Planning the annual Gayla event for the RBR Gay – Straight Alliance are (left to right, back row): Courtney Ravelo, Union Beach; James Fogerty, Red Bank; Leah Roberts, Little Silver; GSA president Siobhan Hanson, Red Bank, Cori McQuillen, Red Bank and Sarah Halloran, Red Bank; and (seated) GSA advisor Stacy Liss; Natalie Gunderson, Neptune City; Sofia Dadap, Red Bank, and Cecelia Gunderson, Neptune City.
Press release from Red Bank Regional High School
The Red Bank Regional High School Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is honored to be hosting the fourth annual Gayla event on May 30. The Gayla is sponsored by the MakeItBetter4Youth Foundation, Monmouth County’s consortium for LGBT youth. All open-minded teenagers (13 to 19 years old) in Monmouth County are welcome to attend a fun night of dancing, music, food and refreshments. The Gayla will take place from 7 to 10 pm inside the RBR building at 101 Ridge Road in Little Silver, NJ.
RBR GSA President Siobhan Hansen states of the event, “I am very excited to have the Gayla here at RBR this year. I have attended several in the past and it has always been a lot of fun and very inclusive.”
She adds, “Everyone is accepted at Gayla; and that is the importance of the Gay-Straight Alliance. It is a place where all people feel comfortable with one another no matter how they identify. It is very empowering.”
MakeItBetter4Youth is a regional consortium of educators, community members, arts organizations, and other professionals that understand the limited nature of normative social and educational opportunities for LGBT youth. They have collaborated as a supportive community to create spaces, events (like the Gayla) and learning experiences for students.
Admission to The Gayla is $20. Participants are requested to email their parental permission form (which can be downloaded here) and submit it to [email protected]. In addition to the website, interested attendees can contact RBR GSA advisor Stacy Liss for more information at [email protected], or phone (732)842-8000, ext. 1-363.
