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“The important thing with GSAs in schools is that it’s not the state imposing ideology, it’s absolutely not that. Every GSA I’ve ever encountered, all of the events hosted have been student run,” said Leigh Beacom, an 18-year-old student at Mount Royal who ran the GSA at WG Murdoch High School in Crossfield, Alta., until his June graduation.

The kids who belong to these clubs are paying attention to the way they’re being debated in this province right now. While they understand that their clubs are controversial, not all of them get why.

“I think that a lot of parents just want the best for their kids. There are parents (opposing GSAs) but really, there is no harm coming from this,” said Ace Peace, a 17-year-old transgender student from Crescent Heights High School in Calgary.

“I wonder why people care so much when we are just trying to live our lives.”

One of the real problems with Kenney’s position, according to Dylan Chevalier, an 18-year-old GSA president who graduated from high school in June, is that teachers are not in the best position to know when to engage parents.

“I lived with my parents who were socially conservative, very anti-gay when I grew up, and they are a lot better now. But at the time, it was very scary because of how they would talk about queer people.

“They could be really loving parents, but when you come out as trans or gay, they could kick you out on the street, or leave you physically abused or emotionally abused. That’s why you never want to take that power away from an LGBTQ person. They know when it’s safe for them to come out.”