LGBT High School Planned For 2010
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 9, 2008 8:45PM
A few weeks back, we looked at the possibility of a LGBT high school here in Chicago. That possibility is now on its way to becoming a reality. The proposal for Chicago's first lesbian, gay, bi, and transgendered-friendly high school was formally announced yesterday along with 20 other new public schools. Pride Campus of Social Justice High School (doesn't that sound a bit like an HQ for superheroes?) is slated to open in 2010 but a location for the school still hasn't been finalized.
The school's focus is to provide LGBT students a safe haven from being bullied, which advocates say leads to a high dropout and depression rate. Bill Greaves, Chicago's LGBT liaison, says part of Pride Campus's curriculum will focus on "gay and lesbian historical" figures, like James Baldwin and Gertrude Stein, in hopes of giving students heroes to look up to (we're down for the John Waters A/Vclass). The school will serve 600 students, but Chicago Public Schools CEO Arnce Duncan says the student body will be "majority straight."
Pride Campus will be similar to other LGBT schools like Harvey Milk High School in New York City and Alliance High School in Milwaukee. While Chicago officials appear to have nothing but good intentions for Pride Campus—especially considering today's political climate toward homosexuality—skeptics of the school say it amounts to segregation and relieves CPS of ensuring schools are safe for all students. "I just don't like the idea of segregation. The values that this school should incorporate, every school should incorporate," Rick Garcia, political director of Equality Illinois, told Sun-Time columnist Mark Brown. "Every kid should be safe in every school. If we're going to set up a separate school, why don't we put the bullies in those schools?'
Now that they've got a school set for the future, maybe city and state officials will tackle other pressing issues affecting the LGBT community.
By Hunter Clauss
Photo by mhaithaca