Out Chicago Co-Hosts Scott Duff and Ellen Miller spoke with Grecia Magdaleno, PHIMC’s Policy and Advocacy Manager for Illinois Safe Schools Alliance on July 12, 2020 about re-opening schools. 

This episode, recorded live, also featured professional tennis player Lendale Johnson, and Devlyn Camp, Producer, Writer, and Host for Mattachine: A Queer Serial podcast.

Grecia raises some of the questions people are grappling with right now:

“We are serving queer youth who may or may not be supported at home, so what does it look like for them to have a safe space in the first place if home isn’t safe for them, right? Maybe school is the only place where they can get that. However … How do we make sure that we don’t put their lives on the line, but also make sure that they can learn and thrive? … There really isn’t an easy answer, and I think that’s why we’re hearing more about hybrid learning… How do we get them the resources they need so they can still be at their best when they’re learning remotely?”

Listen to the interview, aired on Chicago’s Progressive Talk Radio, WCPT 820AM, here:
Out Chicago: 07.12.2020 – The segment on re-opening schools begins at minute marker 45:00.

Learn more here about our Illinois Safe Schools Alliance work to support LGBTQ+ students through school policy, youth action, and professional development for school staff.