A few weeks ago, the GSA club was visited by Blake parent and blogger Leslie Lagerstrom to hear her story of raising a transgender child in our community.

Greeting the classroom with a warm smile and shared her story about her son Sam and how the family supported him throughout his adolescence and full transition. Leslie shares that she and the rest of her family were always accepting of Sam, and how every year his identity became clearer.

She remarked that high school was a very hard time for Sam. He faced struggles at his school every day and there wasn’t much the family could do. Luckily, Sam was able to come to Blake where he absolutely thrived. Leslie told the class that Blake “saved his life.” She gave the club suggestions on how to be supportive of fellow teenagers who are transitioning and made clear that using correct pronouns was the greatest sign of respect and that it is important to not make assumptions about their lives or pasts.

Leslie also mentioned a future symposium speaker, Dr. Jennifer Bryan visiting Blake in November to help us make Blake an even safer and more supportive school for the LGBTQ community.