First Door on the Left

Let’s face it, most people get their news and form their opinions from reading the headlines. That’s why, when this headline appeared — “First public gay high school to open in NYC” — you started hearing and reading things like “There’s those homos again, demanding special treatment” and “They say want equal rights, but what they really want is special rights.”

Sometimes, you have to make time to get beyond the headline.

“The Harvey Milk High School will enroll about 100 students and open in a newly renovated building in the fall. It is named after San Francisco’s first openly gay city supervisor, who was assassinated in 1978.”

I can flat out guarantee you that there are a lot more than 100 gay students in New York City’s public school system. So why are only 100 kids going to be attending classes at Harvey Milk?

“I think everybody feels that it’s a good idea because some of the kids who are gays and lesbians have been constantly harassed and beaten in other schools,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday. “It lets them get an education without having to worry.”

The kids who will be attending classes at Harvey Milk are the kids who, without this opportunity, would probably have not completed high school. They are the kids who were bullied, harassed and beaten in their former schools. These kids deserve a chance at an education in an environment where they are not constantly in fear for their safety. Unfortunately, our public schools do not have the funds or personnel (and in some cases, the desire) to provide that environment.

One third of all teen suicides are gay kids. Given that gay people comprise 10% (a liberal estimate) of the population, that’s a fairly disproportionate ratio.

So when people say things like this — “Is there a different way to teach homosexuals? Is there gay math? This is wrong,” Long said. “There’s no reason these children should be treated separately.” — they really need to take a few minutes and read beyond the headlines.