Guest Opinion | Orcas Island supports queer youth

||| FROM MEAGAN GABLE for PEACH PIT |||

Dear Community Members,

Promoting health and well-being requires more than addressing challenges—it calls for love in action. By accentuating the positive, fostering hope, and growing the good, we ensure that everyone feels valued, cared for, and recognized for their inherent beauty and worth. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once asked, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” At this moment, we are called to answer that question with empathy and action.

As part of our commitment to building a loving and inclusive community, we emphasize the importance of care for all, especially for those who face discrimination. In response to recent public comments in our community, as well as a national increase in opposition to our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ+) youth—also referred to as queer youth—we publicly affirm our unwavering support for them. We recognize the unique challenges queer youth endure, including cultural judgments that fail to honor, respect, or ensure their safety. With this in mind, we wholeheartedly commit to creating environments free from judgment and discrimination—spaces where queer youth, and all young people, can thrive.

Clubs and events specifically welcoming queer youth are essential—not only to their well-being but to the health of our entire community. These groups aim to foster a supportive environment where members can be their authentic selves without fear of judgment. In addition to providing a safe space for queer youth, Gender & Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) also welcome allies—individuals who stand in solidarity with and support their peers in their journey of self-expression and identity. For our youth, such spaces are life-changing. They offer safety, affirmation, and the freedom to thrive.

Outgoing U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy offered us hope in his Parting Prescription for America: “We are at our best not when we fear but when we love, not when we turn away but when we turn toward one another. This must be our compass as we set out to build community.” Inspired by these words, we pledge to stand together as a community united in love and care for all its members.

This is why we loudly, proudly, and unflinchingly offer our support to queer youth. Hosting and facilitating LGBTQ+ friendly clubs and events does more than tell queer youth we love and accept them—it shows them, through our actions, we affirm their worth, provide them with safety, and make it clear that they belong as they are.

As Orcas Island youth-focused community leaders, we call on you to stand with us as we stand with our queer youth. They are not just an important part of our community; they are vital and vibrant threads in the fabric of who we are. Their strength, resilience, and diversity enrich us all. If you are reading this, we invite you to join us in leading with love. Together, we can foster a community where everyone, regardless of their identity, feels seen, valued, and supported.

Signed collectively with love and solidarity,

The signatures for this letter were collected in just a few days. We recognize that we may have missed some youth-focused community leaders in this process. If you’d like to add your name, you can do so by clicking this link.  

• Ady Kenady Walker, School Board Director, OISD
• Alfred Bentley
• Allison O’Brien
• Alice Hibberd, WA Certified Teacher
• Alison O’Toole
• Alison Sanders, Coalition for Orcas Youth
• Alyssa Burnett, LMHCA 
• Amber Paulsen, Kaleidoscope Director
• Angie Reed, Young Adult Librarian 
• Dr. Anastasia Jones, Naturopathic Physician
• Bethany Marie, Communications Director, Orcas Center
• Bianca Cox
• Bridget Broderick, OISD School Board
• Bryn Rueb, Orcas Island Children House
• Carlie Rankin, Elementary Para Educator 
• Caleb & Colleen Summers
• Camille Fleming MD, Family Physician Salish Sea Medical, IRHI Medical Provider
• Ms. Carla Shanks Morales, SEL Teacher in the Public Elementary School
• Dr. Cassandra Perryman
• Chama Anderson, Youth Soccer Coach
• Chelsie Guilford
• Cher Jefford, Board Member of Orcas Center
• Chris Chord, Coalition of Orcas Youth, Executive Committee Member
• Chris Waage
  • Laflin

• Cindy Sapp, OISD School Nurse
• Cindy Wolf, Former SJC council member 
• Claire Cawley
• Claire Nollman
• Corey Wiscomb
• Darren Dix – OISD Band/Mariachi/Bucket Drumming
• David Affolter
• Dimitri Stankevich, Orcas Center Executive Director
• Elisabeth Alperin, PhD
• Elizabeth Watson Halsey, Juvenile Probation Counselor
• Emilie Robinson
• Eric Webb, Superintendent Orcas Island School District  
• Erin O’Dell, Executive Director Orcas Community Resource Center
• Ethna Flanagan 
• Evan Buxbaum, Pediatrician, Island Primary Care-Orcas
• Fletcher I Dae, OI Pride co-founder/board member, EMT at OI Fire and Rescue
• Funhouse Commons Board of Directors 
• Greg White, Chairman Orcas Island School Board, Funhouse Disability Program Coordinator
• Haley Cruz Winchell
• Heidi Bruce
• Ingrid Mattson
• Jamey Moriarty, Production Assistant at Orcas Center
• Janet Brownell
• Jean Henigson
• Jen Krauss
• Jesse Fabrikant
• Jim Bredouw
• John Ehrmantraut, Orcas Senior Center Board Chair
• Julia Soes 
• Julie Pinardi
• Julie Steimel 
• Justin Paulsen
• Kamala McCullum, Special Education Teacher 
• Kari McVeigh, Retired School Superintendent, San Juan County
• Kari Van Gelder, Teacher, Salmonberry School
• Kate Long
• Krista Bouchey
• Kristi Kersten-Tenborg
• Kyle Duncan Graham, Program and Facility Director, Peach Pit 
• Kyle Freeman 
• Kyra Dyer
• Lindsay Jennings, Orcas Island Community Foundation
• Lorena Stankevich, Director of Special Services, OISD
• Lynda Sheldahl
• Madden Surbaugh, OISD Food Services Director
• Maddie Olson, Funhouse Youth Development Director 
• Maggie Vinson – Director Orcas Montessori School
• Maia Vechey, Peach Pit Co-Founder
• Mallory Balcomb
• Mary Clure
• Mary Wachter, Funhouse Music Facilitator 
• Maurice Austin
• Meagan Gable, Peach Pit Co-Founder
• Megan Greene, OIMS Teacher
• Megan Metcalf, Development, Communications & Community Outreach Manager, OCRC 
• Megan Vock, OWL Facilitator, IRHI Teen Rep Program Facilitator
• Melinda Hallen 
• Melissa DeMaria
• Michell Marshall
• Natalie Miller-Nawn
• ​​Nicole Matisse, Development Director, Orcas Center
• Nicole Spinogatti
• Orcas Pride Board
• Patricia Benton
• Paula Gustafson
• Paul Berry
• ​​Dr. Paul Freedman, Founding Head of School, Salmonberry School
• Paul Steimel 
• Qasim Dino, OPAL Communications Director, OIHS Paraeducator
• Rachel Fletcher
• Rebecca Parish
• Rick Hughes
• Robin Freeman
• ​​Rosedanie Cadet
• Ryan Carpenter, Funhouse Executive Director 
• Sadie Eichner
• Sara Farish, Darvill’s Bookstore, OWL Facilitator, IRHI Volunteer
• Sarah Davis, Funhouse Office Manager
• Sarah Lyle, Family Physician, IRHI Program Coordinator
• Sarah McKay, Funhouse Program Director 
• Shannon Wyss, Funhouse Rainbow Club Volunteer & Orcas Island Pride Board
• Sharman Ensminger
• Sharon Ho
• Sue Bauer
• Susan Gaiser Gudgell
• Susan Min
• Susan Stoltz
• Tam Lin, Orcas Island Pride Board
• Teresa Tilton, Compass Health-Crisis Services
• Thomas Pullano, M.D.
• Tiffany Loney, Orcas Dance Collective
• Trillium Swanson
• Vicki O’Keefe, School Librarian
• Wally Gudgell
• Yotam “Mr. Z” Zohar, Orcas Island Middle School Teacher 

Helpful Resources: 

Link to Trevor Project: thetrevorproject.org  

Human Rights Campaign Resources for LGBTQ: www.hrc.org/resources/lgbtq-youth