From Silence to Celebration: Washington County Gay Straight Alliance celebrates 20 years
Twenty years in, the Washington County Gay Straight Alliance is going strong.
The non profit was started in 2005 by three “straight white women who saw the need,” said co-founder Kathy McCulley Cameron of South Strabane Township, along with Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski of UPMC Washington Teen Outreach, Jenny Newman, who at that time served as the director of Christian education at First Presbyterian Church 1793, and two Washington High School students.
The nonprofit has for two decades served as an oasis of acceptance and provided support, advocacy, and services for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
On Saturday, WCGSA celebrated the people it serves and the individuals, businesses and organizations that have been allies at WCGSA’s “From Silence to Celebration: 20 Years Proud Gala” at the George Washington Hotel in Washington.
“It was a time of celebration, and it was a party,” said Cameron. It was an opportunity see connect with the people who have participated in our programs and to celebrate the people who have supported us over the years.”.
The earliest WCGSA meetings were held at First Presbyterian Church, before they were moved to Citizens Library and then to other venues including The Common Ground Teen Center, before finding a permanent home at The CENTER on Strawberry, built in 2017 by Cameron and her husband, Pete, who have four children, including a son who is gay.
“There was nothing in this town for the LGBGQ+ community,” said Cameron. “My gay son in high school had nowhere to go, and then he joined the gay/straight alliance at his college. We decided to start a youth group and see what happened.”
A lot has happened.
In its early years, WCGSA established itself as a safe space for young people, where they made friendships and felt valued.
The nonprofit hosts and annual Washington PA Pride Festival to unite the Washington County and LGBTQ+ communities, and it sponsors an annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Candlelight Walk, holds monthly potluck dinners and weekly drop-in gatherings, game nights, recovery groups, and more.
Today, most of WCGSA’s programming focuses on the senior LGBT+ and transgender communities.
“It’s really cool to see how it’s expanded,” said Newman. “There is more support for teens now, and so many schools have GSA clubs to support teens. So along the way we started programs for adults and expanded services to adults, including the seniors group and groups of AA and NA members.”
The gala was an opportunity for the founders to re-connect with WCGSA members who had joined the organization two decades ago and to talk about the impact the organization had on their lives.
“It was lovely to see people who we served over the years and where they are now,” said Newman, who now serves as the director of Christian education at Sixth Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. “I am very proud that something that started as a small group of people supporting young people has grown and lasted. My hope is that the WCGSA can continue to be an organization that provides community, resources, and support in a time when it is needed more than ever.”
The gala featured speakers, including Dr. Kyle Duff, a former WCGSA board member who has long advocated for LGBTQ+ rights and helped bring the Central Wellness Center of Washington, which offers inclusive LGBTQ+ care, to the county.
Original founder Liz Glowark, one of the two Wash High teens who approached Podgkurski about starting a gay/straight alliance after she saw a homophobic slur written on a bathroom wall at the high school, said she wanted to create a space where everyone felt safe and felt seen.
And speaker Stevie Nova Berberick, an associate professor of communication arts at W&J College, talked about the college’s collaboration with WCGSA and other groups for an oral history project where members of the LTGBQ+ community talk about their lives, from experiences of coming out, overcoming addiction, facing the AIDS epidemic, or finding self-acceptance.
The college hopes the 15 interviews – more are in the works – will provide a chance for LGBTQIA+ individuals to find validation and understanding through the narratives of participants.
The podcast, created by W&J students, can be found on platforms including Apple Podcasts, Amazon and Spotify. Each episode lasts about an hour.
“It’s really re-affirming that the stories of people can be shared, and it’s an important thing we are doing for the community,” said Cameron.
Podgurski said the organization has made a difference in raising the level of awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in the county.
“The impact, from my perspective, has been enormous. It’s not just for LGBTQ kids, and we had a lot of teens who attended who became allies. When you can help young people see the goodness in others, that’s a great gift,” said Podgurski. “I believe that everyone is worthy, and that’s the message, whether we’re talking about race or sexuality or economics or popularity. If kids can figure out that they are people of worth and can understand that everyone else is worthy, that’s important. Self-worth matters. That message is the essence of what GSA is all about.”
Newman said she is proud that WCGSA “has grown and lasted.”
“My hope is that the WCGSA can continue to be an organization that provides community, resources, and support in a time when it is needed more than ever,” she said.
Cameron said that when she helped start WCGSA 20 years ago, she “didn’t think I’d still be doing this.”
She hoped there would no longer be a need for the nonprofit, she said, because that would mean gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals had been fully accepted into American society.
“But we’ve regressed. It’s not a good time for people in the LGBTQ+ community, especially for trans people,” said Cameron, noting several policies enacted and measures taken by the Trump administration in recent months, including a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military and the removal of nondiscrimination protections.
“We have to think about if we do an event, will it be safe, especially now when trans and trans kids aren’t as welcome. It’s important for them to know there is support out there, and there are allies out there that they didn’t know were out there, and they saw that at the gala,” she said. “Our straight allies are just as important because GSA is made up of the community.”
The gala was a black-tie affair that also served as a fundraiser, and 20 tables were sponsored, said Cameron, grateful for the advocates who have stood alongside the organization over the years.
Dozens and dozens of auction baskets were raffled off, and entertainment included drag show performances.
Newman said marking the 20th anniversary of WCGSA “is not simply about the passage of time – it is a testament to courage, compassion, and a community built together.”
In a letter she wrote for the gala’s program, Newman credited board members, volunteers, and supporters with providing safe spaces, support and hope to the LGBTQ+ community.
“And to the brave young people who first dreamed this into being – you are the heart of this story. In 2005, you imagined a community of belonging for your peers, and because you planted that seed, countless lives have been changed,” she wrote. “The story of WCGSA continues to grow and flourish because of your courage, your love, and your belief that everyone deserves to live authentically and be embraced just as they are.”