“I wanted attendees to feel safe to be themselves, even if it’s just for a night,” Wong said. “Part of the goal of the Lavender Disco is not to be a traditional dance, because many queer youth don’t feel safe to be themselves in a typical school dance. For example, something really cool we did this year was have a ‘communal drawing board’ projected onto the screen and board games to the side in case the loud music was too overwhelming for people.”

Wong said that although the planning process was long and challenging, the GSA leadership team found ways to successfully organize the event.

“We knew when we started planning the dance that we wanted a really big turnout this year, but we didn’t expect to more than double that of last year,” Wong said. “In order to accomplish this, one of the challenges we faced was inviting students from different schools all around LA. Through digging into each of our networks like asking friends of friends if they knew GSA leaders from certain schools, we were able to make a massive group chat. That’s what ultimately helped bring such a high turnout.”

Kara Horacek ’27 attended the event and said that the dance overall promoted an inclusive environment.

“The diversity of the many types of students stood out to me and the event was very welcoming to all types of people,” Horacek said. “I especially liked watching the lip sync battle.”

Although the Lavender Disco may have only been one night, GSA co-leader Hudson Philips ’27 said that its impact went beyond just the dance.

“The event reflected GSA’s values because fostering community across queer teens in Los Angeles allows students who frequently feel marginalized to know they are not alone,” Philips said. “The significance of the Lavender Disco is finding community and joy with other queer teenagers, and it is important to continue this tradition because in such a dark time, it is necessary to look for the light.”