Chicago Pondering "Gay-Friendly" Public High School (Time: public schools, gated)

[Steve-o]

Should there be a school for nerds, too? What about burnouts? Jocks? Kids with disabilities? Point is, no group is safe from harassment, why do LGBT kids feel theyre any different? Must be nice to have a city favor one group over another. Sheesh.

[Lookout Kid]

They do have "gifted" schools that largely service nerds, yes. But they're based on merit, and have nothing to do with protecting students from harassment.

I think my high school experience would have been less rich if gay students had been removed and sent to another school. High School is an age where kids are figuring out who they are, and it is important for straight students to befriend and be exposed to gay students so they learn to respect them as fellow human beings. I think segregation is a terrible idea. If they are going to remove anyone from the schools, it should be the thugs and bullies who are doing the harassment. It's ridiculous that CPS schools are intimidating places for anyone. The administration needs to get control of the schools back from the gangs and thugs, and the only way to do that is to remove them from school.

[Mister Mappy]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Should there be a school for nerds, too? What about burnouts? Jocks? Kids with disabilities? Point is, no group is safe from harassment, why do LGBT kids feel theyre any different? Must be nice to have a city favor one group over another. Sheesh.

Were you an LBGT kid? If not, you really do not know what you're talking about. I was one, and basically you didn't tell anybody. (This was back in the 80's). I can see both sides. No, segregation is not a good thing, but if a kid feels like dropping out of school because it's so homophobic, that's preety bad. Many gay kids do fell like that (or worse). Maybe the school can be an accepting environment for all, but if a student starts homophobic crap, he/she is expelled, no if ands or buts. (Yes, some schools have policies on this, but not all. Also, a lot of teachers, principals, etc...don't feel it's that big of a thing or are just not prepared to handle gay issues.)

Actually, see Atrill's post. He stated it perfectly.

[aragx6]

^^I agree. There's a big difference between being picked on for wearing hand-me-downs or doing well on tests and having your life threatened, as has happened to kids I knew.

If it were an all gay school, I think that would be a real shame, but if, as others mentioned, it follows the form of other such schools and is open and diverse to all sexual preferences, I think there is a lot of good that can come of this.

Is segregation a great answer? No. But it's also important to note that it's a heck of a lot better than these kids dropping out and doing nothing with their lives!

The real question: If you had a straight kid, how would you feel about them going to school there?

[RichMonk]

I would feel fine about my kid going there...but I wonder...what would be the reason for sending my hetrosexual child there? Only if it were better academically or my kid was homosexual then I might consider it. Otherwise, I'd just use what is already established.

[aragx6]

^^That's my suspicion too -- so how do they end up majority straight?

[eevee]

Originally Posted by RichMonk

I would feel fine about my kid going there...but I wonder...what would be the reason for sending my hetrosexual child there? Only if it were better academically or my kid was homosexual then I might consider it. Otherwise, I'd just use what is already established.

ding, ding, ding! that too is my question. the school may be open to all, but it WILL be more geared towards GLBT, which is fine, but what is the incentive for hetero kids to go there? for example, HBCUs, these days, accept students of all races and even have scholarships in place to catch the eye of worthy students of different races. yet despite this, the majority of HBCUs are still majority black. other than the chance for the scholarship (and the prestige of going to a school like Morehouse), what's the incentive for a white, Asian, or Hispanic kid to go to a HBCU?

I'm curious about this, so may google some other similar schools (does anyone have names of currently active GLBT schools?). I'd like to see what type of curriculum would be in place to, not only differentiate it from the curriculum of every other traditional school, but to intice parents to send hetero kids there

I've know a few openly gay kids in school, and while they didn't have it easy, I don't think anyone was flat out hostile/violent towards them. granted, this was in the late 90's/early 00's in Boston, a naturally progressive city, so that experience may be different from, say, kid going to school in the South (or apparently, even in Chicago). the kids I REALLY feel bad for are the transgendered ones. society, IMO, is more ready to deal w/ simple homosexuality than w/ transgendered people. even something as simple as using the bathroom can turn into a huge issue for them (I know a lot of colleges are installing unisex bathrooms and allowing mixed sex dorm rooms to serve transgendered students, but it will be a long, long while before that trickles down to high school).

IDK, I honestly don't know much about these schools, but my knee jerk reaction is to be against any form of self segregation, and I'm also not thrilled about the potential of public tax dollars going to build a new school like this when that money could be better used to set up diversity programs and other services this school would likely offer

[CCHC19]

First of all same sex marriages have been allowed, now segregation of gay schools. what is the world coming to? this is all out of line with God's Word.
"For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due."
—Romans 1:26-27 (NKJV)
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."
—1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV)
Also when did schools become about who attends, i thought school was about the type of education a person should receive. if the city has the additional funds to build or provide another school when our childrens education is in trouble already, they can take that money and provide better books and put decent computers for every child in all the class rooms, as well as all supplies needed to provide better educations. we should not make these kind of sacrifices for our students, please don't make this happen. attending school in the 80's you went to school and didn't care about things like that you were more concerned about your education. also this is saying it is ok to be gay when it is not. regardless to the fact if you believe the harrassment will stop it will not people will just go to the school and wait until it lets out to bother those children, they need to learn to stick up for themselves since these are the choices that they made and stop trying to run and hide. though it is wrong be happy with yourself. are they going to make a school for the overweight since they are constantly harrassed as well. i don't think so, use the money elsewhere.

[Mister Mappy]

Oh, joy! A Bible thumper.

[justalicious6989]

OK i will agree somewhat i am gay and i think it is a bad idea, how many kids you think are going to get beaten once they "walk home" from the school or wait for the bus? its an easy target what should be done is better integration into school systems otherwise like many said its 1950 again