There are many controversies at Peninsula, one of which is feminism and the role of the Feminist Club. Sarah Nicholson and Cheyenne Kim took it upon themselves to step up and create their own new club, a place where discrimination doesn’t exist.

“I’m really surprised it hasn’t been at the school. I think it started because we need it, and we need to be represented. Every gender, whatever you identify as, needs to be represented,” said Taylor Cooper, a member of the club.

The original idea came from another school in December 2016. Nicholson took the opportunity to let others talk about what they want to share. With Donald Trump and the Women’s March around, feminism is becoming more and more relevant.

“We wanted to show you can have a voice even if other people are against it,” Kim said.

In the beginning, mostly girls joined, but as the club became increasingly popular, more boys began to join: Anyone is welcome in the Feminist Club. From the table in the lunchroom to inspirational quotes on bathroom mirrors, Nicholson, Kim and everyone involved want to spread the love and get the word out.

“We have boys, girls, all ages, all grades, and everybody is so kind. If there’s a new person we’re just like, ‘What’s your name, what’s your name? Come make a poster with me!’ It’s super friendly,” Cooper said.

A few club members originally joined as a joke; however, most of them realized what the club was actually about. Nicholson, Kim and the others were able to educate them and show that they weren’t about having women rule the planet, but having men and women as equals.

“We already knew we would get backlash, especially on Twitter, so we knew how to prepare for it. A lot of people will angrily respond to it and we try to respond in a positive way instead of bashing on them,” Kim said. The club’s main focus is to educate everyone while having a good time.

The Feminism Club doesn’t only make Peninsula a better place, but it serves the outside community as well. As most Peninsula students know, February was ‘Share the Love’ month. In honor of the month the club decided they would start collecting women products for the homeless.

“For homeless women it’s really hard to get things like tampons and pads. There are women who have to reuse them because they don’t have them. Tampons aren’t a thing people would usually think to donate, they usually think about giving clothes,” Kim said.

No matter the issue, Feminism Club will be there to support anyone of any race, gender, sexuality, or religion.