The LGBTQ+ Experience at PHS: Then and Now
By Emma Risinger
LGBTQ+ students of Pierce High School, past and present, face challenges and have experiences unique to them within the student body. Several alumni and current students agreed to provide their insights into what it is like to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community at PHS.
Participants largely agreed that misinformation about the community is one of the foremost problems for LGBTQ+ students at PHS. The judgment and social exclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals isn’t always intentional; fellow students may have simply had little exposure to the community, which can foster a lack of understanding.
Some former students explained that they were not out during high school due to fears of social isolation. They said that they had anxiety about potentially being judged and losing friends.
Kyle Rohrich, a graduate of the class of 2008, who has done extensive work advocating for LGBTQ+ human rights globally, said there were others he went to school with who (like himself) weren’t explicitly “out” at school. Still, many suspected them of being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Rohrich said these individuals, like himself, faced unique social challenges due to this perception. He highlighted that things would have been even more difficult if he or they had been out at the time.
Rohrich also noted policies that prevented students from bringing same-sex dates to school dances, which are still in place at Pierce and some other schools.
“There were all of these reinforcing mechanisms to make sure that people fit into a certain mold,” Rohrich said. “Yeah, that was harmful, and people don’t think of those reinforcing mechanisms as harmful, but what it does is it empowers bullies and empowers people who are actively harmful.”
Another more positive theme presented by interviewees was the value of teacher support at PHS. Students said that they feel/felt supported both by teachers who were openly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and those who displayed general anti-bullying and pro-tolerance viewpoints. Even just one supportive faculty member can make a difference.
Devin Gnat of the 2013 graduating class knows that to be true, as she has been on both ends of the situation. Gnat also was not out during high school, but she said that because of supportive faculty, she likely would have had a positive experience if she had come out. Gnat is now a teacher at Winside High School.
“In the school I teach in, like I said, there have been a couple of kids that have identified as LGBTQ,” Gnat explains. “And they all know that I’m gay and everything, so just kind of being a little bit of a support for them, knowing that I went through the same thing, I think that can make a positive impact or at least make someone feel like they aren’t alone or they have someone to talk to.”
Gnat said that she thinks things are looking up for LGBTQ+ students in the small school environment, describing that it is becoming more common and accepted for students to be openly LGBTQ+. Things are by no means perfect, however.
“I think that we still have a ways to go, obviously,” Gnat continued. “Just because it’s accepted doesn’t mean that harmful things aren’t said or done.”
“At Pierce High [the high school experience for LGBTQ+ students] can be pretty neutral,” said Ash Orona, a graduate of the 2021 class. “I’d say the biggest negative would be a lack of support from not having a Gay-Straight club or another similar group.”
Overall, participants agreed that the school community being better informed about the LGBTQ+ community could make a huge difference in creating a more inclusive environment.
The LGBTQ+ student experience at Pierce High is ever-changing, but when students can share their voices and advocate for themselves, it may propel the LGBTQ+ student community forward.
