Hmmmmmm, NYC to open a school for gays.

[OtherHD]

NEW YORK — The city is opening a full-fledged high school for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students -- the first of its kind in the nation, The Post has learned.

Operating for two decades as a small alternative program with just two classrooms, the new Harvey Milk High School officially opens as a stand-alone public school with 100 students in September.

The school is undergoing a $3.2 million in city-funded renovations approved by the old Board of Education in June of last year. It will eventually take in 170 students by September 2004, more than tripling last year's enrollment.

The Hetrick-Martin Institute -- the gay-rights youth-advocacy group that manages and helps finance the school in conjunction with New York's Department of Education -- has hired the school's first principal.

In the past, Harvey Milk High School -- named after the slain gay San Francisco politician -- was assigned an "off-site" supervisor who also oversaw several other schools.

Principal William Salzman said Harvey Milk will be an academically rigorous school that will specialize in computer technology, arts and a culinary program.

"This school will be a model for the country and possibly the world," Salzman said.

"This is a not a touchy-feely situation. We intend to have 95 percent of our students go on to college. We have a lot of talent coming into the school. We want to steer these kids in the right direction."

But New York State Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long blasted the school as "social engineering" that wastes tax dollars.

"Is there a different way to teach homosexuals? Is there gay math? This is wrong. This makes absolutely no sense," Long said. "There's no reason these children should be treated separately."

Long said there are city and state discrimination laws on the books and that authorities should enforce them to stop gay-bashing.

"What next? Maybe we should have schools for chubby kids who get picked on. Maybe all kids who wear glasses should have special schools. It's ridiculous," he said.

What burns Long most is the $3 million spent on renovations. "Maybe this is one of the reasons the city has no money," he said.

Arthur Larsen, who graduated from the program last month as valedictorian, is thrilled with its expansion into a full-fledged school. "I'm now an alumnus of a real school!" he said. "There's going to be more students. In four years, I want to work here."

[Stephanie]

It's absurd in my opinion.

We just got over a Supreme Court decision that says that race should not be the only deciding factor in being accepted to college and now we're back to segregation again! We've been trying for all of these years to teach people that everyone is EQUAL no matter what their belief, sex, creed, race or ethnic background is. Plus the fact that tax dollars are going to into the renovation of the school that now cannot be used by everyone that does pay taxes.

Sounds bass-ackwards to me!

[GalvestonDuck]

"This is a not a touchy-feely situation." Pffft...well, I should hope not.

I agree with Mike Long. What's the point? What's with the separatist attitude? What's next -- a school for white supremacists?

How does one prove they are gay so that they can go to this school?

Why name it after Harvey Milk? He was from San Francisco. Why not Harvey Fierstein?

I hope they don't serve twinkies in the cafeteria. (If you're old enough, you'll get that.)

I can already see this place becoming the target of some hate crime like a firebombing or something gosh-awful like that.

[Stephanie]

"This is a not a touchy-feely situation." Pffft...well, I should hope not.

I agree with Mike Long. What's the point? What's with the separatist attitude? What's next -- a school for white supremacists?

How does one prove they are gay so that they can go to this school?

Why name it after Harvey Milk? He was from San Francisco. Why not Harvey Fierstein?

I hope they don't serve twinkies in the cafeteria. (If you're old enough, you'll get that.)
I can already see this place becoming the target of some hate crime like a firebombing or something gosh-awful like that.

Okay, count me in that group!

But seriously, yes, I can see what you just said about the school being a target as something happening.

[mf_dolphin]

Give me a break! This has to be one of the biggest waste of money I've seen in a long time.

[JetMaxx]

If it's opening to stop gay teens from being picked on, IMO it will backfire. This school...which is also IMO a waste of taxpayer dollars will only serve to TARGET these kids to every prankster and hatemonger in the area.

In all honesty...if I were 14 and gay, I wouldn't go there. I'd feel safer in a regular high school where my attendance didn't single me out..

I also agree with another statement in that article....why is "gay bashing" more offensive than "fatso bashing" or "dwarf bashing"?? Let's face it -- if you attended high school when I did....if you were different IN ANY WAY....you were a target for ridicule.

I saw kids mocked and taunted because the clothes they wore were "hand-me-downs"; and Becky once came home from school in tears because two assinine girls made fun of her because her mom was dead.

If we start opening special high schools for every group of students that gets persecuted or picked on....we may need a high school for every dozen kids. IMO this school in New York sets a bad precident...and will backfire miserably.

Just my .02 cents worth..

[streetsoldier]

Strange is it not....not only does this school fly in the face of "acceptance", or "mainstreaming"; but by segregating them into a "special" school environment, the "ivory towers-that-be" in NYC are actually subjecting them to MORE isolation, potential ridicule and "bashing" by placing the lot in an easliy-targeted central locale. :o

Who's minding the store, anyway? And all this only cost the taxpayers a measly $3M? And the DMC is lambasting the GOP on "fiscal responsibilty"... Pull-EEEEAZE!!!

[hurricanedude]

no more a waste of money than the billions spent to prove there was life on mars.......now theres a real waste if you ask me, just my 2 cents worth

[GalvestonDuck]

I just realized that now I have a reason to move "Macarthur Park" down one notch from #1 to #2 on my list of things that will never EVER make sense.

"MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down...
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again"

[JetMaxx]

no more a waste of money than the billions spent to prove there was life on mars.......now theres a real waste if you ask me, just my 2 cents worth

Dude, you mean you don't believe in martians either?

Everyone thought we had a martian here in Douglas county when I was a kid...at least that's what the two guys said that had it -- an ugly little green dead thing they claimed was a martian that died in their back yard. Turned out to be a shaved monkey they bought illegally, killed, and spray painted green....boy were they stupid!

Those two idiots thought they'd make a buck or two, but all they ended up making was license plates in the state pen

[OtherHD]

I pretty much agree with all of you. This is a step in the wrong direction for gays who want to be accepted into society and treated equally (which is pretty much all of them). Not much else to say...Duck pretty much said it all.

[JQ Public]

How will they learn anything about the real world living in an all gay school. Bad move i believe!.

[wx247]

It is not a smart move at all. It just causes more bad press and ill feelings.

[Lindaloo]

I believe it was started because of all the turmoil and suffering that "gays" have to endure in the public school system. They just want to get an education without the fear of ridicule.

[Stephanie]

I believe it was started because of all the turmoil and suffering that "gays" have to endure in the public school system. They just want to get an education without the fear of ridicule.

I can understand that, but they are only going to make the situation worse for themselves in the long run IMHO.

[j]

"Principal William Salzman said Harvey Milk will be an academically rigorous school that will specialize in computer technology, arts and a culinary program."

He forgot to mention Cosmotology....silly man.

[Stephanie]

"Principal William Salzman said Harvey Milk will be an academically rigorous school that will specialize in computer technology, arts and a culinary program."

He forgot to mention Cosmotology....silly man.

Beautiful...

[Lindaloo]

I believe it was started because of all the turmoil and suffering that "gays" have to endure in the public school system. They just want to get an education without the fear of ridicule.

I can understand that, but they are only going to make the situation worse for themselves in the long run IMHO.

How?

[GalvestonDuck]

I believe it was started because of all the turmoil and suffering that "gays" have to endure in the public school system. They just want to get an education without the fear of ridicule.

I got my education without enduring much ridicule about my sexuality. My height was more of a joke than anything else. But then again, I was educated in KY, which doesn't say much for my education.

I have to wonder how many other gays and lesbians are reading about this school and saying, "What the...?" If I was still of high school age, I wouldn't want to go to a school like that. How would you learn to deal with obstacles and intolerance? Besides, isn't the rainbow flag supposed to be a symbol of diversity and accepting differences? They're pulling out one of the stripes and separating this group into an exclusive school.

And just how does this serve to protect them from their family members who ridicule them? Thankfully, mine didn't. But there are four times as many suicides by gay teens (or teens dealing with confusion about their sexuality) as there are by straight ones. Are they really ready to tell their parents at age 14 that they are gay?

[Stephanie]

I believe it was started because of all the turmoil and suffering that "gays" have to endure in the public school system. They just want to get an education without the fear of ridicule.

I can understand that, but they are only going to make the situation worse for themselves in the long run IMHO.

How?

Resentment for one thing. There are alot of people that don't accept gay/lesbian unions at all and while we're trying to teach everyone that we are all equal and should be treated as such, they are now asking to be treated differently.