Special Judges Award

“The Alliance”

By Janna Parsons - WA

(Poem – GSA)

Dark looks pass us in the halls.

The tension in the air hangs thick.

Hostility toward my hands in yours,

You’re a gender that I “shouldn’t” pick.

Distance divides us from the crowd,

Is our skin now toxic to the touch?

Their confusion and fear twists into resentment,

But it’s not their fault—society groomed them as such.

We weren’t alone for very long, though

Other pairs stood up to share the weight.

But when the protests grew more violent,

We lost our hope for the storm to abate.

When school ended and the doors flew open,

We had to run from the voracious tide.

Eventually we found a tiny classroom

And a teacher who would let us hide.

But as history shows, the oppressed have their limits,

Fear and anger drove us into defiance,

We stood up, united, and faced down the school,

And we called ourselves the Gay-Straight Alliance.