GAY SCHOOLS FOR SA?

Many recent studies have confirmed that harassment of gay South African students has always been a problem and is on the increase.
Published on: 19 November 2008

Globally, gay students report verbal and physical harassment with a significant percentage reporting actual physical assault because of their sexual orientation. This has led public school officials in the USA to recommend the approval of a "gay-friendly" high school in Chicago for around 600 students because harassment and violence are causing gay kids to skip class and drop out at alarming rates. A similar school is already in operation in New York, servicing 100 learners. What are the advantages and compromises of choosing separate schooling and what should the ultimate goal be?

Apart from obvious advantages of having learners feel more secure in a protective school, proposed models suggest such institutions should include properly trained counsellors to assist students – something that is sorely lacking in most South African educational institutions today. Research shows that acceptance amongst peers is also helped by having a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender support group at school. This is a simple idea that seems a lot easier to implement as a cohesive national solution than that of separate educational institutions.

A more advanced idea could see the inclusion of curriculum incorporating lessons about sexual identity in history, literature and other classes. However, why should this be exclusively done in a specialised school and not implemented at all schools? Though we are constitutionally favoured in being allowed to include measures to try and improve tolerance in schools many well meaning intentions can be lost in beaurocracy and the process of prioritization in the allocation of public monies. While other social issues hold higher priority with government, monies will be distributed accordingly.

Schools also tend to be microcosms, smaller mirrored representations, of the society that surrounds them and unfortunately the truth of South African society includes the presence of a significant group of people who are intolerant to those of different sexual preference. It can be argued that this makes a school containing these undesirable elements a good trial ground for later life, which is what school is meant to be all about isn’t it? Nevertheless what is the price paid for this hard won birth of fire? If people are being denied their right to an education purely because of their sexual orientation then it seems logical to argue that separate schools are a viable choice. This choice does on the other hand retard the achievement of the overall goal which is to engender tolerance for all in society – something which is difficult to achieve if those you wish to have included are placed separate – even though this is for their protection.

The conclusion I have reached over this idea is that should it be deemed necessary and possible to provide separate schooling for gay kids that this should be a temporary choice – one that is a solution only until such time as more tolerance can be injected into society at large. In the interim more tolerance can be advanced by the extension of laws taken from constitutional grounding to ensure adequate protection for students against harassment based on their sexual orientation. A more hands on approach should see parents of gay children around the country ensuring the establishment of support groups for their children in the schools that they attend. This is something which is achievable right now – we only need parents to make a little effort and stand alongside their gay children.

 

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