Barack Obama’s choice for Secretary of Education, Chicago schools chief executive Arne Duncan, recommended the opening of a high school for gay, lesbian and transgender students.
The proposed 600-student School for Social Justice Pride Campus would cater to gays but be open to other students as well, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“If you look at national studies, you see gay and lesbian students with high dropout rates,” Duncan said on Oct. 8.
“Studies show they are disproportionately homeless.
“I think there is a niche there we need to fill.”
Supporters of the school asserted that it would help students find a safe education environment. A 2003 school district survey cited by the Tribune showed that gay and lesbian youths are three times more likely to miss school because of safety concerns.
Opponents have called the plan a misuse of public funds.
New York City opened a similar school in 2003, named for openly gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978.
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