The Arc Toward Authenticity: A Legacy of Becoming at GDS

When GDS and Macalester alum Conor McDermott-Mostowy ʼ17 qualified to compete in Speedskating for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, he said he felt an abundance of pride. He was proud not just for qualifying, but also for being “the first and only openly gay man in Speedskating and the only one on Team USA this year.” 

Conor currently considers himself a role model for LGBTQ+ athletes. In a recent interview with Tom Daly at Reuters, he addressed them directly: “There is a place for you in sport.”

Along with his parents, he credits GDS for creating the solid foundation that helped him to be who he is today, from his Olympic success, to his love and acceptance of his identity, to his advocacy work.

Carrying Forward GDS Values

“I carry a lot of the values that I've learned here at GDS with me,” said Conor during his recent visit to GDS for Pride Week 2026. “Being an athlete and being an Olympian, obviously you have somewhat of a platform, and a voice. I definitely try to use that a lot more than some of my peers. I recognize the importance of it and the unique opportunity that we have.”

Conor said he had started coming out a little bit in his junior year at GDS and was mostly out by his senior year. “GDS was such a supportive place, and I didn't even realize how much until I left here; just how abnormal it is to have so many great teachers and role models around you,” he said. “The support system here definitely helped along the way. I think it [also] helped me to be a better advocate or resource for other people.”

He recalled one of his most influential experiences at GDS, when John Lewis came to speak at an assembly. “He said his famous line ‘Make good trouble,’” recalled Conor. “That is definitely something that I have carried with me. I am—I would say more so than a lot of people—very comfortable with conflict and discomfort, and a lot of people on my team respect that. I'm often the person they come to when there’s an issue because they know that I feel very comfortable advocating for their interests or bringing up something that is not being done well. I think a lot of that was developed here at GDS.”

A History of Pride at GDS

GDS held its first Pride assembly in 2004, and now has a history of LGBTQ+ support and advocacy, along with a long-standing system of evolving affinity and alliance groups that change year to year based on student needs. Currently these include the Middle School Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), a space for the support of and conversation between members of the GDS middle school community who identify as LGBTQ+ or as an ally; SPECTRUM, a space for the support of and conversation between members of the GDS high school community who identify as LGBTQ+; the LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Affinity Group for members of the GDS LGBTQ+ community and its allies; Gradient, an affinity group created for any student, faculty, and staff who identify as LGBTQ+ and as a person of color; and a new family affinity group, Pride Family Alliance, that provides a space for connection, support, and shared experiences among families. 

Aligning closely with the GDS value of being your “full authentic self,” The Free to Be Me Assembly at the Lower School is now a large part of GDS’s celebration of Pride week. It is considered a cornerstone assembly, celebrating all kinds of families, self-determination, LGBTQ+ pride, inclusion, and comprehensive belonging. During the assembly, students share the history of the LGBTQ+ movement with an audience of parents and peers.

The Change that Needed to Happen

But there was a time when neither LGBTQ+ students nor teachers were openly out at GDS. 

Alum Andrew Sean Greer ʼ88 shared his experience on this time in GDS’s 75 Years anniversary commemorative book: “Silence was the mode for the 80s. You will find it hard to believe, or even hard to remember if you lived through it, but nobody was gay. By which I mean nobody was out of the closet… Queer people existed theoretically, mostly humorously, but not actually. That was true even at GDS.”

It was the loss of a closeted classmate, Marko Clark ʼ88, to complications related to AIDS that created a catalyst for Andrew. He decided to come out to the GDS community. That included, among other trusted leaders, teachers who were out in their own lives, but not formally at school. He was met with support, but change took time. Andrew proposed creating an all-school assembly. The administration settled on an optional lunch-time event in a classroom in which Andrew openly discussed what it was like to be gay. But he managed to create the change that needed to happen, and now the school was suddenly free to discuss the subject openly.

“I was lucky to be in a place with so many invisible allies,” said Andrew. “After I gave my talk at the school, all of those allies, those teachers, spoke to me and told me how brave I was. I was overwhelmed and proud and confused. Because I did not feel brave at all. Because I was not scared; I felt perfectly safe. They had taught me that nothing was outside discussion. That I could ask any question. The way I saw it, that day, I simply asked GDS a question. And the school began to answer.”

Decades later, the impact of Andrew's decision that changed the culture continues to guide GDS students and alumni. In an interview with NPR just prior to his Olympic debut, Conor reflected on this key value instilled in him at GDS, of being his full authentic self: "The only thing I can do is go out there and be the best that I can be and try to stand up for what I believe in, and hopefully someone will see the value in that.”