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Loading ...Gay community divided on LGBT high school
09.19.2008 3:25pm EDT
(Chicago) A public hearing on the pros and cons of a high school for LGBT students has found divisions within Chicago’s gay community on the advantages of such a school.
About 200 people attended the hearing, the first step in the process. It still requires approval by a Chicago Public Schools evaluation team with the final decision up to the head of the school system, Arne Duncan.Called the Social Justice High School—Pride Campus it would offer a core curriculum preparing students for college, The Chicago Tribune reports. The earliest it could be up and running would be 2012.
Among the proponents of the school was Chad Weiden, who is openly gay and currently an assistant principal at the Social Justice High School. He would become principal of Pride Campus, the paper reports.
“[We want] to continue to provide a college-prep campus for students who are often overlooked. Gay, lesbian and transgender students are often overlooked in our district. And this is a school for all students,” Weiden told the hearing, according to The Tribune.
But Andy Thayer, of the Gay Liberation Network, voiced what he sees as the downside of the school. Thayer told the hearing it could give students a false sense of security and ill prepare them for the real world.
He also said that he was concerned that the school would allow Chicago Public School administrators to ignore their responsibility for making sure gay and lesbian students throughout the whole school system are being treated respectfully.
“My fear is that the rest of the system will be let off the hook,” Thayer said. “The notion that the Pride Campus is a silver bullet to set aside all needs of [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] youth is mistaken.”
Weiden said that if the proposal gains final approval the school would have about 600 students.
The first all-gay high school in the U.S. opened in New York City in 2003, named for slain San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk.
A 2005 study commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network found that gay-bashing is a major problem in the nation’s schools.
Three-quarters of students surveyed across America said that in the 2004-2005 school year they heard derogatory remarks such as “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school, and nearly nine out of ten reported hearing “that’s so gay” or “you’re so gay” – meaning stupid or worthless – frequently or often.
Over a third of students said they experienced physical harassment at school on the basis of sexual orientation and more than a quarter on the basis of their gender expression.
Nearly one-in-five students reported they had been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth because of their gender expression.
The study also showed that bullying has had a negative impact on learning.
LGBT students were five times more likely to report having skipped school in the last month because of safety concerns than the general population of students.
While such a campus could previde a sanctuary for students who are already facing bullying and harassment, care must be taken to protect the students who will not have the opportunity to attend such a school. The answer to this crises is not to segragate but to hold teachers, principals and school boards accountable for the protection of LGBT students. I would be infavor of the school in conjunction with a law that requires adults in athourity to protect students and would provide penalties for those who fail to do so.
The former Walt Whitman High School in Dallas was a success for many years and sadly it folded due to lack of funds.
A segregated school is a horrible idea, since they are implying that heterosexual students and homosexual students are incompatible, and they each need their own school. Last time I checked, separate but equal didn’t work with the African-Americans.
The same lesson needs to be applied here.
I see good and bad in this gay school.Good that you have others around like yourself,where you can bond feel proud,have self esteem and confidence,plus friends.Bad in that its not the real world,and you have to put up with discrimination outside that sheltered envirement.Still I would have jumped at the chance to go to a gay school years ago…
I was originally against the NYC gay high school but when I became more familiar with the program I realized that a lot of its students were gay and lesbian street kids. I came to the conclusion that these children need special attention and security that a regular H.S. cannot provide. Yes, this is segregation, although its largely a self-chosen one, but these are children and they need to be given care. And I don’t think anyone should ever have to apologize for wanting to take care of their children.
Not every political question has a neat and tidy answer that you can wrap up with a bow of politically correct tape.
As a highschool student I can say that an all gay school would be wonderful. Although I have doubts about the safety of such a school. Wouldn’t it be a target for crime and homophobic attacks?
I would also be concerned about the isolation of the gay kids from the straight ones. The fact is (whether we like it or not) that the queers have to learn to accept a certain amount of intolerance. It’s not going to go away and we need to learn how to not let it crush us.
NO NO NO… segregation.. that is not what we need.. we need to do is do more grassroots education in the communities.. as well as the schools.. dividing us is just going to further the gap between our worlds.. not bridge it
NO
This is a HORRIBLE idea.
EDUCATE the bullies and homophobes.
People need to learn. You can’t just shove the subject away from what needs to be done. Homosexuality needs to be addressed to this bigots and they need to learn how to accept it.
You can’t make a school just for gays. It’s too comfortable, they need to learn how to defend themselves because that’s how the real world is. I’m gay, and I oppose this.
i think it’s a good thing because the students would be able to be themselves and not have to worry about discrimination but also it could also be seen as an effort to keep gay people away from the straight so i’m kind of torn on the issue
Natas Said:Kids get picked on; this is just a natural part of growing up.
You have stated the main reason that this subject needs to be addressed. Because the problem is so wide spread and so pervasive in schools, and because so many people believe that being picked on is a “natural” part of growing up, the situation has been allowed to spiral out of control and to become the accepted norm. No one is born a bully. It is learned behavior which is promulgated in some homes and is not allowed in others. This is a problem that could be alleviated by schools across this nation if the people responsible for allowing it to continue would do their jobs. This situation is allowed to continue because the ADULTS in charge refuse to accept responsibility for the safety and learning of ALL CHILDREN and refuse to do their job. If every school in the nation would establish a zero tolerance policy and come down hard on any violations of such a policy, the problem could be brought under control. If the ADULTS that are supposed to be parents refused to accept bullying behavior from their children, the problem could be solved. The solution is not separate schools for gay kids but educating bullies that their behavior carries consequences for their actions. The solution is not separate schools for gay kids but teaching bullies that their learned bigotry and hatred will not be tolerated by a system that is designed to educate ALL citizens. The solution is for ADULTS to realize that being a bully or a target of bullies is not a “natural part” of growing up.
Everyone would like to think that all schools should be safe and that teachers and administrators should make sure that this is the rule, but the truth is that this is not always the truth. Many teachers also have their own prejudices to deal with and it is hard enough to go through life knowing that you are going to be discriminated against without also being an impressionable teenager that has really no life experience. The whole reason behind school is to get the best education you can to aid you in the selection and expertise in your career not to have to fight and live in fear for the whole 3-4 years of high school. I say that this is not a bad idea since you will still have interaction with your peers while not in school so this “natural part of growing up” will still be there and some kids who are harassed by their own parents when they find out about their kids orientation and it would be great if there was just one place where they would feel safe and accepted.
This is clearly a bad idea. Gays are not zionists and should not want to be treated as such. Why not a school for the nerds or the fat kids? Dont they also get picked on? where do you draw the line on this? Kids get picked on; this is just a natural part of growing up.
Why is gay community divided over this? This is clearly a bad idea. Nice in thought yes. We are not zionists, we should not have to segregate ourselves from the the straight population. Yes kids get picked on and harrassed in school, I did im sure most do. This is just a part of growing up. What next a school for the fat kids or the nerds or the jocks perhaps? Where do you draw the line? If you dont teach the kids how to respond to being picked on then yes people get upset and feelings get hurt. A school for just gays is probably the worst idea ive ever heard of. As a parent there is no way I would want my kid segragated if he were gay, it would be like admitting your ashamed of who you are.
i am 24 years old i can remember everyday wondering if i was safe or was i going the get beat up. Where i live you don’t get a choice to go to any school but the local district. ii see ups and downs to this school but safety is the most important thing next to the education.
Chicago’s Gay Liberation Network is not “divided” from others in the community who favor an LGBT “Pride Campus.”
The Tribune reporter correctly quoted Andy Thayer of Gay Liberation Network as voicing a concern that a separate LGBT school not let the rest of the system “off the hook.” Every school needs to be safe environment. Bullies not gays need to be on the defensive.
Thayer and others in GLN strongly support a gay school as a first step by offering a choice to students who desire a safe environment in which to learn. An LGBT “Pride Campus” ought to be launched in conjunction with a system wide campaign to improve safety for all students, including our gay kids.