The Gender Equality Club promotes and supports equality between men and women. The club initiated several years ago when a student recognized a need for an open environment to talk about prevailing gender inequality issues in the community.

Sponsor Indelicato-Faw said, “The idea was that [few students] wanted to make a feminist club at Lafayette to promote the acceptance of feminism and what that means, basically promoting equality between genders. Originally, we wanted to name it the Feminist Club, but we were told that the term feminist was too politically charged and was too controversial, so we needed another way to name the club. That was how it was named the Gender Equality Club.”

Each semester, the club focuses on different charities to raise awareness of the gender inequality issues in the community. This semester, as a way to commemorate the National Women’s History Month of March, the club chose I Support the Girls project to collect and donate feminine hygiene products for the homeless women.

Senior Nina Clark, the president of the club, said, “In many states, tampons and pads are taxed as “luxury goods,” and, as a woman with a period, I can assure you that feminine hygiene product is necessary, not superfluous. By providing women in need with these necessary items, The Period Project hopes to eliminate an undue cost on homeless women.”

Interested individuals may bring gently used bras, sanitary pads and tampons to Room 150. They will be collected and be given to the national organization I Support the Girls in the month of April.

Furthermore, through the drive, the Gender Equality Club hopes to change the community’s stereotype of donated goods to the homeless people.

“We want to create awareness for the Lafayette students about the kinds of hardships that people outside the community have and ways to support that,” Indelicato-Faw said. “When we think of ways to support the homeless, we don’t necessarily think of bras and tampons, but the reality is that if you are female and homeless, those are definitely the items that you will need. It might be an unusual donation drive, but I think it is one that worth our time and interest and efforts to promote to the Lafayette community.”

In the future, the Gender Equality Club wants to expand its outreach to the student body. Recently, the group has been working on the issue of self-defense with the cooperation of the school staff members to realize their goal.

Clark said, “In addition to our fundraisers and political discourse, we are currently working with the administration to help incorporate conversations about consent and healthy relationships into the health class curriculum. We are also currently working with Office McDonald to put together a self-defense workshop for Lafayette ladies. Gender Equality Club hopes to promote justice and equality in our school and the world at large.”

Indelicato-Faw shared that the Gender Equality Club meets on first and third Wednesdays of the month typically for interested individuals.