January 05, 2006
Safety for me but not for thee
When the Harvey Milk school, an institution for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender youth designed to 'protect' kids who feel harassed in regular schools, opened in NY, many conservatives, and other sane people of different political persuasions, asked if similar schools would be set up for kids with glasses or weight problems. Dorian Davis posted on the school's three-year anniversary here.
Chad posts about a similar segregation that happens at Riker's prison in NY. Gay people who have felt threatened have had a separate section of the jail. Now Rikers is planning to allow anyone who feels threatened access to the unit. Sounds fair, right? 'Eighteen groups sent a letter to Horn on Thursday asking him to reconsider, including the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.' Go read Chad's take-down of the idea that gay people should be protected while other people should not, especially his conclusion 'And let's not forget... there's always the option of not breaking the law to begin with.'
Posted by Karol at January 5, 2006 01:00 PM | TrackBackTechnorati Tags: Rikers+Island Rikers+Island+Gay+Unit
Serious question:
In what group should the sexual predators (who are gay inside the prison and probably not gay on the outside) be placed? In what group would they cause the least amount of trauma?
Segregating a part of the prison population is par for the course in all prisons.
The groups are commonly segregated along the lines of: gender, sexual orientation, racial identity, gang affiliation, etc.
This is done in large part to protect the prison guards, as they need to quell riots, and expose themselves to physical harm thereby.
Your argument is weak and does not wash. The comparison of segregated prison units to segregated high schools is a straw man.
Posted by: Dave at January 5, 2006 03:02 PM"Gay unit?"
So that's what the G stands for?
Posted by: Not Dawn Summers at January 5, 2006 03:32 PMSo the NYCLU wants to help out convicts. Ok, that makes sense; that's what left-wing "civil liberties" groups do.
But... a GAY convict gets a little more juice with the group, because the two lefty causes have a multiplier effect. Ok, still not unprecedented...
But, BUT the NYCLU doesn't want other 'threatened' prisoners to get the same treatment (special treatment, by the way) because then being gay wouldn't be a special protected class. So... ignore the safety of the general group of "threatened prisoners" to reinforce the liberal cachet of the GAY prisoners. Got it. Almost lost me for a while.
At least MY civil liberties are being protected by keeping them ALL locked up.
Posted by: Jay at January 5, 2006 03:36 PMIn what group should the sexual predators (who are gay inside the prison and probably not gay on the outside) be placed? In what group would they cause the least amount of trauma?
If by "sexual predator" you mean rapist, I would daresay that they'd cause as much trauma to a gay inmate as to a straight one. Although the gay inmates may not mind the same sex dealio, as a general matter -- they probably are not down with the rape aspect anymore than their straight counterparts.
The truth is that gay activists--convinced that gays have become an underclass in America--are now campaigning to make gays an overclass, with special rightsm not afforded to the majority of Americans.
Posted by: Dorian Davis at January 6, 2006 04:12 PMIt is alarming that people would object to schools in which GLBT students are accepted, included, and encouraged to learn in a nurturing and safe environment.
As to correctional facilities, GLBT people are (or should be) accorded protections so as to preclude the further victimization of this marginalized and endangered population segment.
Views such as those you profess here are the root cause of ignorant biased views which only serve to plant the seed of anti-gay violence.
