"Gay HS" reality check

[Ramo]

And how exactly is that supposed to happen? It doesn't magically go away just because you want it to. Seems like a pretty good interim measure to me, while the school systems fix their administrative policies.

And in my experience in two high schools, I've never seen any other groups experience anything close to the **** gay pople had to deal with. High school culture is extremely homophobic.

[Jon Miller]

in my highschool over 30% engaged in homosexual activity when my younger (by one year) sister was going there

when Iw as there while certain people were called gay and hassled for it, they were usually just geeks who were hassled no matter what and were not gay, I found it interesting that during the same time certain people were hasslying the dorks and calling the gay, they (the ones hasslying) were engaging in homosexual activity themselves (the jocks were the worse for this)

Jon Miller

[Jon Miller]

personally I think this is a terrible idea

they have tried private schools (boarding) along this same line, and from what I heard they were terrible

jOn Miller

[st_swithin]

If 1 in 10 people are gay, 1 in 10 schools would be required to be, at the very least, gay-friendly.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Asher
Replace them from the magical pot of surplus quality counselors in New York...right...

And a bunch of new counselors in a New York highschool will transform all homophobes into accepting gentlemen.

Maybe I should apply for a job as a school counselor

[Sikander]

While I agree largely with the idea that we should learn to sink or swim together, this school seems to be the sort of exception that I can accept. It's really more of a last chance for kids who have already dropped out. It's not being considered as the "solution" to homosexual students, as only the tiniest minority of gay students will ever see this place. Finally, the article says that a fairly large percentage of the students that attend Milk H.S. are transexual / transgendered. These are the sorts of people who are going to attract the absolute worst sorts of abuse, and they tend to need the most focused sorts of counseling available, abuse aside.

[Ben Kenobi]

And a bunch of new counselors in a New York highschool will transform all homophobes into accepting gentlemen.

So now the only gentlemen are the ones who agree with you?

If you have a private school haven, then fine.
I'm not paying for a segregated school. Hasn't the US gone beyond those halcyon days?

MTG:



Tell us if your application gets accepted.

[Asher]

Originally posted by obiwan18
So now the only gentlemen are the ones who agree with you?

No, the gentlemen are the people who don't bully those who are different.

And you already are paying for segregated schools if your public districts are like everywhere else.

We have sports schools, arabic schools, vocational schools, adult-learning schools, etc. New York is, evidently, the same. And I'm sure they're like that in BC, too.

Offering a safe haven for bullied students isn't so wrong.

Either way you're paying for these kids' educations, what's the difference if they do it among people who will let them learn rather than in a hostile atmosphere?

[GePap]

Originally posted by Sikander
While I agree largely with the idea that we should learn to sink or swim together, this school seems to be the sort of exception that I can accept. It's really more of a last chance for kids who have already dropped out. It's not being considered as the "solution" to homosexual students, as only the tiniest minority of gay students will ever see this place. Finally, the article says that a fairly large percentage of the students that attend Milk H.S. are transexual / transgendered. These are the sorts of people who are going to attract the absolute worst sorts of abuse, and they tend to need the most focused sorts of counseling available, abuse aside.

Excatly my thoughts. Those here that think that somehow the public school system can do somehting else to help these kids: well, it will be too late for them by the time real change has occured. By then, many of these kids would have no education and no lives: people's ideology should not stand in the way of allowing these kids to get an education. That is the point of the school system, to educate, not to enforce a strict dogma on the system. Harvey Milk works, and thus, it should continue.

If the government can set aside money and bureaucratic effort to create a special school, it can do more to combat bullying in its own schools. More supervision of hallways, harsh zero-tolerance policies for repeat bullies and a strong effort to relay the message that bullying won't be tolerated could do alot.

As it stands, what are they doing is taking action to protect some victims of bullying, but ignoring other victims. That isn't right.

How big was the HS you went to? I went to a HS that is so competative, only 8% of applicants get in. The school had over 3500 people in it. Some NYC schools get to 5000. Do yoiu honestly believe has the resources, even if it wanted to, to police all araes to crack down on verbal bullying? I am sorry, but that is a pipe dream. As for ignoring other victims, what the hell are you talking about? Which ones are being ignored?

[Arrian]

I'm with Gepap and Sikander on this one.

I also agree, of course, that the school system at large needs to make a better effort at dealing with bullying. Whether it be bullying of gays, or "nerds" or whatever.

Highschool culture is crap, and something needs to be done about it. I think, however, that means starting in elementary & middle school, not to mention at HOME.

-Arrian

[chequita guevara]

This is a last chance school to help kids who would otherwise leave the system. Why is it wrong?

[Vesayen]

Originally posted by Asher
The topic of this thread is a reality check -- those proposing existing schools suddenly become non-homophobic need a reality check.

The highschool I went to was by and large totaly accepting of gays-I have NEVER once seen, or heard of anyone doing anything bad to another person because they were gay. Granted-some morons still are homophobes but amoung themselves-I've never heard of anyone in my school being harrased for being gay.

There were plenty of out of the closest gays at my chool, and they were treated just like everyone else-though its worth noting I went to a middle class NY suburb highschool heh.

[GePap]

Notice how 75% of the kids in this school are minorities. now, I am betting that a very small percentage of posters here are either minorities or have gone to inner city schools (Speer being only the most obvious exception), so that very few posters here have had experiences equal to those these kids face. My HS was very accepting of Gay and lesbian studnets, and my HS is utterly Atypical for NYC. I seriously doubt though that some kid going to a HS with 4000 kids in Bedford-Stuy or the South Bronx or in my neighborhood of Washington Heights will get any understanding, specially given the rampant homophobia among blakcs and hispanics in this country, plus count immigrants from countries were homophobia is also rampant.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Vesayen


The highschool I went to was by and large totaly accepting of gays-I have NEVER once seen, or heard of anyone doing anything bad to another person because they were gay. Granted-some morons still are homophobes but amoung themselves-I've never heard of anyone in my school being harrased for being gay.

There were plenty of out of the closest gays at my chool, and they were treated just like everyone else-though its worth noting I went to a middle class NY suburb highschool heh.

Then, obviously, the gay kids at that school wouldn't need Harvey Milk H.S. This school is for the kids who have become depressed, uncontrollable, or are going to drop out because of the harassment they face on account of their sexuality.

[Shi Huangdi]

"It is nice to make it better for everyone, but you can't force that by adding hall monitors or whatever else you think would be a bright idea. Given time, society opens up more to it."

Society may open up to homosexuality eventually. That's great, but you are still leaving the good majority of people who are victimized behind and doing nothing about it. Is the mesage we want to show that tormenting people and engaging in behavior shown to cause long lasting mental problems(esp. with depression) is OK so long as it is not done on the basis of Race, Religion, Gender, Nationality, or Sexual Orientation?

I object to this because it is only done to help particular type of victim, while leaving the rest behind to suffer. Moreover, it isn't even clear if this will help all gay students- some will be reluctant to change schools, others will have homophobic parents unwilling to use this solution for them. Spend the money and bureucratic resources instead on making sure a safe envrionment to go to school is provided to ALL studnets. It won't happen magically or overnight, but it must be done.