Heard about this school on the radio this morning. One of the show hosts/personalities was of the opinion that the school was discriminating against straight students. The article isn't clear on if you have to be LGBT to enroll. The article is hoping to keep LGBT students in school versus dropping out of traditional high schools.
Thoughts?
I have no idea what their admissions procedure would be, but it's hard to imagine that they would ask people to identify their sexual orientation to qualify for admission.
It's awful that LGBT kids can be driven out of their schools by bullying, and I am glad that some of them will have a place to go, rather than drop out.
It really infuriated me listening to the radio host. She had absolutely no compassion for the kids who would be most driven to enroll at a LGBT school. These are kids FFS. Some who are being bullied relentlessly, others who are just ostracized. Of course there are those that are well-adjusted accepted members of their schools.
On one hand, it's absurd to think that there's even a need for a separate learning environment but until LGBT kids can go to a traditional school without fearing for their safety, this idea may be a good alternative.
My guess is that the radio host was coming from the perspective of "If you don't want to get bullied, stay in the closet."
It's an awful, but very pervasive mentality about sexuality.
Original Post by amethystgirl:
My guess is that the radio host was coming from the perspective of "If you don't want to get bullied, stay in the closet."
It's an awful, but very pervasive mentality about sexuality.
That was my guess as well.
I've had to take trainings at work that were essentially discrimination training (what it is, what to do if it's happening to you, what not to do to others). The trainer told a story (I think several decades old by now) about a guy coming out and getting beaten, threatened, bullied by his coworkers.
The first time she told the story, her message was essentially "Don't broadcast it. And if you do, well.... I warned you."
The second time I took the training, I went prepared. My plan was to raise my hand and say that I have pictures from my wedding on my desk, in full view. Was this a problem? I would let her believe that the pictures were of me and another women, and then ask if the answer was different if it was a man standing next to me. However, I didn't get the chance.
I think she had gotten enough feedback that she had changed her story enough so that the message was "I don't care if you are uncomfortable with who someone else is - you don't get to beat/threaten/bully them." Not 100%, but better.
I still wrote on the eval form that she needs to work with her own comfort level about sexuality, if she is going to do trainings about discrimination.
Why would the LGBT community want this? They want so badly to belong in with everyone else, it doesn't make sense to have a school that does just the opposite.
While I think this is a tiny step backwards (in terms of making themselves seperate... ie different) for the LGBT community, I think it's better for the safety of those who are surrounded by bigots. I can't imagine the horrors a transgendered person has to go through in a standard school, for example.
I found more information about the org that is behind the school and another news article. Bunny, in one of those articles, the deputy director of the one-n-ten organization said "My ultimate goal is that bullying and dislike for gay and lesbian youth stops and there's no need for this school." "The reason we have this school is because there's a need."
Original Post by lbh:
I found more information about the org that is behind the school and another news article. Bunny, in one of those articles, the deputy director of the one-n-ten organization said "My ultimate goal is that bullying and dislike for gay and lesbian youth stops and there's no need for this school." "The reason we have this school is because there's a need."
I agree. That's why I said this was a tiny step back but at the same time, you sometimes have to step back to move forward.
It's sad. :( :(
Humans, while seemingly so evolved compared to other species are sometimes the most devolved.
