Activism looks different for everyone. Some people post on their stories, others boycott products, some even take to the streets and protest. But for senior Georgia Hair it’s a lot more personal.
In October, Hair joined the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) with the hopes of furthering her involvement in LGBT activism. Currently the group is partnering with the popular clothing brand Hollister to help design a new pride collection coming out in late May to early June. Hair and her team hold virtual meetings with designers at Hollister where they give feedback on how they think the designs could be improved.
“One thing that all of us considered during the meetings was the importance of direct visibility,” Hair said. “We really wanted to have exciting pieces that showed queer joy. I see this as an opportunity for queer students to tell corporations what we want, why we want it and how we want it.”
This is just another bullet point on Hair’s resume as the senior has been involved in other LGBT related initiatives in the past. Along with being the community outreach officer and treasurer for East’s Gay-Straight Alliance, Hair also co-founded the Charlotte Trans Student Union in 2023.
“It really came from my parents,” Hair said. “We’ve had a difficult relationship in my teen years, but they always made sure to work to be very accepting as I’ve transitioned. Understanding that for many transgender kids, this is not a common reality, I really wanted to work to provide that support system for as many people as possible.”
To this end, Hair has been doing more than just helping design clothes. Her involvement with GLSEN has already helped her learn more about how to get involved while also allowing her access to more opportunities and internships to further her skills in activist work. She is currently planning to go to college in order to pursue a career in queer youth advocacy.
Before that though, Hair still has other projects that she wants to complete. Arguably one of her more ambitious goals is to create a new GLSEN chapter in North Carolina.
“I think we need a chapter in North Carolina so we have people fully dedicated to the local issues,” Hair said. “We have several large groups working through policy advocacy, but there’s not one largely overarching group for North Carolina.”
Hair’s dedication doesn’t end there. In January she traveled with GLSEN to a summit in Phoenix, Arizona where she and her team worked to come up with new projects and initiatives to undertake. One thing can be said for certain. As long as there is room for improvement, Hair will be working to fill that space.
“I’ve learned a lot about advocacy, like how we all can participate and how important it is to find your niche in advocacy and always push the boundaries,” Hair said. “I really think my niche is in public speaking and project conceptualization. I also think I provide an interesting perspective by embracing my southern roots and being a transgender woman.”
