A recent letter in The News admonished readers to get with it because “‘Woke’ is way dated, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DED) is the new buzz.” 

The writer then cites a couple of extreme examples of anecdotes of local communities grappling with transgender issues. Restroom use and athletic competition seem to be the topics conservatives seem to have their hair on fire over. 

Recent studies have found that the number of teens identifying as transgender is double what was expected. Education Week says that the number is about 300,000. Researchers aren’t sure if the increase is because more kids feel safe about coming out or because of the availability of more accurate data sources or both. 

One would think that if we love our children, ALL our children, these issues could be dealt with individually at a local level. 

It’s estimated there are around 50 million students in public schools alone which comes to 0.6% of students reporting as trans. Like homosexuals, some people just can’t accept transexuals’ right to be treated humanely and with dignity, or even their right to exist. We have always had transgender and gay people; we’ve just forced them to live in the shadows and learn to hate themselves for who they are, leading some into drug abuse and homelessness. 

As much as conservative Christians resent the existence and rights of the LGBTQ community members, I resent the impudence of one group cramming their beliefs down my throat because they are unable to adequately cope with a changing world. After all, if Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are so terrible, we might observe their opposites: Monoculture, Unfairness and Exclusion. We have to live in this world together and DEI is one way to help make that happen. 

Shall we talk about abortion now . . .?

Thomas Jacobson

Riverside