The nation's first gay public high school, Harvey Milk High School, opened its classrooms to 170 students this fall in New York City. The school's administrators said it will provide a safe environment for youth who feel threatened and uncomfortable in the traditional high school setting.
But this is a quick fix for the long-running problem of discrimination, which the new school will not alleviate.
High school is an impressionable time for teens. Without nerds, head bangers, jocks, gay students or bullies, students wouldn't be challenged to think twice about their points of view.
Most of us probably felt threatened at some point in our high school careers. I remember dodging pennies at pep rallies when I was a freshman. It was embarrassing to walk into class late and get reamed by the teacher. Bullies were a problem no matter what clique you were in. What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. Except for gay youth: Sometimes it does kill them.
According to the Harvey Milk Web site (www.hmi.org), 41.7 percent of these troubled youth do not feel safe in their school, and 69 percent reported experiencing harassment or violence. Every year, 28 percent of gay teens drop out of school, which is three times the national average. They are also three times more likely to attempt suicide, which is 40 percent higher than heterosexual students.
Something should be done. But is segregation the answer?
The Civil Rights movement showed us it is not. Why build a high school that isolates intelligent, promising students who just happen to be of a different sexual orientation? As some gays remove themselves from traditional high schools in New York, they will dilute diversity in the educational system. This is an unfortunate byproduct of the Harvey Milk school that should worry us.
We are not focusing on the bigger problem, which is society's negative view of gays. If we could change this sentiment, maybe gay students would not feel as compelled to seclude themselves in a separate academic community. Shows like "Will & Grace" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" are gradually changing attitudes by portraying gays in a positive - if stereotypical - light. But that's just television.
How can future high school students learn that gay individuals are just like them if gays begin to go to different high schools? Separating gay students from straight ones will only make things worse in the long run.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the new school provides these kids with "an education without having to worry." So, what - no term papers either? Don't you wish you went there?
And instead of breaking down stereotypes, Harvey Milk may only serve to reinforce them. According to cnn.com, the new high school offers students traditional courses, with special emphasis on arts courses, computer technology and culinary arts. But the reason the breakaway school was created was because gay students faced discrimination, not because cooking classes weren't available, right?
Unfortunately, computer classes and French pastries are not going to shelter anyone, gay or straight, from discrimination in the real world. And that real world will be a little harder to operate in after four years of isolation.
Catherine Portillo is a journalism junior. Reach her at catherine.portillo@asu.edu.
