Quote:Care to give a reason?
Let me tell you about Harvey Milk. In 1977, Milk became the first openly gay man elected to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco.
Eleven months later, Milk was assassinated. A former supervisor -- angry about a new city civil rights law -- snuck in through a window in order to bypass metal detectors and shot Milk right there in City Hall.
Now: Stop to consider the immensity of the New York City public school system for a moment.
In New York City, roughly 1.1 million children are enrolled in roughly 1,291 different public schools or programs, including roughly 47 existing "alternative schools."
That's gigantic. That's bigger, in fact, than the school systems in 39 states. It's so big that if all those New York City school kids up and moved to Wyoming, Wyoming's population would more than *triple*.
The question at hand, then, is: Should a school system larger than 39 state school systems create
one alternative school (out of 1,292 schools) that will serve 200 or so teens (out of 1.1 million other school children) who have (a) concluded they are gay or lesbian and (b) would like to avoid becoming a high school version of Harvey Milk (dead, in cold blood, because of who they are).
Hell yes! It's a great idea. I mean what are the objections?
Segregation? Of course this isn't segregation! Segretation was declaring a public school or university or bathroom or restaurant for "whites only" -- then beating the ****** out of nonwhites who objected. These kids (and their parents) are *choosing* this school in order *not* to get the ****** beat out of them.
Your tax dollars? *Your* tax dollars aren't involved in this school! These are New York tax dollars. I feel safe in assuming no one who has posted in this thread is from New York -- in part because most New Yorkers will be perfectly fine with this.
Consider this February poll of New Yorkers on gay rights and gay issues:
<a href='http://www.businesswire.com/webbox/bw.022301/210542342.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.businesswire.com/webbox/bw.0223...1/210542342.htm</a>
New York City will survive -- and thrive -- just fine without the advice of some of the likes of you.
Is this an inappropriate intermingling of church and state? How so?
Just because *some* rather conservative Christians object to gay sex on moral grounds, that does not make this a church/state issue. I don't even get the comparsion that some are attempting to draw here. If there is a gay take on God, it won't be taught here.
Finally, one person here wonders if such a school could prepare gay and lesbian teens for the real world.
I'd submit these kids will be far better off at this school than are many of the gay and lesbian teens growing up in your hometown or my hometown -- getting their ****** kicked out by drunken teen bullies driving lifesize Hot Wheels trucks complete with K.C. lights.
Yeah, I think it's a good idea. The world doesn't need another Harvey Milk murder.