1st public gay high school set for NY, Mayor: H.S. to offer education without fear of harassment
Uh huh. You try to concentrate on algebra while knowing that you’re gonna get beat up as soon as class is over.
Update: When I first posted this, I was excited. I looked at it purely from the perspective of progress for GLBT rights, and in that regard this is huge. You couldn’t even talk about such a thing twenty years ago and now look what’s happening… there’s a high school for gay teens. I didn’t really consider the flip-side of the argument, the reasons not to do it. Natalie, despite her self-proclaimed laziness, makes some good points about why this kind of separatism shouldn’t be necessary. As a reasonable, objective person – someone who thinks we should just all be equal and be able to get along – I have to agree with her. At the same time, I still think this is a good thing. I guess I’m just gonna have to go both ways.
I’m torn too. But as long as the fundies are spewing their lil bible stance, it’s not like you can teach real tolerance without setting off their satan alarms. Shit, kids can’t even wear costumes to school on Halloween in the town I live in. We have freedom of religion as long as you aren’t gay or a satanist.
I was worried that mine was a knee-jerk reaction, which is why I didn’t comment here first, but the more I think of it the more I think it’s a bad idea. I mean, I think it’s wonderful that we can even talk about high school aged kids who are out and proud, but it seems like the GLBTs are being sold a white elephant. There’s a problem in the public schools in that GLBT kids are being beaten up and harassed? Well, let’s just siphon that little problem off to its own microcosm…<br><br>When I first heard of this I was actually reminded of something my sister said not too long ago…she said that she wished that we could just round up all the "deviants" and throw them on their own island. I read that and thought, "substitute ‘island’ for ‘school’ and that’s my sister’s attitude right there."<br><br>Shoot – I climbed back on my soap box again and totally missed the chance to make a joke about your "gonna have to go both ways" statement… :^)<br><br>Thanks for that link, though – very thought-provoking.
I don’t like the idea of govermental segregation, which is what this essentially is. I also don’t like the idea of establishing sexual preference as the primary identification for a person. Are all gay teenagers basically the same?<br><br>I understand a teenager wanting to attend high school without being the subject of ridicule from their peers (does that happen in real life for anyone?), but segregation isn’t the best way to achieve that, IMHO.<br><br>Diversity is a beautiful thing, and maybe someday most people will recognize that, unless we go back to everyone staying in their own little kingdom.