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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
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[S]keptics of the school say it amounts to segregation
Because that's exactly what it is. Well, that and lunacy. And that name, holy crap.
It's NOT segregation because you do not have to be LBGQT to go there.
Buuuuttttt...if it WERE a segregated school and I had a child who was LBGQT and the only way that child could exist at school without getting beat up or verbally assaulted every day was to go to a 'segregated' school, then he/she would go to that segregated school.
Why is it lunacy to not want to get beat up just because of your sexual orientation?
So now we expect 13 year olds to realize, understand and accept their sexual orientation, AND come to an understanding with their parents AND submit a standard application form no later than December of their 8th grade year?
Who thought up this idiocy?
The proposal for Chicago's first lesbian, gay, bi, and transgendered-friendly high school was formerly announced yesterday
Ya probably want to change that to formally. Although perhaps--since the announcement was yesterday--you said what you meant to say.
So everybody who might be persecuted or bullied needs their own school, now. Fine. Lets give every single kid their own school, so that nobody ever needs to hear a mean word from anyone. Let's wrap every kid in a soundproof bubble where everything is sweetness and light.
Or you could work to encourage kids to work side-by-side and build a cohesive society even with people they don't like. But then, that's not a skill they'll ever need, is it?
Wow. Just wow. The ignorance in most of these comments makes me lol.
It's because of the attitudes that are exactly the reason why we need to offer a safe space for kids who might have a differing sexuality and/or gender identity. It's because there are dipshits who believe that young queer kids ought to just accept their role getting picked on because they're different.
Honestly, I completely loathe the CPS system. I'll never send my daughter to a public school. But this is one of the best things that they've done in a long time.
Look at the internet tough guys on here. Any of you LGBTQ? Any of you ever beaten bloody because you're a "fag" and when you complain get a lecture about sin? Any of you hear the word "gay" and "faggot" get used every day and you're terrified that the monkeys saying it will find out about you? How about going 4 years in high school scared to even LOOK at another student, suppressing not just your sexuality, but your whole personhood? You wonder why young gay men end up with much older partners? Because asking a guy your own age out could end up with a beating, or worse.
We live in a society where one of the major political parties thinks being gay is a choice. Where you can whip up the brain-stem right-wing into a froth just by suggesting that "the homosexualists" want to "redefine marriage". The idea that some GLBTQ might get to go to a school where the faculty is not only mindful of their sexual identity, but supportive of their whole growth as people? YES.
Segregation is imposed, this is finding a place where the bleeting bullshit anti-gay rhetoric can be tuned out long enough to get an actual education.
You aren't GLBTQ. You don't understand Be grateful for that.
AlbanyPark said it better than I could......
I have no problem with any group starting their own school, regardless of the goal.
But, why would it be considered segregation if I wanted to start up a white only, male only, school with a parental income requirement of $500,000 a year, complete with a Brooks Brothers dress code?
You shouldn't be able to claim segregation at your convenience, and ignore it at your convenience as well.
lol whut?
You want to start a private school with a high tuition? That's not really segregation. It's done all the time.
But, why would it be considered segregation if I wanted to start up a white only, male only, school with a parental income requirement of $500,000 a year, complete with a Brooks Brothers dress code?
When I was in college we had a speaker come address the freshman class about sexual violence. She was eloquent and even-handed. At the end of her talk she opened the hall to questions. The snickering doofuses starting asking "So...uh...can a guy be raped? I mean, can a guy be forced". Laughing ensues among the chads. The speaker wasn't knocked off her game. She went on and explained that female on male rape was not as common but- "Uh, isn't that sexism?" Came a shout from the chads. And on they went, turning what was a really clear, informative discussion into a series of deviations and hypothetical scenarios.
So now, tell me about your imaginary school that would never need to exist and how that invalidates anything that has been said.
This is just so very odd...
If we spent all of the money and resources that would go into this school on ensuring our current schools are safe and accepting environments for LGBT kids, we'd not only have more acceptable and integrated schools, but we'd be teaching the idiot bigots how to treat other humans with respect. Segregating kids will only perpetuate the "us vs. them" bigotry that homophobes have.
The ones complaining about this being segregated: DO YOU READ????
You do NOT have to be LBGQT to go there.
Segregating kids will only perpetuate the "us vs. them" bigotry that homophobes have
I agree. While I understand the need for this school, I think our time and resources are better spent making sure these kids don't have to flee from mainstream society---that is, mainstream society should accept these kids instead of being able to get rid of them through a segregated school. I think that people who are not anti-gay are winning on that point: Polls show that decreasing number of young people really care about sexual orientation, even among those who call themselves evangelical or fundamentalist Christian.
This is a well-meaning idea, but I think it is counter-productive.
If we spent all of the money and resources that would go into this school on ensuring our current schools are safe and accepting environments for LGBT kids, we'd not only have more acceptable and integrated schools, but we'd be teaching the idiot bigots how to treat other humans with respect. Segregating kids will only perpetuate the "us vs. them" bigotry that homophobes have.
And in the interim, we should just let a few more Matthew Shepard incidents. That'll teach'em.
Dumb ass.
The blatant homophobia around here is amazing. Usually I'm the one who sounds to the right of Atilla the Hun. WTF is wrong with you people?
OK, so we shelter LGBT teens by placing them in a LGBT-oriented school. Fine, that's not against the law. Good for them. What happens when these kids enter college and/or the work force and have to deal with the REAL world? Somewhere between the ages of 18 and 22, they have to start dealing with homophobia, after having lost the developmental skills of doing so that occur during adolescence.
I also agree that this is a form of self-segregation, which they're free to do if they want. Seceding from society in this way seems to be a form of submitting into homophobia. Talk to some LGBT people, for many, coming out includes coming out to EVERYONE because they are so tired of hiding their true identity. These kids can never truly come out if they are only allowed to come out at school. When their collegiate/adulthood years begin in the REAL WORLD, some of these kids may very well go back in the closet, because they are no longer emboldened by the constant company of other LGBT people.
God knows there are flaming gay guys who find the bitchiness of straight women preferable to the bitchiness of other flamers, and those gay men discover this joy in HIGH SCHOOL. I've also met and seen many lesbians in my lifetime who love to shove their sexual preference in your face, delivered in the form of a big middle finger. These people do not want to be kept separate from everyone else.
Again, no laws are broken. Parents of LGBT are free to hook this shit up if they want to.
@Dan L
Referencing Matthew Shepard to bolster your point wins you no points. The Matthew Shepards, Brandon Teenas and James Byrds of the world are extreme examples and rare in occurrence, however horrible. That's clearly an emotional plea pursued in lieu of a rational argument. I can hear the violins strumming as I read your posts.
The blatant homophobia around here is amazing.
Care to offer examples? I mean, "blatant" is a pretty strong adjective. I ask not because I disbelieve you, only that labels such as "homophobia" are pretty aggressive, and need to be supported by specific examples lest we start talking past each other and begin to substitute slogans and vague words for clear, precise, fact-based thinking.
You really need an example, Matilda?
So, let me get this straight: We have more than enough common sense to agree that schools are a hostile place for LGBT kids. If you need additional information to substantiate that, please immediately leave the internet.
For people to actually suggest that LGBT youth should just "buck up and deal with it" in the face of - at the very least - harassment and at the most physical violence is essentially just condoning the violence these kids face on a daily basis.
And it even gets worse. At that age, what percentage of queer kids are going to say "OHHH YEAH I WANT ME SUM HARASSMENT"? The rest are going to end up constantly hiding and suppressing a very important part of their being.
The closet by force shit represents solid component of the social system that allows unbelievably fucktarded people like those prominently on display in this thread to say horrifically ignorant things that amount to "deal with it, f4g" and go about with their merry half ass Stupid White Guy(TM) argument - because hey - they're not gay - it doesn't bother them.
That of course is really only half my problem with the closet stuff largely because I couldn't care any less for the fact that you were born and raised PWS, it's the fact that the system that you're advocating causes the type of tremendous emotional damage that already ruined enough lives withing the LGBT community and certainly doesn't need to be continued a single moment longer.
The real kick in the ass here, is that you have a straight, white guy who votes republican who's got to explain this stuff to you dimwits.
The argument that a school like this shelters kids and doesn't teach them about the real world is lame.
High school is four years. Some say 'only' four years. But it can be the WORST four years of a person's life if you're being punched, kicked, stuffed in a locker, verbally abused and who knows what else.
When you're in the real world, at a job, it's much less likely that your work mates are going to dunk your head in a toilet or physically hurt you on a daily basis. It's amazing how often teachers turn a blind eye to this kind of behavior. In the real world, even though homophobia exists, your options as to how to deal with it are more effective and reasonable.
I don't see this as coddling and I don't think it's a waste of resources for abused kids to have a safe place to go to school.
I think a school like this can be an example for other schools.
I see this as a step in the right direction.
Dan L -
You may be right, you may be wrong. However, you will always fall on deaf ears when your opinions are delivered with childish name-calling and inane pissiness.
What happens when these kids enter college and/or the work force and have to deal with the REAL world? Somewhere between the ages of 18 and 22,
I love how you don't view high school as 'the real world'. Being beaten and discriminated is very fucking real when you're 15. It's also real when you're 22.
they have to start dealing with homophobia, after having lost the developmental skills of doing so that occur during adolescence.
You think they don't deal with Homophobia before, during and after high school?
I also agree that this is a form of self-segregation, which they're free to do if they want. Seceding from society in this way seems to be a form of submitting into homophobia.
Stop calling it segregation of any kind. It's the wrong term and it muddies the argument. Choosing to attend a school that takes a keen interest in promoting GLBTQ culture and a hard line in fighting bashing is not segregation. It's a model of how school should operate.
Talk to some LGBT people, for many, coming out includes coming out to EVERYONE because they are so tired of hiding their true identity. These kids can never truly come out if they are only allowed to come out at school.
Spoken like someone who has never actually spoken to a Gay or Lesbian person. Watching "The Birdcage" does not make you a member of PFLAG.
GLBTQ teens come out to friends and family and co-workers and strangers all the time. The idea that they don't have to hide in the closet at school and can be themselves is what's at stake here.
When their collegiate/adulthood years begin in the REAL WORLD, some of these kids may very well go back in the closet, because they are no longer emboldened by the constant company of other LGBT people.
Or they've become confident people who don't constantly second guess themselves and fear the judgements and pettiness of small-minded bigots. Building up teen confidence makes them weaker people? Your logic is broken.
God knows there are flaming gay guys who find the bitchiness of straight women preferable to the bitchiness of other flamers,
All your Gay friends know about you using the word "flamers"? Oh and don't pull the 'they say that too!' bullshit. Head over to Crew and use the word Flamer to describe one of the guys there. I think you'll be more than a little surprised at the negative response. Oh, and the beating.
and those gay men discover this joy in HIGH SCHOOL. I've also met and seen many lesbians in my lifetime who love to shove their sexual preference in your face, delivered in the form of a big middle finger.
God, the horrors. Lesbians FORCING you to know that they love WOMEN. Oh the humanity. Did you require counseling? Are you on Medicare now?
Straight people who talk about GLBTQ folks "shoving their preference in our face" are just bigots who get all freaked out at human beings of the same gender showing affection. I watch straights suck face in every media all the time. I've managed to survive the experience.
These people do not want to be kept separate from everyone else.
And they aren't. No one's "keeping" anyone.
That's clearly an emotional plea pursued in lieu of a rational argument. I can hear the violins strumming as I read your posts.
I think I hear a viola when you talk about those lesbians shoving your face in their sexuality.
Dan: While I agree with many of your points, you have offered nothing to suggest there is really "blatant homophobia" around here (and by here, I mean this string of comments). You have merely reminded us of the bullshit gay people face on a daily business. As valid as that is--and trust me, I agree--the mere fact of disagreeing with the idea of this school does not equate into "blatant homophobia."
Am I missing something in your reasoning? I ask only because I distrust easy slogans and labels, and think they hamper real discussion and analysis.
s that you have a straight, white guy who votes republican who's got to explain this stuff to you dimwits.
Even looking beyond the lame, overly emotional personal insult, that is just silly. I acknowledge the crap gays must put up every day; in case you need it, I will say such crap is disgusting and un-American and even immoral. I just happen to question the idea of adding more segregation to the mix, no matter how well-intentioned. I want mainstream society to be more accepting to the presence of gays. I don't want to further the idea that we need to segregate gays from the mainstream. That is, I would put the burden on straights to be more accepting of gays, and would expect us to put more energy into making this happen. I don't find that view homophobic in the least.
By the way, Dan l OWNS all.
Rock out with your white-guy republican straight cock out sir.
Or not. :)
Albany: I find it odd that you take people to task for, in your view, not knowing or talking to any gays. Fair enough. The Birdcage line was actually funny, by the way (really).
Yet you pretend to speak on behalf of all gays in your comments.
That is a contradiction that steals some thunder from your ideas.
I've actually known a fair number of gays over the years--I don't keep count, or any trophies, or make notches in my belt, so I am sorry to say I cannot compare the numbers with your own, which I am sure are in the triple digits by the way you write--and I know at least a few of them who would disagree with the idea of this school for some of the reasons other posters have raised.
Albany---
There's plenty of broken logic in your argument as well, because you veer from sarcasm to assumption to accusation without knowing me or WHO I MAY KNOW. Yes, I might find myself in tense situations around other LGBT people for using the term 'flamer'. That could easily happen to anyone using that term around strangers who isn't one themselves. However, other people may not care about the use of the word if they're friends with you and understand the CONTEXT of using that words. There are occurrences of BOTH instances.
You also misunderstood my comment about gay women "shoving their preference in our face", I did not mean gay women holding hands while they walk down the street. I mean ACTIVIST gay women. There are LGBT activists on many layers and levels, but the gay women activists are a lot more fierce and assertive about their work than the men. That's all I meant. I did not imply anywhere anything about being bothered by women kissing on the street. You've failed at putting words into my mouth.
You said: 'No one's "keeping" anyone.' Is there any meaning behind this, or is this just hyperbole meant to sound deep but mean nothing?
Please try to make an argument proving the better rational of your ideas instead of assuming mine are built on a foundation of not knowing everything that you know. If you re-read my original post, you'll understand that the crux of my original post was, I think it might be a bad idea, and they're free to make it. Because, ultimately, it's their lives, and they know what's best for them.
P.S. I'll use the term 'self-segregation' if I want. It doesn't muddle the argument, it's the term that describes how I feel about it. Don't tell me how to speak. I'll speak how I want, as I wouldn't want to employ the finger-wagging language you've used.
@Matilda:
What's your point? You're just carping to carp here.
That I should put a disclaimer "Warning: this opinion does not represent all homosexuals"
You're the same person who can't see the homophobia in the comments in this thread. Your perception is off.
I don't claim to speak for all of anything. I speak for me, and even that's confusing at times.
I'm a member of the GLBTQ community, these are my thoughts, some in my community may disagree. Fair and balanced enough for you?
Jaws:
Oh I'm definitely right. There's no maybe involved.
I'm sorry if my nasty naughty bad language offends you. But I think you misunderstand my meaning. I'm not bothering to write a persuasive essay for you, I'm just calling you a fucktard.
I love your really unique and special comments on the lesbian activists. Nothing like bringing out the ol' militant lesbian stereotype to show us how aware you are of the LGBT community. You should add a vivid details so nobody accuses you of not knowing what you're talking about. How about.....combat boots and motorcycles?
By the way, you're a misogynist too.
Matilda:
So, let's just say for a moment that you actually believe this stuff: That is that the "segregation" of these students harms them or that - and I lol at this one - this "shelters them from reality". Personally, I think you're just performing a mental cartwheel to convince yourself that you're not part of a system that violently enforces percieved sexuality/gender norms, but let's play your game.
Homophobia comes in degrees. It's not just people who go out queer bashing on a friday night. It's also those who are aware of the social system that opresses LGBT folks and ignore it or those (like yourself) who don't want to recognize how that system operates.
Now in this context where you're willing to tell kids "go deal with it" - the violence, the hate, the harassment - what's actually happening is that your implicitly stating that these kids should just expect what they're getting - as though it's some sort of punishment for who they are. That, by any definition, is very blatant homophobia.
Albany:
Thanks.
Settle down or i'm shutting it down.
Thanks for the clarification. I'll avoid future discussions with you. You sure spent a lot of words if all you wanted to do is call someone names. Cooler heads prevail, and emotion can get the best of them.
"WAAAAAAAAAA U MADE FUN OF ME!!!!"