This is not a letter of appreciation like other letter writers sent. I’m writing because I’m sick to death that half the time I open up my hometown paper, I see my human rights being debated in the opinion section.
By showing persistently that trans rights are up for debate in your publication, it would appear that the Gazette is eager to stoke the rancor of anti-trans rhetoric. It’s clear that trans folk in this country are under attack from a barrage of anti-LGBTQ politicians and lobbyists pushing legislation that calls our human rights into question. Some call openly for our detention or extermination and are met with cheers and applause.
So why, in a supposed haven of progressive values like Northampton, are you entertaining this conversation that stands to put so many of our own community members in jeopardy? Our humanity is not something for these armchair culture warriors to debate and play with. It’s real and it’s in present danger.
Nikalsen Haug
Northampton