McHenry High School's student-written and -edited newspaper

The McHenry Messenger

McHenry High School's student-written and -edited newspaper

The McHenry Messenger

McHenry High School's student-written and -edited newspaper

The McHenry Messenger

A person holds a sign reading Protect Trans People as LGBTQ activists protest on March 17, 2023, in front of the US Consulate in Montreal, Canada, calling for transgender and non-binary people be admitted into Canada. - According to police services, some 200 people gathered in the rain to show support for the trans community in the United States.

The campaign against identity

Alayna Majkrzak, Features Editor May 1, 2023

Law after law gets the stamp of approval. From Florida to Tennessee to Utah, bills are being passed that harm the LGBTQ+ community in one way or another. Some of the bills target all LGBTQ+ people, but...

Last month, the CDC released a Youth Risk Behavior study that shows female and lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning adolescents display a startling increase in mental health challenges compared to recent years.

Teen girls ‘engulfed in growing wave of sadness,’ new national data finds

Vanessa Moreno, News Editor March 14, 2023

Adolescent female and lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning students display increasing mental health challenges as hopelessness, suicidality and sexual violence reach new highs, CDC Youth Risk Behavior...

Noah Schnapp revealed his sexuality through a tiktok posted on Jan. 5, he was met with heavy criticism in the comments of his post.

Noah Schnapp criticized for unserious coming out post

Freedom Tomasello, Opinions Editor February 6, 2023

In a video posted to young actor Noach Schnapp’s Tik Tok, Schnapp wrote, “When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was ‘we...

U.S. President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.

Biden signs bill protecting same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law

Tati Rubi, Staff Writer December 22, 2022

Senate voted on Nov. 29 on a bill to codify the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage protections in the Respect for Marriage Act. The legislation repeals the Bill Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act and...

Heratstopper has quickly become a beacon of LGBTQ+ representation in the media, and has drawn in plenty of teenage fans.

Review: Say ‘Hi’ to ‘Heartstopper’

Alayna Majkrzak, Opinions Editor May 20, 2022

"Heartstopper" came out on April 22, 2022 after people had been waiting since it had been announced. It’s wildly popular due to the iconic comics that center around teenagers finding who they are and...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed the Stop W.O.K.E. Act late last year and signed the Stop WOKE Act into law on April 22.

Florida’s ‘Stop WOKE Act’ signed into law, immediately faces lawsuit

Vanessa Moreno, News Editor May 18, 2022

Florida became the first state to regulate race and gender discussions in the workplace and schools by signing the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act on April 22. According to Florida Governor...

Art installation Circular Dimensions x Microscape by Cristopher Cichocki is seen at the 2022 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 17, 2022, in Indio, California.

Opinion: It’s time to question Coachella’s charm

Alayna Majkrzak, Opinion Editor May 9, 2022

Loud music fills the crowd members' ears as they gaze up through the blinding lights at the artist they paid to see. Sweat, and too many people out in the California sun. $500 spent in order to see a 90...

Senior Reese Vincent, GSAs president, says that recent bills aimed at restricting discussion of gender and sexual orientation in Florida classrooms are a reaction to society becoming more accepting of LGBTQ+ people.

To say or not say gay

Vanessa Moreno, News Editor April 14, 2022

As word about Florida and Texas' LGBTQ+ discriminatory bills spreads, so does anger and disappointment. Teenagers and adults alike worry about their future, knowing that states are attempting to erase...

The Scraps: Planting trees, heading to prom and walking out of Disney

The Scraps: Planting trees, heading to prom and walking out of Disney

Bee Myers and Lydia Lawrence April 8, 2022

 The McHenry Messenger · The Scraps: Planting trees, heading to prom, and walking out of Disney (Episode Two)   Part news, part commentary, The Scraps is a podcast that spotlights past pitches...

Moses May, 14, leads a student protest at Gaither High in Tampa, Florida, against what critics call the Dont Say Gay bills, on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022.

Opinion: Texas and Florida’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws are immoral

Nikki Sisson, Marketing Manager March 24, 2022

A gay student walks down the halls of her Florida school, upset because she knows her teachers aren’t allowed to talk about gay rights or LGBTQ people in classes. She doesn’t think it’s fair at all....

JoJo Siwa gives a tour of her new epic bedroom in a 2018 video on YouTube. Many fans, including MCHS students, say that coming out makes an important and powerful statement.

I’m coming out

Alayna Majkrzak, Staff Writer March 1, 2021

“Born This Way,” a hit tune by Lady Gaga, plays as a student scrolls through their For You page on TikTok, pausing at a particular video. Despite the flashing lights, the person in the video seems...

Though President Trumps nominated another woman to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Amy Coney Barrett does not live up to Ginsbergs legacy—and may do more harm than good from the bench.

Opinion: Amy Coney Barrett isn’t for human rights

Becky Arendarczyk, Art Director November 11, 2020

Human rights or just politics? It’s the debate American citizens found themselves in when President Donald J. Trump appointed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Barrett’s past shows that she has...

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