Gay School

[Acid]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A school in New York's Greenwich Village will reopen in September as America's first publicly run high school for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, officials said on Monday.

Although The Harvey Milk School has been operating with two classrooms for 20 years, $3.2 million is being spent by the City to expand it to take 100 students. Named after a gay San Francisco politician assassinated in 1978, the school will be funded jointly by the city education department and a gay rights youth advocacy group.
"Everybody feels that it's a good idea because some of the kids who are gays and lesbians have been constantly harassed and beaten in other schools and this lets them get an education without having to worry," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters at his daily briefing on Monday.

But the head of the New York State Conservative Party said the school was a waste of tax dollars.
"This makes absolutely no sense," Long told the New York Post newspaper. "There's no reason these children should be treated separately."

The school's first principal is William Salzman, a former Wall Street executive who has recently worked as an assistant high school principal.
Salzman was quoted in Monday's New York Post as saying, "This school will be a model for the country and possibly the world."

It will specialize in computer technology, art and culinary programs. It will also follow the education department's new mandatory English language and mathematics programs.

 

[Spacemiu]

instead of opening schools for gay people, they should be teaching tolerance and acceptance and not leting evil children terrorize people.

 

[LolitaLuxe]

Originally posted by Spacemiu@Jul 28th, 2003 - 3:42 pm
instead of opening schools for gay people, they should be teaching tolerance and acceptance and not leting evil children terrorize people.

well said!

 

[Angelica]

Originally posted by Spacemiu@Jul 28th, 2003 - 6:42 pm
instead of opening schools for gay people, they should be teaching tolerance and acceptance and not leting evil children terrorize people.

Agreed.

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by Spacemiu@Jul 29th, 2003 - 1:42 am
instead of opening schools for gay people, they should be teaching tolerance and acceptance and not leting evil children terrorize people.

Ditto

i also support this:"There's no reason these children should be treated separately." Break the ghettos.

 

[Cicciolina]

I agree with what everyone has already said.

How is segregation going to help anything? When they leave school to go to the 'real world' it's certainly going to be more than a little different. This isn't doing anything to promote understanding and awareness, just points out they're different. It's not as if there are different schools for race, height, hair colour, etc, then why one for sexual preferences??

 

[ignitioned32]

Originally posted by Angelica+Jul 28th, 2003 - 9:12 pm--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Angelica @ Jul 28th, 2003 - 9:12 pm)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-Spacemiu@Jul 28th, 2003 - 6:42 pm
instead of opening schools for gay people, they should be teaching tolerance and acceptance and not leting evil children terrorize people.

Agreed. [/b][/quote]
You tell 'em, Space!

 

[Nea]

I think the school is a great idea because often straight children that are intolerant in high school finally learn to accept people when they mature by the time they are old enough to go to college. This school could be a way for gay kids to feel safe in their high school environment like they should. At the same time, I do agree that we shouldn't make a separate school for gay kids to feel safe, they should feel safe in the schools they are in right now. But how do we achieve this when most of the teachers and school officials are intolerant? This school to me is a sign that says: "hey we're here, we exist, it's not a "phase" we go through, you can't ignore us anymore and if you won't take care of us, we'll take care of ourselves".

 

[MissFire]

i completely agree with Spacemiu. right on!

but nea does have a good point. and what about transgender teens? i know they have a hard time about it. and the school would provide them a safe environment.

 

[estevairevana]

Recognition is important. The existence of the school is a powerful statement from the adult community about its respect for these teens.

 

[Acid]

at school i told people i was bisexual, not because i was like coming out to everybody, but my close friends knew i dated guys too and so it was just part of our everyday conversations,
some people would call me gay and stuff but i didnt really give a dam, the ones who said stuff like that were people who try too hard to become popular at other people's expense

but when they realised i was going out to places and with people they could only dream about they started to wanna be my friend... YEAH IN THEIR DREAMS.....
not being concieted or anything, but i was probhably one of the top 5 most popular people in my year at school and i cant really say im that suprised either, i was just myself all the time, friendly with everybody, fun and serious at all the right times.

there's no way i would have chosen to go to a 'gay school' that idea just seems SO boring.....being with gay people ALL the time......
even going to gay nightclubs can get boring once you've had everybody...let alone for 7 years

of corse there are always gonna be those kids who pick on gay kids, you just gotta stand up for yourself

 

[Meg]

it's easy to see both sides of the arguement. it is also tough to teach tolerance, especially when kids go home to families that basically undo all the right that has been taught at school by parents who teach intolerance. I'm happy that there is a place like this for gay/bi/trans. teens to go to, in which they can learn without worrying everyday about what other people are going to say to them. I agree one must be oneself but this can be more difficult in certain places. I don't think this is for everybody but i think the recognition is important and that this is at least an option for some teens.

 

[Nea]

Acid it's awsome that you achieved such acceptance from your friends and acquaintances that they cared less about your sexual orientation or preferrence. Quite a few of my gay/bi friends would totally agree with you. At the same time I'm afraid that it is not possible for every kid to achieve this. Maybe some of them would prefer going to a gay school. I guess what it boils down to personal choice and it's good that now there is a choice. At least for NYC kids.

 

[Angelica]

Originally posted by Nea@Jul 29th, 2003 - 8:51 am
I think the school is a great idea because often straight children that are intolerant in high school finally learn to accept people when they mature by the time they are old enough to go to college. This school could be a way for gay kids to feel safe in their high school environment like they should.

The idea of an all gay school smacks of segregation to me, as others have mentioned in this thread already. Also, IMO this kind of segregation may backfire and prevent kids from learning/developing the tools to survive in American society. Personally, I think the tax payers dollars would be better spent creating programs to promote tolerance and acceptance and making these programs mandatory for all kids. Besides, as Acid mentioned, one of the things that keeps life so interesting is diversity in people.

 

[LLaura]

Is it segregation if the child chooses to go to the school? I thought segregation was forced? I went to a catholic school by my parents choice. I wasn't being segragated. Does that make sense. I know we aren't talking religion here but we are talking about something just as, if not more important, to someone in their life.

If they're making a school like this there must be some need for it. I mean the idea couldn't have come up in thin air. I'm sure there are children who are harassed and beaten up. While I love the idea of teaching others to love and be kind, there are some who aren't able to do this. Not to mention that a lot of homophobic people get ideas about gay and lesbian people from their parents. They are raised hating. Some have religions that tell them to hate.

 

[Angelica]

Originally posted by LLaura@Jul 30th, 2003 - 7:46 pm
If they're making a school like this there must be some need for it. I mean the idea couldn't have come up in thin air. I'm sure there are children who are harassed and beaten up. While I love the idea of teaching others to love and be kind, there are some who aren't able to do this. Not to mention that a lot of homophobic people get ideas about gay and lesbian people from their parents. They are raised hating.

You're right, LLaura. I'm sure the idea came about from well-intending people. I just worry that segregation does not solve the problems of intolerance in the long run. Separting kids from each other based on race or sexual orientation potentially deter understanding and acceptance. What worries me about segregating kids from each other is that straight kids, when not exposed, may not learn the to accept people who are different from them.

I went to Catholic school for most of my life too (my parents' choice). However, my parents' religious beliefs aren't really comparable to this situation since, as far as I know, catholics aren't really discriminated against in the society I was raised.

 

[Astrid21]

Originally posted by Angelica@Jul 30th, 2003 - 6:57 pm
Separting kids from each other based on race or sexual orientation potentially deter understanding and acceptance. What worries me about segregating kids from each other is that straight kids, when not exposed, may not learn the to accept people who are different from them.

I agree 100%. I think kids have a right to feel safe, but what makes you so sure they are going to get beaten up or picked on there. Kids pick on kids regardless of where you put them.

I watched a special on MTV that showed a "gay school", and they were downright mean to each other. I didn't see anything different than if they were going to a normal school. And believe it or not, most of them wanted to go back to their regular school. I just think it will cause more bad than good.

 

[Lena]

Originally posted by Astrid21+Jul 31st, 2003 - 3:07 am--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Astrid21 @ Jul 31st, 2003 - 3:07 am)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-Angelica@Jul 30th, 2003 - 6:57 pm
Separting kids from each other based on race or sexual orientation potentially deter understanding and acceptance. What worries me about segregating kids from each other is that straight kids, when not exposed, may not learn the to accept people who are different from them.

I agree 100%

I watched a special on MTV that showed a "gay school", and they were downright mean to each other. I didn't see anything different than if they were going to a normal school. And believe it or not, most of them wanted to go back to their regular school. I just think it will cause more bad than good. [/b][/quote]
ditto girls

its not surprising that in a 'gay school' kid will get nasty to each other, to me it is like a no-no ghetto camp.
very unatural, very targeted, very dangerous for the gay kids themselves

 

[HBoogie]

My concern is that the school might be more of a target for things like vandalism, harassment, and threats because it is known as a place for gays. Imagine some jerks thinking "hey, we know where all the homos are...let's go trash their school."

 

[Spacemiu]

Originally posted by Lena@Jul 29th, 2003 - 12:24 am


i also support this:"There's no reason these children should be treated separately." Break the ghettos.

deffinetly