Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Do We Need Gay High Schools?
Filed by: Yasmin Nair
November 17, 2008 7:30 PM

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/11/do_we_need_gay_high_schools_1.php (http://www.bilerico.com/2008/11/do_we_need_gay_high_schools_1.php)

I was recently on Vocalo, an outgrowth of WBEZ (Chicago Public Radio), talking about whether or not Chicago should have a gay high school. I'm against the idea, as you'll hear, but am open to questions and issues raised.

I'm researching this topic for a piece and I'm be curious to know what you think about the idea (or the show itself). I've been having some very interesting conversations with friends and comrades, all of whom have complicated and often differing perspectives. The segment is approximately an hour long.

OK and while we are at it how about a Black high school, Hispanic high school, Asian high school, or Muslim high school.  Oh wait a minute that is unconstitutional.  Get a clue people, you can't hide the GLBT community like you tried to do to the Black community.

We are here in life and the kids know it, they aren't stupid.

No, but kids can be very cruel.

I'm undecided about this issue. On the one hand, this seems to go against the approach of "one group of people is as much a part of society as another group, and as such the idea of full integration and co-existance between everyone should be promoted". But on the other hand, children latch onto traits in anyone that are different, and with the little gangs and cliques that are formed between students... a gay student's life could be made extremely difficult, and prevent them from enjoying the full academic experience.

Educating students on LGBT issues, promoting acceptance, and strictly enforcing policies against discrimination are all positive steps... but I wonder whether they will have the desired effect. Often children don't bully others because they actively hate, or don't understand those they bully, but because they want to be accepted themselves within their little circle of friends, or to give themselves the illusion of control over someone else, or they do it to take out frustrations going on within their own life. The other person often has very little to do with the motivation. Educating people with that mentality can be like water off a duck's back. And the prevalent mentality could still be "They are not like us... Hulk smash!!"

I don't know, ideally it would not be neccessary to segregate students, and ideally attitudes could be changed with enough effort and application... but things are rarely ideal.

I agree with what's been said.

On one hand, we are segregating, and there is no such thing as seprate and equal.

On the other, gay students may have a better school experience...

Hmm...

Quote from: Heartwood on November 17, 2008, 11:25:33 PM
I agree with what's been said.

On one hand, we are segregating, and there is no such thing as seprate and equal.

On the other, gay students may have a better school experience...

Hmm...

I agree, Heartwood. We shouldn't make kids the victims of our ideals. If their life in a regular high school is hard, and they want to go to a glbt school, then they should be able to. And we should make every effort to make sure their high school is better than the straight one. Make the straight kids' parents want to send their kids there.

Dennis

Why not, does every high school have to be a football/basketball factory? 

But wouldn't that be teaching the kids, both straight and gay, that GLBT people are so different that they are to be segregated into little communities, away from the rest of society.  Gee it seems to me that there were ghettos in Warsaw?  

Sorry but I just think that, that would do more harm to society in general.

imo don't call them gay high schools, just make them private for us and we have the protection "regular" people have, but in my case "regular" people includes one of everybody on a daily basis so for me it wouldn't really work



Warrior Princess Mickie

We have Magnet schools here for gifted kids.  Maybe something like that.  But I still think it would send the wrong message.  And some nut ball would try to take the school out.

Sure gay kids might be better of at a seperate lgbt school.  But what about after school? 

If we segregate LGBT kids away from mainstream schools, then straight kids will have less interaction with gay kids, which is gonna lead to a generation of straight kids less tolerant towards LGBT people.

Exactly.