'Gay High School' Could Be Used By Conservatives Against Arne Duncan

David Brody of CBNNews has a post up describing on possible point of contention between religious conservatives and President-elect Barack Obama's pick for the Department of Education, Arne Duncan: his support for Pride Campus, a proposal for a Chicago public school that would be "deliberately welcoming of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens." Pride Campus, which was a concept designed by the faculty of Chicago's Social Justice High School, was intended to address the shortfall in performance among LGBT teens by offering an environment that would not be...you know, hostile to their existence.

A 2005 [Chicago Public Schools] survey found that lesbian, gay and bisexual students were twice as likely as straight students to be threatened at school, two to four times more likely to report being treated for an injury resulting from a fight and two to four times more likely to be the victim of sexual assault. The survey also found that lesbian, gay and bisexual teens were three to four times more likely than straight students to report attempting suicide. The survey did not collect data on transgender youth.

The overarching concept of the initiative is something that Brody either doesn't care about or doesn't believe, because he's happy to gloss over it:

Look, I know how this will be spun. Some will say this isn't really a "gay high school". It's really more a safe place and an educational environment that will cater towards gay and lesbians. But folks, let's be real here. It's a high school for gay students. Plain and simple.

More to the point, Brody believes that the matter could prove to be something that "Republican Senators" might "raise a fuss about this during his confirmation hearing."

While the idea of a gay high school may be troubling for some, the problem for Obama is that a pick like this doesn't portray him in such a centrist way. It gives the impression that he's nominating wild liberals to his Cabinet. Arne Duncan may have the total package and be a great Education secretary but with pushing ideas like a gay high school will make social conservatives wonder what he will be pushing next.

Of course, Brody makes it seem as if the "gay high school" is an idea that Duncan is actively backing and might push for in the future. He very carefully avoids mention of the fact that the idea was watered-down considerably after a meeting between Duncan and evangelical ministers.

Comments

[jay1975]

I am all for a gay school. Why stop there? Let's segregate every group that has been discriminated against. We can have all black schools, all hispanic schools, all white schools etc. and we can just invest in more buses to transport all of those kids to someplace where they fit in better. Why teach tolerance and try to foster better relations when we can keep telling our kids that you are all too different to get along.

[AngryAmish]

Yup, I can tell from the tone of your comment that you're on the front lines of teaching tolerance to children.

[Jamie Frevele - Huffpost Blogger]

You know, it's really sick to think that creating a school for teens who have been all but exiled is anything to "raise a fuss" about by Republicans. As Candace Gingrich said a while back, this is so '90s. They need to get over themselves and concede the election.

[BSERIUS]

Jaime , you have been bamboozled like the rest on this thread by Jason......THE GAY SCHOOL WAS SCUTTLED BY DEMOCRATS IN CHICAGO...( Remeber in Chicago and Cookcounty that is the ruling junta ..Daley, council , Stroger, Jones ,Blago , Obama .....

[Jamie Frevele - Huffpost Blogger]

Fine - raising a fuss over having the idea for the school is just as stupid. Better? And if you're going to say I've been "bamboozled" and shout at me in caps, please spell my name correctly. (As well as "remember" and "Cook County.")

[rmetz74]

You were bamboozled by failing to read the article (or a short attention span.) It's not about whether the school will happen, it's about whether it will come up in the confirmation of Obama's Secretary of education. The argument we're having now is likely the argument that will happen in Congress if so.

[VikingQuest]

Are all of you so caught up in the "gay" thing to see that this shouldn't be a publically funded issue?

A gay school is no different than creating a white school or a black school.

[rmetz74]

In fact, you're so caught up in your misunderstanding of the issue that you refuse to acknowledge that:

a) it's not a gay school, that's a misleading headline picked up by a lazy public. It's a school open to all students in which there's a focus on creating a safe environment for gay students.

b) the system has created lots of white and black schools by economic and geographic default, and lots of parents use that as a factor when deciding where their kids will go to school. Your extreme hypothetical examples are already a reality.

c) I see you've given up on the religion-specific examples, because there are many who oppose this school who favor publicly funding religious schools through a voucher system.

We get that you're opposed to this, and that's your right. But your justification is flimsy.

[wendy82551]

As the mother of a gay child who had to basically withdraw from high school (he finished his work at a local college) because of the constant torment on the part of students AND administrators at a "regular" high school, I consider his support of a gay high school as a definite plus and will do what I can to support his nomination.

Off all teenage deaths by suicide, 35% are identified gay, bisexual, or transgendered. The number could be even higher. Among gay teens, 30% have attempted suicide. Anyone who DOESN'T think these children deserve special attention is an idiot or a monster. That simple.

[rmetz74]

Thank you for providing some first hand experience.

It's easy for people to argue about this hypothetically, but if the opponents had to argue their case in person to a child who has been pushed out of the system by its failure to protect them, they might discover they have some compassion within them after all.

[Bettysdad]

Republicans would rather kids go to schools like Bristol Palin's, where kids become parents before they're married or graduates.

[MajorKong]

What is with conservatives and their obsession with gays? No offense to any gay people - but I just don't spend that much time thinking about them. It seems to be all the conservatives want to talk about.

[Bettysdad]

I think that you not spending much time thinking about gays is exactly what they want.

I, for one, spend almost no time thinking about Norwegians.

[Dustee]

What the heck is wrong with the republican party!!!

Why are they pretending to be holier then thou?!

They care about nothing and nobody! *%*%(%($##$

[SugarMan]

No One Is Forced to Attend the GAY Hgh School.
I bet their grades are better than the average student.

[tangenjill]

All kids deserve an education free of hate. Next?

[Eriq]

Not "deserve"... All kids have the RIGHT to an education free of hate.
... Next?

[SoCalAmerican]

Here's a better idea for a journalistic top......

...What hasn't the conservative used? Neeeext.

[mediamarv]

Only if the MSM picks up the meme and runs it in between forging false alliances between Obama and Blago.

Lazy swine.

[balatro]

There is such much more ammunition than this trifle.

[furryone]

time to pull this famous chant out of mothballs:

WE'RE HERE!

WE'RE QUEER!

GET USED TO IT!

and to ANY muthaflunka who tries to use this against Duncan getting appointed:
better watch your sanctimonious self-righteous ASS !

first Prop 8, now this....time for the queers to bury the "religious" WRONG forever!

[KirkCLinn]

I went to a Public Rural school where being Gay (I was out the whole time) was not as easy for some as it was for me, I was part of the Music Department and never was one to take it sitting down. I was lucky though, my mother supported me in all that I wanted to achieve and thats very empowering.

This school is needed and I will say why. Not everyone can handle or stand up to all that Homophobia tosses at them. For some it ends tragically. I now live in San Francisco (It Does Not have a gay High School but its not needed our Regulations are strictly enforced). Chicago may need it and for the Prospective students I would Get a Petition Going to show that NEED is there.

As for this being used against the nominee look at this article

http://www.365gay.com/news/anger-frustration-over-shelving-chicago-gay-school/

It goes into the reason all 8 pages of arguing over the reasons to and not to have it are shown

[Frenbar]

I'm glad you weren't one to take it sitting down, it could be painful.

[Bettysdad]

Did your mommy make that up?

[jashu51]

Speaking from personal experience, I assume.

[walk0nwalls]

It makes me sad that the very idea of providing a non-discrimination zone qualifies you as a "wild liberal" nowadays.

[mediamarv]

Proud to be a wild liberal.... I've never sent anyone to their death.

Seems to be a conservative, you've got to have a long list of people to hate...

[Eriq]

Uh... me, too. But this wild and wooly liberal really would like to see Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld go to trial, with the possible outcome being death row if they are found guilty.

[swanie]

Leave it to the TRUE BIGOTS IN OUR SOCIETY to do or say anything the can to show what BIGOTS and HATEFUL people they truly are.

PLEASE, for once in your sick life, LEAVE IT ALONE.

And any senator that brings it up at hte confirmation hearing should be booed out of the room.

Enough said.
.

[arthur2008]

It turns out there are a lot of children (and adults) the bigots want to "leave behind," and they work very hard at doing just that.