Quote of the Day

A Chicago high school is planning a dance solely for gay students (which, jokes aside, is kind of awesome and good for the gays). But the gays are really gaying it up, all the way to GayTown (somewhere outside New Jersey).

There will be music, heart-shaped decorations and the ever observant eyes of parent chaperons roaming the school commons. Beneath pink streamers, teenagers will dance and pose for pictures in the Cupid Booth.

But the dance Friday will break ground as north suburban Stevenson High School’s first mixer for homosexual students.

“This is the first time they’ve gotten to actually plan a dance explicitly for their interests. That seems like a small thing, and it’s not,” said teacher Bill Fritz.

Educators say gay students are vulnerable to harassment and are more likely to miss school or feel disconnected—ultimately affecting their academic performance. So as more teens come out in high school, support systems have broadened to emphasize tolerance.

Stevenson’s dance will be the most public event for a Gay Straight Alliance chapter whose formation five years ago at the Lincolnshire school sparked some controversy. Club posters were torn from bulletin boards, so students laminated them and stapled them back up. Members heard whispered gay slurs, so they distributed lollipops that said “discrimination sucks.” They set up booths at school fairs and advertised the club as a welcoming place where teens could be themselves. A mixer seemed the next logical step.

They wanted a splashy affair open to all students and neighboring schools, said senior Aliya de Grazia, 17, the club’s co-president.

“We’re working on a disco ball and disco lights,” de Grazia said.

“Full kitsch. People love kitsch,” quipped co-president David Norman, 17.

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