After a year of inactivity, the Gender Action Group (GAG) returned to Washington and Lee University with new initiatives including special events and collaborations with other organizations.
Co-presidents Simi Adeniyi, ’27, and Jacob Bennett, ’27, restarted the club this academic year. They announced on Instagram that the club was “back from the dead” and “new and improved.”
GAG was originally established in 2014. The club remained active until 2024, when it disbanded because there was no student interest in leading the club.
Adeniyi said she believes that having a group like GAG on campus is important for providing a safe space for students of all genders at Washington and Lee.
“I think W&L is a unique environment. Therefore, its gender-related issues are very unique,” said Adeniyi.
Restarting GAG required the collective efforts of the new executive team, the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program, the History Department, and alumni who were involved with GAG in the past. The new exec team includes the co-presidents, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The new team was also in communication with members of the former GAG exec team to regain use of old social media platforms and to plan upcoming meetings.
In future meetings, GAG plans to host “open houses,” where students have the opportunity to discuss topics such as being a “girl’s girl,” gender through a racial lens, female friendship and toxic masculinity.
“We want [GAG] to be a place where students are bringing their own thoughts, their own ideas, and allowing it as a place that we can bounce off of each other and overall try to create a better environment for Washington and Lee,” said Bennett.
The club plans to expand their initiative to focus on intersectionality. Previously, GAG was more homogenous in race and gender, and the new team plans to create an environment where people of any identity and experience feel welcome, Adeniyi said.
“Feminism isn’t just for straight white women … Feminism is for everybody,” said Adeniyi.
The team also plans to expand GAG’s agenda to include more focus on advocacy, professional development and outreach.
“We definitely want to emphasize professional development,” Bennett said. “As many of us enter the workforce, we might not know exactly what harassment looks like, what gender-based violence may be or sound like and what resources are offered.”
GAG also plans to host special events and collaborate with more clubs and community organizations, Adeniyi said. Currently, the exec team is considering a collaboration with the Black Diamond Society. They are also considering a special event for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign to raise awareness for violence against women and girls.
Bennett said the club’s main goal was to focus on GAG’s longevity.
“We want the Gender Action Group to become a staple at Washington and Lee and for people to think that there is truly a safe space here,” he said.
