Update from the Harvey Milk School (opening today)

Reverend Fred Phelps and members of his Westboro Baptist Church are at it again. Protestors demonstrated today in front of the high school for gay teenagers shouting "Die Fags" and carrying anti-gay placards. The school opened for the fall term this morning.

The protestors were kept across the street from the school. In front of the building, the first public high school in America to serve gay students, were about 200 members of New York's gay community, marching in support of the facility.

Alan Van Capelle, the Executive Director of Empire State Pride Agenda denounced the Phelps' protest. Van Capelle said that the 150 students who are attending classes this fall represent the highest risk students in New York. "Some of these kids have been abandoned by their parents, others have been severely beaten at their old schools. These are students who guidance councilors say would be at mortal risk if they weren't admitted to Harvey Milk. This is a last ditch effort to keep these kids in school. Its a tragedy that this kind of school has to exist at all," Van Capelle said.

Previous writings about the Harvey Milk School on this website:
Sept. 4, 2004 | Sept. 6, 2004 | Aug. 18, 2004 | Aug. 8, 2004