SEPARATE BUT EQUAL

City's first public gay high school to open in fall (Associated Press, 7/28/2003)

A small alternative public school program has been expanded into a full-fledged school for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.

The Harvey Milk High School, an expansion of a 1984 city program consisting of two small classrooms for gay students, will enroll about 100 students and will open in the fall.

''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 at a briefing Monday. ''It lets them get an education without having to worry. It solves a discipline problem. And from a pedagogical point of view, this administration and previous administrations have thought it was a good idea and we'll continue with that.''

This kind of moral segregation seems entirely sensible and suggests that private individuals and businesses should be able to follow suit.

AND IN RELATED NEWS:
HIV Cases Climb Among Gay, Bisexual Men (Paul Simao, 7/28/03, Reuters)

The number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, climbed for the third consecutive year in the United States in 2002, fueling fears the disease might be poised for a major comeback in this vulnerable group.

Overall AIDS diagnoses rose 2.2 percent to 42,136 last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said on Monday at the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta.

Some AIDS experts worry that the increase could indicate a more complacent attitude toward the disease and a willingness to engage in riskier behavior by some vulnerable groups, such as young gay and bisexual males.

As a pathology loses its moral and social stigma the problems associated with it are exacerbated; go figure. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 28, 2003 4:16 PM