All gay high school set to open in NYC

[Guest William E]

NEW YORK (July 28) - New York City is creating the nation's first public high school for gays, bisexuals and transgender students.

 

The Harvey Milk High School will enroll about 100 students and open in a newly renovated building in the fall. It is named after San Francisco's first openly gay city supervisor, who was assassinated in 1978.

 

``I think 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,'' Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday. ``It lets them get an education without having to worry.''

 

The school is an expansion of a two-classroom public school program that began in 1984. A gay-rights youth advocacy group, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, has managed and financed the program since its inception.

 

The new school's principal, William Salzman, said the school will be academically challenging and will follow mandatory English and math programs. It also will specialize in computer technology, arts and culinary arts.

 

State Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long criticized the creation of the school.

 

``Is there a different way to teach homosexuals? Is there gay math? This is wrong,'' Long said. ``There's no reason these children should be treated separately.''

 

The Hetrick-Martin Institute's Web site says the school will give its students ``an opportunity to obtain a secondary education in a safe and supportive environment. ... We believe that success requires the ability to respect and value the diverse human community.''

 

 

 

 

Is this really a good idea, I mean its a free country and all and everyone should have thier rights, but isn't this just and opening for these kids to be attacked verbally and physically.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Now, if an all-straight school was opened, oh shit, that'd be trouble.

 

But the school sounds like a stupid idea.

[Guest ant_7000]

I thought they already had a small gay High School in NY. I heard they might expand to other cities. What differences does it make they're going get teased by straight or other gay students anyway, that what young kids do. I can imagine a butch lesbian calling a gay guy a sissy dick (verbal)or they'll be fighting over their boyfriend or girlfriend (physical) just like normal high school students. I don't know whats the point of the school.

[Guest The Metal Maniac]

Ok, so putting all these kids in ONE building is gonna help? I give it three days before the place is COVERED with homophobic graffitti. And I wouldn't be surprised if kids had trouble walking to/from the school, even to the extent of walking just outside - other kids with little to do standing around being insulting wouldn't surprise me.

 

And won't this make their lives a little...well...weird? It's like they want these kids to live in a little fantasy world where being gay is the norm, and no one is going to come down on them for it. While that'd be nice, that ain't the real world, and I could see how this might mess with some heads when they get out into this real world.

 

And what about kids who, because of whatever reason, have to switch schools? I'm sure they'd get MORE then their fair share of ridicule if the other kids knew that they came from "that gay school".

 

Not that I have anything against gays or anything...I think they deserve all the same rights as anyone else - But there's no all-black schools, no all-hispanic schools, is there? This just isn't right, I think.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I don't like this idea. And how would they go about rejecting a student...would they have to put him to some sort of test? I just don't think that plucking kids out of everyday life and over into something like this will help in the longrun.

 

Who knows. Maybe I'm wrong.

[The Dames 0]

I've very against it for the reasons stated already...but also think about this.

 

On these kids resume's, it'll state their educational background. When applying for college and/or jobs, despite there being laws against discrimination, I'm sure that a prospective school and/or employer will definitely do a double take after taking a look at their HS.

 

Dames

[Guest Choken One]

No Parent in their right mind would send a child there. Gay or not.

[Guest JAxlMorrison]

I guarantee there will be some sort of attack or shooting or bombing before the first school year ends. You can't contain the homophobia of most in this country by seperating the schools. That'll most likely just make it worse. And Dames makes a great point about these kids putting it on a job application or a loan application or an application to a college. It will do way more harm then good.

[Guest Prime Time Andrew Doyle]

Im waiting for the uproar when a straight kid gets denied entry.

 

And how would they go about rejecting a student...would they have to put him to some sort of test?

 

That would be funny to see how they would do that. Im picturing putting the kid in a room full of gay porn and seeing the kids reaction to it

[Guest BDC]

Wasn't there a Supreme Court case to END segregation?

[Guest Fook_Hing_Ho]

This has bad idea written all over it.

 

Like Metal Maniac said above, there are no all-black, all-asian, or all-physically handicapped schools.

 

Society as a whole should not be trying to separate everyone into different sections.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Would guys be the prom queens and girls be the prom kings?...

[Guest Retro Rob]

What happened to integration and mixing together different kinds of people? This reeks of "lets keep it all contained in one place".

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

This is incredibly stupid.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

But, we can expect that the teachers would be given background checks to make sure they're not going to mess around with the students. No offense or anything, but that's a possibility.

 

Will the Gay High School mix males and females in the classes or have a Gay Wing and a Lesbian Wing?

 

The idea is just stupid anyways

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Is it just me, or does this conjure up thoughts of Big Gay Al's Big Gay Animal Sanctuary?

[Guest Retro Rob]

An all lesbian school might help to increase the amount of male H.S. teachers...

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

I heard, although I may be wrong, that it's not necessarily going to be all gay students. They are also going to promote it as a place where gay couples can send their kids and not have to worry about the kids being bugged because their parents are gay, even if the kids arn't.

 

I think they have the right intentions at heart, but it's a poorly conceived idea that is going to be poorly executed as well.

[Guest Retro Rob]

But, we can expect that the teachers would be given background checks to make sure they're not going to mess around with the students. No offense or anything, but that's a possibility.

I think that should go for any school. Background checks should be done on anyone applying for a job in which they deal with children or teenagers.

[Guest Slapnuts00]

Well I'm gonna take the opposing view and say that it's their free choice so why not? It's not like before the 50s where black students were forced into seperate schools (of lower quality) it's basically the equivalent of sending a kid to a private religious school of all Christians or Jews. It's not like all the gays will be rounded up and sent here. It's up to the students and parents, and if they feel that they'd more confortable learning there, than why not?

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Your argument is made irrelevant by the fact that this high school is PUBLIC, not PRIVATE. Therefore, people will legitimately be allowed to sue to enter the school whether they are gay or not.

[Guest Goose749]

ok, so we can't discriminate against race... BUT we can about sexual preference? of course, someone would have to want to go there before they'd sue.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

If the quality of education is very high, don't be surprised if it happens.

[Guest Ripper]

I don't know...if my kid was getting the pissy hell beaten out of him or her for being gay at a regular High School, I would consider it a option or at least like to have a school where the students know how to treat people.

[Guest Goose749]

Well I'm gonna take the opposing view and say that it's their free choice so why not? It's not like before the 50s where black students were forced into seperate schools (of lower quality) it's basically the equivalent of sending a kid to a private religious school of all Christians or Jews. It's not like all the gays will be rounded up and sent here. It's up to the students and parents, and if they feel that they'd more confortable learning there, than why not?

Actually, to correct a point you made, I went to a Catholic private school. It was not limited to Catholics, there were all sorts of Christians there, and Jews, too, plus a whole bunch of admitted atheists. There were even homosexuals there, showing that they did not discriminate against sexual preference either. religious schools (generalization) do not focus specifically on the religion, but on the values of that religion.

[Guest AM The Kid]

I don't know how they will keep this school totally gay. You know there are going to be people wanting to sign up just so they have a chance to fuck around with those kids. And if it is an all gay school, it can not be a public one. This is promoting segregation, they may not be rounding them up but it does show that maybe gays are not wanted in other schools.

[Guest J*ingus]

I think everyone missed a very important point:

 

New York City is creating the nation's first public high school for gays, bisexuals and transgender students.

 

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but you have to be a legal adult in order to receive any sort of sex change operation, right? And what exactly are the numbers on 18-year-old high school seniors who have the willingness, and the money, to get such a procedure?

 

On a somewhat related topic, the entire idea of a gay high school also stinks to me just because of the very young age of the children involved. I mean, what right do we have to demand of some kid who's 14 or 15 to permanently decide what their sexual orientation is, just so we know whether or not to stick them in the "special" school? What if a kid is just going through a phase, but is actually straight in the long run, and mistakenly attends the school? Sure, you can transfer away, but from then on that child's school record officially states that he is (or was at one time) a homosexual. Is this school's official jersey design gonna be a scarlet letter H?

[Guest Cancer Marney]

This is fucking ridiculous.

 

 

 

No, I'm not going to waste my time or anyone else's with a long post about why it's stupid. I'm a lesbian, and I think it's downright insulting and offensive, towards straight people primarily but also towards gay people. We've become a nation of pussies and not in a good way. Bloomberg can go to hell.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

Jingus, you're thinking transsexual, not transgender.

 

Transgender people are transsexuals AND transvestites.

[Guest BDC]

Just so you know, background checks are supposed to be required...

 

As for this idea, well, screw it. If I'm going to hear talk about 'diversity" then crap like this just blows the whole thing to hell.