LGBTQIA+ Voices

Transgender discrimination is a pressing issue and affects over a million people in the U.S. each year. Transgender discrimination, in general, is widely due to heteronormativity, the concept that patriarchy and heterosexuality are the “norms” of the society, and all other identities (different sexualities, genders, classes, races, ETC) are abnormal to societies standards. Due to this concept, many g...

What choices are teachers making to support and include everyone, focusing on LGBTQ community? The Association of American Universities found in a 2018 survey that out of a sample of more than 180,000 undergraduate and graduate students, nearly 17% identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, queer, or questioning. 1.7% of undergraduate and graduate students identified as trans, nonbinary, or quest...

In consideration of the recent controversy surrounding an anti-gay episode of a Christian podcast created by AHS students, the responsibility of Aspen High School, the Roaring Fork Valley community, and individuals to support the LGBTQIA+ community must be addressed. According to a recent survey, 1 in 6 Generation Z individuals identify as LGBTQIA+, and the numbers continue to grow. The study also showed that the ...

A “Firestarters for Jesus” podcast produced by several Aspen High School students has prompted criticism from the LGBTQ+ community and questions about the balance between free speech and support for those who were hurt by the video. This podcast, which produces religion-based content on most social media platforms like Youtube, Instagram, Spotify, and TikTok, came under fire for posting a video...

Aspen Gay Ski Week has been an event in Aspen for 43 years, and for the first time, this year, the Gay-Straight Alliance and some administrators at Aspen High School worked with AspenOUT, to represent people 21 and under into Gay Ski Week. The Aspen High School Gay-Straight Alliance has been at AHS since 2015. The club provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ kids to hang out as well as allies to show their...

The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at Aspen High School has been a club at AHS for years, and like any other club, they have gone through their ups and downs, but this year, Aiden Krause, and AHS junior, and Chamberlain Peacock are in charge, and they’re restructuring the club around raising awareness and minimizing the stigma around LGBTQ+ matters. Last year students in the club used their time to rant about the...

Joe Dominguez sits in the AHS library wearing black jeans, a Star Wars black hoodie sweatshirt, and a RVCA hat. A few years ago, Joe’s hair reached about an inch past his shoulders, differing from his current shag. Joe is transgender, trans-male to be more specific. While assigned female at birth, Dominguez now lives the life of a male high school senior.     Like Dominguez, many students at AHS id...