Brad Haynes,Wall Street Journal
- Obama’s Education Secretary Supported Gay High School Plan
In selecting Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan as his education secretary Tuesday,President-elect Barack Obama aimed to satisfy the interests of reform-minded activists and the powerful teachers’ unions with an open-minded official.
But Duncan’s openness to new ideas caused a stir in Chicago just last month when he proposed a high school designed for gay students. Aimed at keeping students from being bullied and ostracized,Duncan pitched the idea of an explicitly gay-friendly school,where half of the students were expected to identify as lesbian,gay,bisexual or transgender.
The proposal met with misgivings from Chicago Mayor Richard Daley – traditionally an advocate for gay and lesbian issues – as well as ministers,gay activists and social conservatives opposed to segregating gay students.