A new high school
for LGBT students has been proposed in Chicago,
according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The project
is not likely to get under way before 2012, and it
faces significant opposition from a variety of groups
across the political spectrum. Social conservatives
object to the idea of using public funds for the Social
Justice High School-Pride Campus and say that the
school would force school administrators to take a
moral stance on homosexuality. To the left, some LGBT
advocates say separating gay kids from their straight peers
could be harmful and hinder progress.
A new high school
for LGBT students has been proposed in Chicago,
according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The
project is not likely to get under way before 2012,
and it faces significant opposition from a variety of
groups across the political spectrum.
Social
conservatives object to the idea of using public funds for
the Social Justice High School-Pride Campus and say
that the school would force school administrators to
take a moral stance on homosexuality. To the left,
some LGBT advocates say separating gay kids from their
straight peers could be harmful and hinder the
progress of understanding.
“If
we’re going to set up a separate school, let’s
put the bullies in the school and not our gays
kids,” said Rick Garcia, public policy director
of Equality Illinois, told the Journal Constitution.
“Kids should be able to go to school in a safe
environment wherever they are.”
Proponents of the
new campus say it would welcome all students while
putting special emphasis on fostering a safe space for
students who might be targeted in other schools based
on their sexual orientation. A public hearing to
debate the idea will be held on Sept. 18. The proposal needs
approval by Chicago Public Schools Chief Arne Duncan before
it is sent to the school board for review. The City of
New York opened a similar school for LGBT students in
2003, an experiment that has met with mixed reviews.
(The Advocate)
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