On Thursday, January 12th, our LGBTQ Social Justice group had an interview with Elysa Fein Cunningham at the Staten Island Pride Center. It is the only center for LGBTQ youth in Staten Island. In our interview we learned about the center and what they do. They have clubs for people of all ages, and anyone is allowed to join, as long as they are members or allies of the LGBTQ community. We talked about the people who visit the center, our new Presidential elect, and spoke to other important members of the center. We learned that the kids who visit the center can go without adult supervision, and the center is allowed to say that the kid is not there if the kid does not want the parents to know. I think this is a very good idea, since many kids probably do not want their parents to know that they are a part of the LGBTQ community. Elysa showed us the offices, which were covered in photos and pieces of artwork all about pride. Our visit inspired us to make our teach-in the best it can possibly be, since everyone was so encouraging and nice. We enjoyed our visit and would love to come again soon.
