Oak Park High School aims to be an environment in which all students feel protected and welcomed, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some individuals go the extra mile to provide this to the student body, including junior LJ Johnson who has been advocating for the rights and representation of the queer community for the majority of their life.
“I think I’ve kind of always known that I was queer, and as I got older I really enjoyed spending time with like-minded people,” Johnson said. “I got really lucky and fell into the right group of people, and found my love for activism through that.”
Johnson started the Gender Sexuality Alliance club at Medea Creek Middle School when they were a student there, and is now the co-president of OPHS GSA. GSA allows queer teens to learn about queer history on a deeper level, as well as its correlation to current events.
“It’s cool to know more about parts of our history that I only vaguely heard of before I came to GSA,” junior Max Fybel said.
The club also allows queer students to support and bond with their peers on a deeper level.
“My favorite part of GSA is just getting to sit and talk with people every week. We can kind of just talk about anything, it’s very open. We can have discussions about things that people don’t really want to talk about,” Johnson said.
GSA isn’t the only way for Oak Park teens to get involved. Unity Conejo is a local nonprofit that aims to provide a safe space for queer teens to be together. They host two events per year, the first being a Pride Prom. This year was the fourth annual Pride Prom and it took place on March 7, at University Elementary School.
“It was so fun this year, I absolutely loved it. I meet new people every year and they are always the nicest, most welcoming, accepting people,” Johnson said. “The atmosphere is great because everyone is constantly complimenting each other and dancing with each other.”
Unity Conejo works in collaboration with GSAs across multiple districts to put on the dance, and they are constantly working to improve it.
“It might be a little more colorful than any other dance,” Johnson said. “But the main point is to give queer kids a space to exist and enjoy a school dance like any other kid would without outside pressure.”
There are 527 anti-LGBTQ bills circulating in the U.S. as of March 14. While many of these bills are located in conservative states, in February and March alone, five were introduced in California. These bills include school sports bans, facility bans and other restrictions that have the potential to deeply impact queer populations. While not all of them will be passed into legislation, each bill makes a difference. As these changes ripple across the country, the importance of safe spaces for queer youth is clearer now than ever before.
The second event Unity Conejo hosts is the Pride Picnic. This is a free event to celebrate the queer community at the beginning of every pride month. This year’s event is set for June 2 and will include everything from food to face painting to photo booths. But by far, the most impactful part of this picnic is the gender-affirming clothing swap. This allows teens to bring in clothes they don’t need anymore and switch them out for clothes that make them feel confident.
“This year we are planning on turning it into a moving closet by putting it in a van, which would allow us to help so many more people,” Johnson said.
Unity Conejo uses these events to bring queer teens together and gives them the space to connect with each other.
“I just love feeling more connected to the local queer community—knowing that there is such a loving and supportive community out there and being able to then go on and support other people in the community has just been absolutely amazing,” Johnson said.
But even with all of these outlets, it still takes passion and perseverance to push through all of the obstacles that come with pioneering these safe spaces.
“The most challenging aspect of [activism] is not being able to help everyone. We’re able to do a lot. Especially with [Unity Conejo] growing traction, we’re able to help a lot more,” Johnson said. “But sometimes with GSA, all I can really do for some of these kids is listen because the problems are so beyond what I’m able to help with, which is heartbreaking. But I also know that this is my best chance to help out.”
Events as extravagant as a dance or as simple as a club meeting change students’ lives, simply by making them feel cared for.
“There are so many people, even if you don’t know it yet, who are going to love and support you. Sometimes just reaching out to that one person can make all the difference.”
For more information on how you can get involved, follow Unity Conejo @unityconejo and OPHS GSA @op.hs.gsa on Instagram or visit the Unity Conejo website.
