. to just talk.
Our most common call to meetup will be a movie night. For instance, if a week's discussion has been planned to be about Paris is Burning (1990), which is a documentary about the vogue and ballroom scene in New York City's black and Latinx communities, we may decide on watching it together.
Any off-campus meetups will be discussed during a club meeting and announced on the Announcements page. If you have any questions please contact an Activist Board Member on the Contact page.
FAQ
Did you not find what you were looking for? Still have some questions about what are goals are, what we do, or what we expect? Don't fret. We got you covered (hopefully)!
How is the Activist discussion group different from the Social conversation or Support talking circle?
Joining GSA, you're going to notice that there's a lot of overlap in all the three pillars. All our goals are based in making a safe space to talk, share, and learn. Where we differ isn't going to be our goals, but rather our approaches.
For the Activist, we're going to center around structured conversations with a deep focus on analysis. That means, unlike just improvising a discussion like the Social or Support conversations, ours will begin with a set topic—which all participants will be informed of in advance—and gradually and spontaneously diverge as we consider it.
Additionally, in an Activist discussion group, an Activist Board Member (and even other Board Members if fitting) will be present to guide the conversation. This person will come to discussions with diversified research and experience in LGBTQ+ topics.