Elias Chase is the new club president for the Pride Club at Glendale High School. He is a 16-year-old junior and was born in Burbank, California. Elias is into drawing and making animations, and sometimes he likes to “mess around” with music.
Elias says that the Pride Club was originally formed last year at GHS. He claims that the goal of this club is to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ members and their allies, to get to know one another and share their stories.
Last year, the club was planning on making t-shirts for every member, before we transitioned to distanced learning. Elias also shares that most of their club meetings were “pizza parties”, and he teases that “some of the kids just came for the pizza.”
This year, the club is still trying to figure out how their meetings are going to work, and Elias hints that they may have a guest speaker who will talk to them about their journey of “coming out as a gay man.”
Elias proudly claims that he is transgender and bisexual. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community has been an interesting roller coaster for him, and growing up, it was pretty difficult for him to open up to others about his sexuality.
He first got introduced to this community when he was 9 years old, and at around 12 years old, he figured out that he was “a dude.” He said that “my mother was very supportive” of him and always made sure that he was happy, while it took some time for his father to accept him.
To the people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and are struggling to come out, Elias suggests that they should “test the waters.” He says that people should always make sure that they are opening up to others who they know will support and accept their sexuality, as well as understand the community that they are in.
Ten years from now, Elias sees himself “fully transitioned and happy as an animator.” Since he has a long way to go before stepping into the real world, he’s still trying to figure out his path and plans to major in fine arts or animation in college.
Elias also shares that when he’s old enough, he definitely wants to join pride parades and even partake in more clubs that value LGBTQ+ members.
If you have any questions about the Pride Club, or if you need more information or resources for yourself or your friends, please contact Mrs. Tammy Taylor at [email protected]!
