In a time when homosexuality has become part of mainstream culture and media, it seems that integration of straight and gay society would lead to tolerance and acceptance, apparently it’s not.
     It seems odd to me that an all gay, lesbian, and bisexual high school has recently been opened in New York. The school is called Harvey Milk High School, named after a gay San Francisco politician who was assassinated in 1978.
     My question is, why would a group of people fighting so hard to gain acceptance from the rest of the world now want to separate themselves even more, and in turn take two steps back in the battle they have fought for so long?
     It’s understandable that, given the opportunity, most people would choose to live in a world where they are accepted exactly the way they are, and everyone feels and lives similarly. But, it’s simply not the way it is.
     Separating these kids from the rest of the world will do nothing to help them. If anything, it will keep them sheltered for four years, and then throw them out, unprepared, into a sometimes harsh world. Eventually these individuals will have to live with the rest of us; the conservative, liberal, straight, gay, black, white and everyone else.
     No matter who you are or how you live, there will always be someone whose opinions differ from your own. I mean really, if people want to use this new high school idea as a means for kids to not get picked on or discriminated against, what’s next, a school for the overweight?
     Supporters of this high school feel that it is a refuge for students who have been targeted for hate crimes. With that in mind, doesn’t it make sense that with all these mini-targets in one spot we’ve just created one large target?
     Our schooling years are crucial to our development and over all understanding of the world; school is the first time we really get a taste of life’s diversity. In addition, it’s a fragile time when most go through a variety of identity changes. Who’s to say we can really classify ourselves into one group or another at age 14?
     I firmly believe if we want the world (or at least American society) to be able to live peacefully, the answer is tolerance. Segregation can only set us back. Look at the civil rights movement; where would we be if integration hadn’t taken place? Dividing people, as we’ve seen in the past, only leads to more problems in the future, not to mention possible targets for hate crimes.
     I feel that in many ways this high school was opened to avoid controversial cultural conflictions. I also feel we need to get over it. We’ve come so far as a country. Progression has always seemed to be our motto. So, what’s holding us back now?