The move by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to have a new naval academy open as part of Edgewater’s Senn High School is attracting a lot of critics, including a gay organization.
Queer to the Left states several reasons why it feels it is wrong for even a part of this school to be turned into an academy.
In a press release, the organization ‘call [s] upon our elected officials to take a stand against the intrusion into our community of an institution that preys on communities of color and immigrants, exploits the lack of jobs and educational opportunities for young people in our cities, systematically discriminates against gays and lesbians, and sustains a culture of harassment and violence against queers, women, and transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans.’
CPS will fund the academy with a $2.1 million federal seed grant. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, CPS spokesman Peter Cunningham said they are simply offering another option to students.