On June 10, the Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA) met together after school to paint McLean’s rock. The rock is often painted in honor of different celebratory months or school events, such as Black History Month or prom. This month, the rock was painted in a rainbow pattern in honor of Pride Month. Pride Month occurs every June to celebrate members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I hope [LGBTQ+] people take what we’ve done as a reminder that they’re not alone in facing their issues,” said junior Marley DeRienzo, GSA president. “There’s so many people in the world and you’re gonna find those people and those communities that support you and have your back, even if it takes a while.”

As June is the last month of school, it can be difficult to manage multiple activities on top of final exams. With seniors already graduated and Seth LeBlanc, GSA advisor, preparing to depart from McLean, planning a time to paint the rock became a difficult task for DeRienzo.

“I knew we had to paint [the rock] at some point, but then everything kept getting pushed back,” DeRienzo said. “We also didn’t have paint left over from last year, so I had to buy all new paint myself.”

With Leblanc’s absence becoming a larger issue as the year went on, GSA members had to take more control within the club in order to keep it running smoothly. Junior Alex Diesz was one of the members to participate at a higher level in the GSA. From attending meetings to helping the GSA with activities, Diesz has made sure he’s able to contribute to the club’s impact.

“I helped paint many of the different color sections on the rock,” Diesz said. “ I hope that a lot of people see the art we’ve made and realize that McLean has people of very diverse backgrounds and different sexualities and gender identities. What we do is important, and I hope people can see that.”

While it might seem trivial to many, Pride Month is one of the most important celebrations of LGBTQ+ pride. It is a chance for the community to stand up and make themselves visible amongst the masses.

“It’s important that people know that no matter how much hate is directed towards us, we are still going to exist and we’re going to be visible about it,” DeRienzo said. “You can’t stop us from doing that.”