The Hoboken Cafe 

The Riots in the late 1960's & 1970's (all the damage & destruction which was ignorant running wild) but anyways wasnt it all about putting a stop to things like Segregation, Discrimination, etc., Stopping the separation of boys, girls, black, white, rich, poor, green, blue? No?

I'm confused here, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't an all Gay High School Segregation all over again?

Is the government paying for this? It's well-intended, but very misguided. Kids are persecuted for their real or perceived sexuality and they do deserve a support system...but within the public school.

There are three major negatives:
1. Teaches kids to run away from conflict.
2. Teaches gay kids that they deserve special status from everyone else. We already have enough minority groups playing this game....and destroying their images.
3. Reinforces idea of gays as abnormal and does not dissipate the lack of tolerance in some public schools.

When they leave Gay High/BiSchool/etc they will be thrust back into a world that does not really care about which holes they like to plug.

What's their admission policy? Is there an entrance exam on Barbara Streisand and KD Lang songs? Can they call it SGAyTs?
Will they accept students without parental/guardian approval, since some gay teens are w/out family support?

Definitely this goes on the lines of segregation. I don't agree with this at all. I think teaching tolerance and respect in schools would be much better spent on this racial discrimination issue.

If the gay community really believes in equality then they ought to condemn this attempt at segregation.

It doesnt make any sense to me. Why segregate themselves?

Doesn't this break State & Federal Civil Rights Laws passed in the late 1960's, that no Public institution funded by this Gov. shall knowingly and\or intentionally seperated people on the basis of race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation?

How is this different than an all girls/boys school? And let's put funding to the side, as that is probably not the issue that has everyone all a dither about the subject.

If people who are beaten, abused, discriminated against, ridiculed, and so much more chose to go to this school, then who cares.

The other old issues so many are trying to correlate to this were not a choice back in the 60s.

If going to a school with like minded people enlightens a few more of us, then who the hell cares! Would you all prefer that they pull a Columbine High School episode and start shooting everyone as they can't take the humiliation by their "peers"?!

Who cares?! Live and let live.

Boys\Girls Schools are Private Institutions.

Another example: Catholic Schools are Private Institutions.

"Private" means No Federal Aid, (No Gov. money).

Private Institutions do not recieve Gov. Aid because it's against our "America's Laws" as of the 1960's to seperate people on the basis of Race, Sex, Religion or Sexual Orientation.

This School opening in NY is a "Public" Institution meaning = it will get Federal, State, Aid (Gov. money) which means it breaks our own laws.

That's why I made the distinction of saying, funding aside for my comment. the definition of private vs. public is axiomatic.

My point was that the homophobic people who have problems with this are trying to hide behind the "funding" issue.
My response was based on the first posting trying to correlate this high school that people have a CHOICE to go to, to the law of the decade where people were FORCED to be separated.

Now if you want to talk about funding, lets do it, but this all sounds like homophobia to me. Its not the first time the government has allocated funds to something controversial. This allocation is just getting media attention.

What if I am not gay but tolerant of gays, and I want to attend this school because there is a better chance that I can a better education that any other public school.

Is it fair that I can not attend. Why must this be a gay-only school (as far as I know, it is only a gay only school. If it is allows everyone, then fine). Can I still practice having hetro-relations in this school.

What it comes down to is: I should be allow attend any school as long as I seek the education and pass my grades based on what we define as education (Sty, Bronx Sci, and Brooklyn Tech is specialize high schools that require testing for advanced knowledge, at least at the time when I went to HS it was).

The more underlying problem is that we have too much violence (physical, verbal, mental) related to racial discrimination which needs to be corrected at all schools at all levels.

This solution just makes them a bigger target where every gay or gay-sympathic person is in one area.

Oh please -- so people who oppose the concept of exclusive, special treatment of homosexuals are homophobic? Anyone who disagrees with you must be mentally ill? Get off your judgemental high horse. This is not a concept that our tax dollars should fund. If we are going to fund this, then what about a special school for all manners of "sexuality". This society has "politically corrected" itself into a corner. Lets take all the gay kids and put them into a special school. They shouldn't be in a regular school? This is facism, pure and simple. The gay kids get on this line. The leather freaks, get on this line, etc. etc. etc. This is fascism. Watch what you hope for.

Fascism has nothing to do with choice. Think, dictatorship. You might want to re-read your political science notes to get it straight.

My only point is that nobody seems to care that this is a CHOICE these kids and families can elect to make. It has nothing to do with segregation or discrimination, and to attempting to correlate it to discrimination in the 60s is narrow minded. Now that was fascist, if anything.

I am posting a response to an opinion, just like you Chris. If we all didn't have a high horse to ride, a lot of us wouldn't be here discussing these types of issues. Relax.

It may be a choice, but it's a choice with consequences far beyond what many kids and parents can see. The main difference between a gay school and a boy or girl school is that some public schools still have problems granting or promoting equality between the sexes. Some teachers still show gender preferance, conscious or not. Plus, separating the sexes provides a safer place for girls who may or have been attacked in their own public school by their male counterparts.

How many teenagers are so sure of their sexuality? Sure enough to label themselves? Labels stick and some future employer or admissions board may not be so welcoming.

Good point. But the comment, "Plus, separating the sexes provides a safer place for girls who may or have been attacked in their own public school by their male counterparts, " makes me think the same of those gays that get the crap beat out of them just for being gay. Plus they might find this environment a "safe" place where they can concentrate on learning and not have to worry about who comes into the bathroom after them who is going to fuc$ with them, or beat them, or key their car, or whatever....

The environment certainly lends itself to avoidance with coping with related problems from adversarial heterosexuals, but I think it also can provide overall confidence building which indirectly leads to better coping skills.

But definitely a good point about admissions boards. The colleges are just trying to get affirmative action clear. Imagine the paranoia they would perceive during the interview with the student from this school!

No, sorry but I will not put the money issue aside because then you are missing the entire point! You see if means a tax hike for the common working people.

I could care less who has a "Special School" but I will not pay for it! I work like everone else here and I pay taxes out the ass already and I will not pay extra for a special "Public School". If I were a New Yorker I would be pissed, fuming, writimg letters and protesting that I will not pay extra for a Speical Public School - it should go Private like all the other Speicla Schools are FORCED to because the population refuses to pay extra taxes for them.

This school (i could careless who the "Special" students are and\or who they sleep with) however what I will not do is pay for a Segregated Special Public School, to make me do so violates my rights its Un-Constitutional to force me or any other tax payer to pay for it - it violates my\our constitutional laws and could be fought in court to force a tax payer to pay for it would as open the door to over turn our Anti-defamationand Anti-Discrimination Acts\Laws passed in the 1960's and 1970's.

There are already some good Public Schools in NY and good Private ones (which the Private ones thse kids would have to pay for to go to, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES).

I, and niether do you have to pay extra Taxes for Private Catholic Schools or any of the other Speiacl schools out there which teach specific ideas and welcome certain types into thier Org.'s based on Race, Religion or Sexual Orien.

I will not pay more taxes for it, this school should be Private and fund itself just like all the other so called "Special" schools have to do based on our laws in this country.

Would you all agree to pay more Federal & State Taxes for the thousands of Catholic Schools, Prot. or Jewish Schools out there? If your ok with paying taxes for this school opening up then you will be\sooner or later forced to pay for all the other specificly geared schools out there.

Whom ever is ok with this school opening up as Public should be the ones who have extra Taxes pulled from thier checks and the rest of us should be able to check off NO in the Tax box and not have to pay for it.

I still think openning an exclusive school for gays is not the problem. It will never solve the most underlying problem which is racism. Education in the schools is the only way you will get yourself away from intolerance. And by having this school is like putting a big target sign for more bashing on the gay lifestyle.

Actually, there is a bill right now where you can take you tax credits and use them to pay for private school. Whether it is religion based, education for profit, these tax credits are suppose to increase "competition" in schools. Something I don't agree with. The public schools will continue to have this problem of huge breaucracy that just wastes money until the state cries for more. NYC schools need to be re-organized to use the money more effectively so that the teachers can get pay raises for teaching kids correctly. Thus, making teaching a more desireable career option.

Schools need to be fix by audit committee that are not influenced by politics (in the government or school system) where the school administrators are not abusing the system so that they can get kickbacks when it should really go to the kids.

Also, I think the money would be better spent on tolerance education programs but not only would it apply to gay-lifestyles but racial equality, religion (or whatever faith based you follow) tolerance.

here's the link to the school:

http://www.hmi.org/Youth/FAQs/default.aspx

If only we could select where our individual tax dollars could be spent....

I went to the HS of Performing Arts - a public school that only accepted 60 new students a year. stringent closed school. Most everyone of my classmates was gay. THey were tolerated and nurtured in this school - I went to public Junior HS and was ridiculed for being an actress. I could only imagine what an openly gay teenager would have to go through. I applaud this new school. I also suspect that it is an open admission school, though a magnet school to have government funding, though the agenda would be so gay-welcoming that non-gay teens would not want to attend. Again - I APPLAUD THIS SCHOOL!!!! Teens do not yet have social restraint and are much crueler than adults, who have (hopefully) learned that to move forward in society you must be tolerant of people unlike yourself.

Sorry - but this school sounds wonderful. Please allocate my tax dollars from making bombs for the war-mongering creeps that, by the way get all the tax credits in the US, to more gay-friendly schools, please.

I disagree with the tax hike thing...there is always someone benefitting on someones back....

Myself included..I went to a magnet public school meaning this:

If you IQ was high enough and you could pass the entrance exams you were admitted to a PUBLIC school, that had better facilites and materials and computers that the regular PUBLIC school did not...

So in turn I got a better education (opinion) than that of a non-magnet school student and my parent paid no more or no less than the parent of a non-magnet student...

Is this fair? Is this just? ...well that is up to pure subjectivity...and truthfully I do not care... 'cause I gots me a guud edubcation.

In my eyes, if there is a clear and defined need for a school that people of a certain class (and non-protected I might add)to be created so that their education can happen in a productive environment that I will glad fork over an extra 1% of my tax income...

I mean that this is no differnt that the federal funding of ESL (english as a second language)classes for students that cannot learn in english so they must learn in thier native language until english skill are gained...

And you can throw religion out of the converstaion becuase they are teaching a non-standard curriculm such as that religion and god actually exists and stuff..

This homosexual only school is not teaching anything that is not standard curriculm...

To draw the parallel would mean that that the Homosexual school was teaching something like 'how to be flaming 101' or 'limp wristology'...it simply does not happen...and to compare is not correct...

You will pay the tax money, and unless you and many other people vote and lobby your views onto the populus...and good luck with that...

Well hopefully someday soon homosexualty will be a protected class and have the rights against descrimination that the rest of the protected classes have...

With that said I can still imagine in the future that some redneck at the University of Trailer Park East would be saying (outloud)... "Looks like we got one of those people from that queer high school..humph!..better just s#itcan this application now"

The sad part is that you can subsititute any slur into that sentance and all of the laws in the world are not going to change that type of behavior as long as people can get away with it....

This is NOT a public school....It's a free private school, funded by donations and there is no tuition, by what I got from the website.

My taxes are high enough I won't pay anymore and I am an active loud person who is not affraid to speak up, speak loud and I vote. Since I;m coming out of an inner city I have (how do they say) "The Balls" - I call it as I see it.

Our Public schools in the USA are suffering (its a fact unless you live in a fantasy world) and we are paying big money out of our checks and still yet our Public schools stink and they continue to advance "many" a number of kids who cant read (mostly in innner cities).

So before everyone jumps for joy about having your Taxes doubled & pulled out of your checks (I guess you all make much more money than I do) just remember "your" money hasn't helped the thousands of youth that pour out of the already suffering Public School system or have you forgotten those kids?

I for one will not have my taxes doubled, no way, but if it's a Private School funded by those willing then I'm all for it, I'll think its great.

You should lso be aware that this will (legally) open the door to your Tax dollars having to fund other Public Schools opening for only white kids, only boys, only girls and Religious based Schools. So if you all can afford it then God Bless ya go for it but I cant afford another 20% pulled from my pay check.

I will fight it, speak out and vote against it.

I see you are posting a response and I will relax but what if parents want a public school for black kids only, white kids only, tall kids only, smart kids only, dumb kids only. It isn't practical on any level to engage in this segregation or give any group special access to education. It is wrong to me.

that was really mature.