Comments on: Mayor opposes Chicago gay school

By: Justin

Justin — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:45:59 +0000

My fellow community members,

As well as responding here, did you know you can send an email directly to Richard Daley?

With that being said… we don’t need separate schools for GLBT students. This would imply ’separate but equal’ and is that what you really want? REALLY?!?!?!

How about we insist on safer learning environments for ALL students, regardless of background, sexual orientation, economic status, family status, etc!

Lastly, here is my challenge for you…. how many of you are working with your local school districts? That is, how many of you donate/volunteer time to educate the educators on how to be more sensitive to students of the GLBT community?

By: Tina

Tina — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:39:11 +0000

What Chicago is proposing is not a gay school, though. They are proposing a truly integrated school built on the model of gay-straight alliances. This school, then, becomes a forum for educating LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ students, building capacity for advocacy and creating solidarity amongst groups. I am the Lead Teacher at The Alliance School in Milwaukee and what I see every day is gay and straight students working together to build a better community, where tolerance is a given and true acceptance is what we strive for. When LGBTQ youth are only 5-10% in a large high school, what they feel is tolerated. When they are 50% of a school, what they feel is empowered. These gay students have the opportunity, then, to spend their energies on their educations rather than on their survivals, and a great education for LGBTQ youth helps our whole community out in the long run.

By: GayMan

GayMan — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:51:57 +0000

What is Chicago doing to protect gay students? That is why this school was suggested because Chicago is neglecting gay students.

By: 4Real

4Real — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:12:32 +0000

seems alittle one sided the private schools can teach bible thumping and make kids wear stupid little uniforms and girls wear skirts that make the old straight men drewl; but thats okay. They come up with a school to protect gay teens and that gets smashed; seems one sided to me.

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:49:40 +0000

The trouble with a LGBT affiliated high school is that it requires parental permission. The kids that are getting out of their situations are usually out kids with supportive parents. While yes, suicide rates are high amongst that population, they are even higher amongst (semi)closeted teens with unsupportive/hostile parents who may not want their kids going to that “queer school”. Whether they’re popular kids who are hiding it to stay at the top or kids that are being harassed but denying everything, this pressure to hold it all together is part of what sends them over the edge.

It’s the fact that some of the neediest students who don’t feel safe enough to ask their parents to be allowed to go to a place like Pride High who will suffer all the more in their segregated, hostile environments that will not be forced to change.

By: tito

tito — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:41:29 +0000

I agree, and I am gay. It’s stupid to have a gay school. Why not have an all white or all black school or just a school for asians. Everyone should be in the same school and taught how to embrase unequality or diversity. they should instead put that money into better use like finding a cure for aids or more books.

By: gew

gew — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:28:35 +0000

Weren’t gay nonparents at ONE point, students in a school?

Is their experience and memories of being gay, out or not, in school somehow become negated that their opinion is of no worth?

What utter nonsense.

As much as I’m in agreement with more education and combatting homophobia in schools, there still seems to be an awful lot of it.

And when there are those who are fighting against the formation of gay-straight alliances that could FOSTER an atmosphere of education and understanding, they’re accused of being sex clubs.

When the stats for suicide among gay youth, who I assume are/were IN good ol’ school, is higher than for straight youth, ALSO in school I would assume, that should give one pause for thought I would suspect.

Or, is it okay for these kids to die because their not quite “tough” enough, or “emotionally strong” enough to deal with whatever it is their up against… most of whom we gay adults have OBviously never had to deal with or could possibly understand being, you know, adults and NONparents.

Yeah, a safe environment in which they can focus on studies and learning, as opposed to how they’re going to get form point A to point B without getting tossed into a locker, or knocked down, or cussed out, or mocked and made fun of is just downright silly.

How can we expect a new generation of tough ol’ gay men and women if they’re being coddled and babysat?

Suicide winnows out the weak from the strong doesn’t it? The world doesn’t need weak, emotionally fragile people in it does it? Even if they have remarkable gifts and talents, possible insights and creativity? Who needs THAT sorta stuff?

How ’bout BOTH the school AND the education against homophobia, for if homophobia is tackled aggressively head on, a debate about a GLTB school or three won’t have to be held in the future.

For now though, shouldn’t these youth be given and allowed a SAFE environment? I know I learn better when not worrying about survival.

By: gwychooch

gwychooch — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:00:02 +0000

Dear Spank…least you have forgotten your gay history, it was the drag queens of New York who had the balls to rise to the occasion and lead the resistance to ever increasing harrassment from the vice squad/police force that led to the heroic event that became as the Stonewall riots, aka The Gay Independence Day. Don’t ever speak disrespectful of Drag Queens — they are our Sister Saints who know more about being gay and what it means to have gay pride than anyone else in the LGBT movement. You could have said that opinions are like Sarah Palin – the rest of your statement holds absolute true of her. Sounds like you’ve got a homophobic streak a mile wide that needs some serious therapy.

By: SpankMeSilly

SpankMeSilly — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:25:53 +0000

I would ask Will if he is a parent. I suggest that only parents voice their opinions in this matter. Those of us in the LGBT community who just like to bitch and moan, and offer their 2 cents worth need to stay out of it. I don’t think a single LBGT parent or student cares what we think.

Opinions are like drag queens.. they are always WAY TOO LOUD and most of the time, ignored and not taken seriously.

By: vanndean

vanndean — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:12:13 +0000

Until adults decide to do their job and establish and enforce no tolerance policies for ALL school against bullying, then these situations will continue. Until the adults realize that being bullied it NOT “just a part of growing up” we are going to have gay kids with bullying problems in our public school systems. If adults will do their job, then the problem could be solved. IMO, a separate high school is not the answer unless it is used to incarcerate students who are convicted of bullying other students. They are the ones that need to be housed in a separate school.